PRAGUE (AP) – The Czech Republic’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to strike down part of a law that requires people to undergo gender reassignment surgery, including sterilization, to officially change their gender.
The Constitutional Court said the requirement was “unconstitutional” and “contrary to the fundamental rights of transgender people, which have protected their physical integrity and personal autonomy in relation to human dignity.”
Only two of the court’s 15 judges dissented from the verdict, which cannot be appealed. Lawmakers have until the middle of next year to change the affected parts of the law.
The court made the decision based on the request of a person who was seeking a gender change. Authorities refused to register him as a man because he had not undergone surgery.
The Czech practice was criticized by LGBTQ+ rights groups.
The Czech Republic, also known as the Czech Republic, was one of the last European Union countries to legislate such conditions.
