New report says transgender law caused “profound” suffering

A recent report by Radboud University highlights the severe impacts the old transgender law had on the lives of trans and intersex individuals. Researchers interviewed 28 people and analyzed Health Council and parliamentary papers to compile the findings, which were released in a report titled "An Inhuman Law." The legislation, in effect from 1985 to 2014, forced trans people to meet strict criteria to alter their legal gender, such as being unmarried, medically or psychologically justifying physical adaptations, and undergoing permanent infertility procedures.

This affected approximately 2,000 people, according to the Volkskrant. One participant in the study expressed the immense stress and loss of autonomy trans individuals faced during this process. The junior education minister acknowledged the report's value in learning from past mistakes. The bill's controversy stemmed from its requirement for physical changes, which opponents believed would enable gay couples to marry and men to evade conscription.

In 2021, the Dutch government apologized to those who were forced to undergo sterilization, body modification, and hormone therapy to change their gender on official documents. The legal action was initiated by the Transgender Collective in 2019, alleging that the law violated the European Convention on Human Rights. In 2011, Human Rights Watch also criticized the Dutch law.