This afternoon the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, commented on the debates within the Mixed Commission of the National Assembly and the French Senate.
“I follow the debates within the Mixed Commission of the National Assembly and the French Senate on the “Bill to modernize the justice of the XXI century” and I call on the parliamentarians to take into account the uneasiness expressed by the CNCDH [the National Consultative Council on Human Rights] concerning the conditions on changing the mention of “sex” in the civil status (http://www.cncdh.fr/fr/publications/pour-une-procedure-rapide-et-accessible-de-modification-du-genre-letat-civil). European societies should fully recognize the diversity of gender identities existing within them. Transgender people have the right to determine and express their gender identity and to be fully integrated into society. To this end, it is necessary to ensure that any legislative provision regarding the change of [legal] gender is consistent with human rights.”
