Germany: Parliament’s lower house to vote on gender self-determination law

German lawmakers have approved legislation that will make it easier for transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to change their name and gender in official records. The “self-determination law,” one of several social reforms that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s liberal-leaning coalition government pledged when it took office in late 2021, is set to take effect on Nov. 1 after being approved by parliament on Friday. Germany, the European Union’s most populous nation, follows several other countries in making the change. Adults will be allowed to change their first name and legal gender at registry offices without further formalities. They will have to notify the office three months before making the change. The current, decades-old legislation imposes more onerous conditions.