Decertification: Abolishing Sex/Gender as a Legal Category

Wed June 01, 2022, 6-7:30 pm (in English)

Online exchange with Davina Cooper (Kings College London and research professor leading  The Future of Legal Gender)

Seeing the steps taken towards the introduction of the Self-Determination Act // ‘Selbstbestimmungsgesetz’ in German law, we would like to expand the discussion to include the alternative of abolishing sex_gender as a legal caegory.

The research project The Future of Legal Gender (2018-2022)  led by Davina Cooper addresses this option under the heading “Decertification”. While the research provides most convincing arguments in favor of decertification, it also emphasizes that this in no way jeopardizes the legal commitment against discrimination or for legal measures fostering equality. On the contrary, anti-discrimination policies can become more complex and targeted. 

We would like to get into a dialogue with Davina Cooper about what their UK-based insights can mean for the German context, and what German discussions and legal developments may possibly provide for the British context.

Antke_Antek Engel and Jan Jules Himme

Please register: mail(at)queer-institut.de

Articles to download:

Cooper, D. and Emerton, R. (2020). “Pulling the thread of decertification: What challenges are raised by the proposal to reform legal gender status?”, in: feminists@law 10(2)

Cooper, D. (2020).  “Taking Public Responsibility for Gender: When Personal Identity and Institutional Feminist Politics Meet”, in: feminists@law 10(2)

Wakefield, Lilly: Abolishing legal sex and gender comes with 10(2) feminists@lawmany, many pros, radical new report finds (Pink News, May 11, 2022)

This event contributes to the ongoing open exchange on the current Civil Status Law in Germany, which still lacks an egalitarian access to changing or resigning from legal sex_gender designations and to visions beyond the TSG (‘transsexual law’).