1 year of the Self-Determination Act - "endless relief"

One year after it came into force, the Federal Government's Queer Commissioner, Sophie Koch, sees the Self-Determination Act as a great success. She has "felt immense relief in many conversations" with trans, intersex and non-binary people. "This shows me very clearly that the law is a major and important step forward," said the SPD politician when asked by the German Press Agency.

"Without correct identification documents, participation in society is severely restricted," said Koch. It is therefore good and right to make the procedure for correcting first names and gender entries low-threshold.

Since November 1, 2024, people have been able to have their first name and gender entry changed by declaration at the registry office. Since then, according to the Federal Statistical Office, more than 22,000 people in Germany have had their gender entry in the birth register changed. This was partly based on provisional data from November 2024 to July 2025. Previously, a change was possible, but more complicated.

And what if the law is abused?

"The fact that a single person wanted to ridicule the law," said Koch, "should not obscure our view of this relief for so many people." The SPD member of the Saxon state parliament said this with regard to the probably best-known case of the convicted right-wing extremist Marla-Svenja Liebich. There will always be people "who want to divide and unsettle us as an open society", said Koch. We should "not fall for this reflexively".

At the beginning of the year, it became known that Sven Liebich had had his gender entry changed from male to female and his first name changed to Marla Svenja. Liebich was sentenced to a prison sentence without probation by the Halle district court in 2023 for incitement of the people, defamation and insult. She did not serve her sentence and has been wanted ever since.

The Liebich case reignited the debate about the new self-determination law. Criticism of the simplified amendment procedure and calls for legislative reform came primarily from the CDU/CSU, for example from Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU).