Germany becomes first European country to legally recognise a baby as neither male nor female

Germany has made history, as the country’s highest court has ruled in favour of allowing babies to be registered as neither male or female on birth certificates.

The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe has given the government until the end of next year to pass a law which specifies a category other than male or female. Otherwise, it must eliminate a gender category completely.

According to the BBC, activists have described the court ruling as a ‘small revolution’, as the law will make Germany the first European country to give parents the option of a third category when registering their children.

Current laws were declared discriminatory, as gender should no longer be seen as fixed from birth but a social construct.

Ever since 2013, it has been possible for parents to leave the gender box blank on a birth certificate in Germany.

It is estimated that intersex people make up 1.7 percent of the world’s population and they are already officially recognised on documents in New Zealand, Australia, Nepal and the US.

Maja Liebing, an expert in LGBTI rights, told CNN: “This judgment is a very important step for intersex people in Germany. We hope it can lead to a rethink in society, to a realisation that there are more than two genders.”

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