The Czech Constitutional Court has struck down a legal requirement for trans people to undergo surgery before they are able to officially complete their transition.
Under current law, Czech trans people have to undergo sex organ surgery and sterilisation, leaving them unable to reproduce, before officially completing their transition.
That legal requirement was “at odds with the fundamental right of trans people for the protection of their physical integrity in relation to their human dignity,” the court said in a statement on its ruling.
Parliament, which has until mid-2025 to adopt a relevant legislative change, must obey the court ruling but can set other requirements, such as gathering expert opinions and allowing the passage of a period of time, before a transition is officially recognised, the court said.
In the Czech Republic, identity numbers given to people at birth and used in documents reveal a person’s sex. The Czech language also has different endings for the surnames of males or females.
Non-government organisation Trans*parent, which organised a petition demanding the legal change, welcomed the decision.
“We made a step forward. However now the government has to act,” it said on Instagram.
