Gender Identity Changes Must Be Recognized Across E.U. Borders, Court Rules

The European Union’s top court on Friday said governments in the bloc must recognize legal changes to a person’s gender identity and name made in other E.U.nations, a ruling that rights campaigners say could give transgender people more freedom to live and work around the region.The decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union came after a British-Romanian transgender man challenged the Romanian government in a Bucharest court in 2021 after it rejected an application to change his gender identity on official documents.

The man, Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi, was born in Romania, where had he had been registered at birth as female.He moved to Britain in 2008 and became a naturalized citizen.According to the ruling, Mr.

Mirzarafie-Ahi, 32, legally changed his identity while in Britain, adopting a new first name in 2017 and obtaining a certificate recognizing his male gender identity in 2020.The next year, he requested a new Romanian birth certificate identifying him as male.But Romanian authorities rejected his application, according to the ruling, insisting he complete Romania’s process for a gender identity change through that country’s courts.

The case was referred to the Court of Justice, which ruled that Romania must recognize the gender identity change Mr.Mirzarafie-Ahi made in Britain.Before the ruling, Mr.

Mirzarafie-Ahi had been required to travel to Romania using his Romanian passport, which did not reflect his gender identity, or enter as a non-European Union citizen.European groups campaigning for transgender rights have said that forcing Mr.

Mirzarafie-Ahi to travel with documents that did not reflect his gender identity or his appearance was a violation of his fundamental rights.“This disparity between his Romanian and British documents exposes him to humiliation and discrimination,” said Accept Romania, a group that supported him in the case....