EU aims to legalize gender changes for minors within five years

Illustration: Gender diversity symbols against the flag of the European Union

In October 2025, the European Commission approved a new LGBT Equality Strategy for 2026–2030, reports the official website of the European Union.

The document aims to expand LGBT rights, strengthen legal protections, and ensure recognition of gender identity within the national laws of EU member states.

Under the Strategy, within the next five years, EU countries must implement measures whereby “all people can be themselves without risk of discrimination, exclusion or violence." This includes simplifying legal procedures for gender change and recognizing the rights of transgender and nonbinary adolescents to self-identification.

The European Commission stated that combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is “a core element of European values.” Special emphasis is placed on protecting LGBT people from persecution, hate crimes, and “harmful practices” such as so-called “conversion therapies.”

The document also provides for funding programs for civil society organizations working on equality issues and for monitoring implementation of the strategy across all EU countries.

According to the European Commission, the Strategy "marks a new phase in our efforts to promote equality for LGBTIQ+,” where every person can exercise the right to personal identity without fear of discrimination or violence.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that an unknown individual had stolen a “queer Bible” from a Roman Catholic church in Switzerland.

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