House of Representatives Debate on the Transgender Act (2022)
The so-called Transgender Act (Bill 35825) was never considered by the Senate. The plenary debate took place in the House of Representatives on 27 and 28 September 2022. It concerned the first stage of the bill’s consideration; no vote on the bill was held afterwards.
The bill sought to relax the conditions for changing the gender marker on a birth certificate. The mandatory expert’s statement would be abolished, and children under the age of sixteen would be able to apply to the court for a change.
Consequences
In September 2023, the House of Representatives declared the bill controversial, bringing its consideration to a standstill. The House later adopted motions calling on the government to withdraw the bill. The government complied; the withdrawal letter reached the House of Representatives on 13 January 2026.
The lead-up to the debate
The bill was submitted in May 2021 by Minister for Legal Protection Dekker and Minister of Education, Culture and Science Van Engelshoven. Its full title is: Amendment of Book 1 of the Civil Code in connection with changing the conditions for changing the gender marker on a birth certificate. The Standing Committee for Justice and Security prepared the bill’s consideration in writing. The government also submitted a memorandum of amendment. Members of the House submitted amendments, including member Van Ginneken and members Omtzigt and Pouw-Verweij. The way the media reported on the bill in the lead-up to the debate can be found in the article from the Reformatorisch Dagblad of September 2021.
The steps after the debate
After the bill was declared controversial in 2023, the House confirmed that status again on 19 June 2025. On 25 June 2025, the bill was removed from the list of controversial subjects. The motions to withdraw the bill were submitted by members Van Vroonhoven and Diederik van Dijk, and later by Diederik van Dijk together with others; the latter motion was adopted on 8 April. The withdrawal letter was signed by State Secretary Struycken of Justice and Security and dated 11 August 2025. The full course of events can be found under the bill amending gender registration. The rules that remained in force date from the 2014 Transgender Act and are explained in the article on the Transgender Act in the Netherlands.
Why it is included in this archive
The 2022 debate is the only plenary debate on this bill, is part of the broader parliamentary attention devoted to the subject, and represents a fixed point in the developments in the Netherlands concerning gender registration. More information about the rules currently in force can be found on the page about the legal aspects.