EU to Allow Kids Choose Legal Gender

The strategy document criticizes member states that ask for medical interventions or doctor approvals before someone can change their gender on legal documents, such as IDs, noting that their rules “vary significantly,” it warns, per The Telegraph.

In place of those rules, Brussels says it will “facilitate exchanges of best practices” to help countries adopt self-ID systems without age caps.

Of the EU’s 27 member states, only nine currently embrace self-identification without medical hurdles. Twelve still mandate expert input.

In the UK, children can begin gender-affirming hormones at 16, but must wait until 18 to alter their legal gender on records.

Supporters argue the strategy builds on existing efforts. The Commission first launched its LGBTIQ equality plan for 2020–2025 to combat discrimination and promote inclusion across the EU.

The new draft would extend that vision and anchor it more deeply into national policies.

Nearly 14,000 American minors nationwide received medical treatment for gender dysphoria between 2019 and 2023, according to data compiled by advocacy group Do No Harm.

The group’s searchable database, “Does My Hospital Transition Kids?”, maps 225 children’s hospitals that provide gender-affirming care.

Researchers found 5,747 minors underwent surgery and 8,579 were prescribed puberty blockers or hormones — with total insurance claims topping $119 million.

California led the nation with 1,359 surgeries, while New York logged 1,154 child patients, including 616 surgeries costing nearly $19 million statewide.