Rights for LGBTI people and legal sex change in Spain

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The law guarantees and promotes real and effective equality for lesbian, gay, trans, bisexual and intersex people and their families, and sets out measures to eliminate discrimination in both public and private spheres.
2. People over 16 can change the sex listed for them in the Civil Registry by their own free will, with no medical reports or surgery required. Minors aged 14 to 16 can apply themselves, assisted by their legal representatives, and those aged 12 to 14 need court authorization.
3. The registry change can be reversed: six months after it is recorded, the person can get back the previous sex listing by following the same procedure.
4. After the registry change, a new national ID card and, if requested, passport are issued with the same number, and the person can request updated copies of degrees, diplomas and certificates.
5. Conversion therapies that try to change a person's sexual orientation, sexual identity or gender expression are banned, even with the consent of the person concerned.
6. Companies with more than 50 workers must, within one year, have a set of measures for LGBTI equality, including a protocol against harassment, agreed with the workers' representatives.
7. A sanction system is created: minor offenses carry fines of 200 to 2,000 euros, serious ones 2,001 to 10,000, and very serious ones 10,001 to 150,000 euros, with possible extra penalties such as being barred from public contracts.
8. Victims of violence or discrimination based on LGBTI-phobia have the right to immediate protection, comprehensive assistance (psychological, legal and social) and specialized legal advice.

Who it affects

• Spanish nationals over 16 who are trans: They can change their listed sex in the Civil Registry by their own will, with no medical requirements.
• Trans minors aged 12 to 16: They can start the sex change with support from their legal representatives or court authorization, and change their name in the Registry.
• Companies with more than 50 workers: They must adopt LGBTI equality measures and an anti-harassment protocol within one year.
• LGBTI people who face discrimination or violence: They are entitled to protection, comprehensive assistance and legal advice, and offenders can be fined.
• LGBTI families: They cannot be discriminated against in adoption, foster care or access to rental housing.

Words worth knowing

Rectificación registral

Change of the sex (and, if applicable, the name) listed in a person's birth record at the Civil Registry.

Registro Civil (Civil Registry)

Public office where key life events, such as birth or marriage, are officially recorded.

Terapias de conversión (conversion therapies)

Methods or treatments that try to change a person's sexual orientation or identity. This law bans them.

Intersexual (intersex)

A person born with physical traits that do not fit common notions of male or female bodies.

LGTBIfobia (LGBTI-phobia)

Rejection, prejudice, discrimination or intolerance toward LGBTI people for being, or being seen as, LGBTI.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries