Renewed debate about the gender entry

Despite headwinds from the CDU and CSU, the Social Democrats want to stick to the Self-Determination Act, which only came into force last year. "I clearly reject blanket tightening or a reversal of the law," said Falko Droßmann, queer policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, to Der Spiegel.

The reform passed by the traffic light coalition, which replaced the previous Transsexuals Act, made it much easier to change gender entry and first names. However, it was agreed in the black-red coalition agreement that these regulations would be reviewed by July 2026.

Right-wing extremist Liebich expected to enter prison on Friday

The background to the current debate is the expected entry into custody of convicted right-wing extremist Marla-Svenja Liebich in Chemnitz women's prison this Friday. Liebich was sentenced to a prison term in July 2023 - at that time still as Sven Liebich - for incitement of the people, defamation and insult.

However, Droßmann does not see this as a fundamental flaw in the amendment: "The Liebich case is a deliberate attempt at abuse by a known right-wing extremist and not a structural problem with the Self-Determination Act."