Czechia - May 2024

On 7 May, the Czech Constitutional Court struck down a law that had required sterilization or a sex reassignment surgery for legal gender transitions. It is now possible to legally change one's gender without undergoing a medical procedure. The Court ruled that these requirements violated fundamental rights, including bodily integrity, personal autonomy, human dignity, and transgender individuals' rights to self-determination, contravening the European Convention on Human Rights. The case was brought before the Court by a transgender person affected by the law. The court annulled several provisions of the Civil Code but delayed the ruling's enforceability, giving Parliament until mid-2025 to enact appropriate legislative changes. Parliament may set other requirements, such as obtaining expert opinions and allowing a certain period of time before officially recognizing gender transition.

Sources: Constitutional Court of Czech Republic, Aktuálně, Jurist, Reuters