Surgery not required for legal sex change, court rules
An Athens court has upheld the right of individuals to legally alter their name and gender status without having undergone sex reassignment surgery.
The ruling came after a judicial request tabled by a transgender man in April 2015 asking the court to approve a new name and gender status. The individual was receiving hormone therapy, but had not undergone genital surgery.
The court took into consideration a serious workplace discrimination incident whereby the individual was allegedly excluded from professional training.
Judges said that considering surgery a precondition for gender identity change runs against Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which states that “everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.”
