Sweden passes law lowering legal gender change from 18 to 16

Sweden parliament recently approved a law that lowers the age for changing legal gender from 18 to 16, streamlining the process. Previously, Swedes needed a doctor’s diagnosis of gender dysphoria to change their recognized gender. Under the new law effective from July 2025, the process will be simpler, requiring a shorter consultation with a doctor or psychologist and approval from the National Board of Health and Welfare.

Individuals under 18 will need parental/guardian approval besides the doctor’s and the Board’s consent. Notably, this law separates legal gender change from gender surgery, which still requires a longer assessment and is only permitted from age 18.

Supporters highlight that this law will significantly benefit transgender individuals, while critics, including some MPs from the Christian Democrats and the far-right Sweden Democrats, advocate for more research into gender dysphoria before such changes. The public sentiment, as per a recent poll, leans toward skepticism, with 59% of Swedes viewing the law change negatively.

Jimmie Akesson, the leader of the Sweden Democrats, expressed his opinion that it was “deplorable that a proposal that obviously lacks support among the population is so casually voted through”.

Ulf Kristersson, the prime minister of Sweden, has supported the idea, calling it “balanced and responsible”.

Similar laws have been enacted in other European countries like Germany and Spain, easing the process of legal gender change without requiring extensive medical evaluations. In the UK, the process involves a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria or meeting specific criteria such as gender surgery and six years of living in the affirmed gender.