Just Learned A Horrible Fact

[Guest Larson]

Hey guys, I'm taking a gender and sexuality course in Amsterdam while I'm abroad and last class I learned something awful. My native Dutch professor mentioned that transgendered people seeking SRS in The Netherlands are required to be sterilized. I know that often taking HRT and other parts of the process can lead to being infertile, but some individuals who officially change genders can and choose to remain capable of having children....but even if they didn't, this law is horrific and violates basic human rights.

Does anyone know of other countries where this is the same? I had never heard of anything like it before and was, as shown, disgusted.

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

I find it hard to believe that would be found legal if challenged in the european court of human rights

[Guest Kaitlyn88]

If you're MTF you'll be sterilized anyways from hormones and if not that SRS will do it, so that really doesn't make any sense but I wouldn't care since it's still happening one way or another. I never could have kids myself being XXY so I've never really thought much about all that.

[Guest April63]

Going through SRS makes you sterile. I think you mean that some people transition, but do not go with SRS and HRT and therefore are not sterile.

[Guest Michele H]

current SOC does not require sterilization and if fact one of the recomendations for the next release is that patients be counseled regarding reproduction options. Hormone therapy does reduce reproductive capability and of course, SRS seals the deal. The recomendation for the next WAPATH soc calls for discussing banking sperm or ovum with associated risks as well as reproductive issues associated with hormone usage

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

Well the SOC is not law anywhere! And even if it was US law wouldn't apply to the Netherlands. The drugs sterilizing you vs the government forcing it on you are two very different things. The latter being just about the biggest breach of human rights you can get.

[Guest praisedbeherhooves]

I think you misunderstood. SRS will sterilize you just by nature of the process. Making a law would just be pointless since that happens already.I think that you got things mixed up since some people transition without SRS and manage to keep fertile, though that is very rare in the MTF case.

[Guest Nelly]

Hi,

in Germany if you want to change your gender in your papers, you must be sterilize first. So if you plan to do MTF only in paper work, than it is not possible. If you take the example of the man that give birth to his kid because he was a she before would only be possible in Germany if he is still a she in the papers.

Many people complain about that fact as you already found out, it is against human rights.

Also in a very early stage, latest one week after birth, the gender must setup for the papers. The option to choose is male or female. So no way to wait for later until the kid can say by his/her own what it is. In the past a lot of kids were adjusted with OP by the doctor to the gender the doctor thought it came close. Many times it was the wrong one but than it is to late.

So if you have a kid in Germany were you can not say exactly what gender it is, you get a lot of trouble. Thanks to the internet and other cool people, many parents were helped to make the right choice and wait with OP until the kid can tell.

But, the Netherlands are a very open minded country. It is more easy to go out in the other gender. A lot of strange people life here so nobody will notice you.

Greetings

Nelly