Swedish feminist organizations have repeatedly said that they want to avoid pitting the cause of women against those of transgender people at all costs. But they said it was impossible for them to support the bill put forward by conservative and liberal MPs to simplify the procedures for changing gender on official documents, which they fear will lead to a step back for the rights of girls and women.
Supported by all parties except the Christian Democrats and the far right, the bill aims to modernize the 1972 law that made Sweden the first country in the world to legalize gender reassignment on official documents. Today, the procedure – reserved for those over 18 – is the same as that required to begin a medical transition. The first step is to undergo a psychological evaluation to obtain a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, which then needs to be confirmed by a committee of experts within the National Board of Health and Welfare.
"Some transgender people have to wait between five and seven years, during which time they are often subjected to violence and harassment, for example when they have to present their identity papers at the post office or bank," explained Peter Sidlund, president of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Rights. The new law is designed to give greater weight to gender self-identification and will allow people to legally change their sex from the age of 16, with parental consent.
While women's organizations said they understand the importance of improving care for transgender people, they believed MPs were moving too fast. "Knowledge on this subject is evolving, and we need to take a break to analyze the consequences," said Clara Berglund, secretary general of the Swedish Women's Lobby, which groups together some 50 organizations.
In particular, these groups are alarmed that, between 2007 and 2017, the number of girls aged 13 to 17 being monitored for gender dysphoria rose by 2,300% in Sweden, from 31 to 727, with a high prevalence among teens with autism or attention disorders.
'Challenging gender stereotypes'
Faced with this largely unexplained phenomenon, the National Board of Health and Welfare modified its recommendations in February 2022, calling on doctors to prescribe puberty blockers to minors only "in exceptional cases."
According to advocacy groups, simplifying the procedures for changing sex on official documents risks leading teenage girls to begin treatment sometimes too hastily. "For some, the problem is living in a society where it's not easy to be a girl," said Berglund. "So we should start by challenging gender stereotypes and showing them that there are different ways of being a girl, rather than immediately confirming that they are boys."
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