Czechs Undergoing Gender Reassignment Steadily Increasing

In 2021, the Czech Ministry of Health received 196 applications for gender reassignment. This is a record number in the history of the country.

Of the 196 applications submitted, the vast majority (131) were from women who had decided to become men.

Czech law has allowed for gender reassignment since 2012. Initially, there were fewer than 50 applications a year but last year the figure reached almost 200, Czech Television said.

Experts attribute this growth to the influence of social media, improved sexual education and growing tolerance in society.

The costs of the surgery itself and the examinations are covered by state health insurance. Patients themselves pay only for some hormones and cosmetic improvements, such as hair removal or breast implants.

The operation, open for people aged 18 or more, “requires a positive opinion from a Ministry of Health expert committee and, if the patient does not have full legal capacity, the approval of a court.”

Anyone embarking on gender reassignment treatment in Czechia must be single, divorced, widowed, or, if a civil partner, their partnership must have been dissolved.

If an individual is married or in a registered partnership, the registry office informs them that, if they do not divorce or legally end their partnership, their marriage or partnership will be automatically dissolved on the first day of their gender reassignment.

When an individual starts gender reassignment treatment, the registry office may allow them to change their given name(s) and surname to something that is gender-neutral (unisex).

A given name and surname is gender-neutral if there is no difference between their masculine and feminine forms (e.g.the Czech names René Tomšů and Nikola Janků).