According to Der Spiegel:
Germany is set to become the first country in Europe to introduce a third, "indeterminate" gender designation on birth certificates. The European Union, which is attempting to coordinate anti-discrimination efforts across member states, is lagging behind on the issue.
The option of selecting "blank", in addition to the standard choices of "male" or female" on birth certificates will become available in Germany from November 1. The legislative change allows parents to opt out of determining their baby's gender, thereby allowing those born with characteristics of both sexes to choose whether to become male or female in later life. Under the new law, individuals can also opt to remain outside the gender binary altogether.
Read the rest of the article here.
So beginning on November 1, a child may legally grow up in Germany with no recognized gender. Is it too polemic for me to suggest that a societal and biological disaster isn't far behind? Four Head Slaps.
Well, it still won't be hard to tell the frauleins from the herrs in Deutschland. The richly mustachioed musclebound Germans are the female of the species.
ReplyDeleteThis one deserves sooooooo many head slaps...
ReplyDeleteHey Eric -- actually this is nothing new. A lot of babies are born with indeterminate gender. In the US, you are required by law to assign a gender to them, so most are made into females.
ReplyDeleteAs the babies grow up, however, it's understandable that some parents wouldn't want their kids to undergo prejudice and discrimination, although other parents might want the children to have the chance to choose their own gender identity themselves, rather than have the wrong gender identity imposed on them.
A lot of societies around the world have historically recognized a range of gender identities, especially in Asia. In Thailand, transgender people are considered a 3rd gender for example. The same was true in India until it was colonized by the British, who forced a change. (Thailand was never colonized.) It's just that governments in the US and Europe have decided that this is not acceptable. Maybe this isn't so much about nature as it is about one society imposing its values on others...not very libertarian, don't you think?