A transgender clinical psychologist expressed concern about the potential “unintended consequences” of a recent bill in Spain that allows people as young as 12 to legally change their gender.
Spanish lawmakers recently passed a law that allows minors between the ages of 12 and 14 to change their legal gender with the permission of a judge, while minors between the ages of 14 and 16 can do so without a psychological or other medical assessment, but it requires parental consent.
Any person over the age of 16 can legally change your gender regardless of parental consent under the new law.
“It’s pretty young,” says the doctor. Erika Anderson, who practices clinical psychology in Berkeley, Calif., told Fox News Digital.
Spanish lawmakers recently passed a law allowing minors between the ages of 12 and 14 to change their legal gender with the permission of a judge. (David Crespo via Getty Images)
Anderson, who self-identifies as a transgender woman, has 40 years of clinical experience and was a board member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) from 2019 to 2021.
“I’m very worried young people are confused in a flurry of sexual and gender minority labels and possibly adopting ideas about themselves that may not last long,” Anderson said.
She worries that young people “are going to use such labels to make decisions for themselves.”
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Dr. Erica Anderson, who self-identifies as a transgender woman, warned that a new Spanish law allowing people over the age of 16 to legally change their gender could lead to unexpected consequences. (Dr. Erika Anderson)
Anderson drew parallels between Spanish law and that in Scotland. UK Parliament blocked last month. A contentious controversy over transgender issues prompted the sudden resignation this month of Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, according to The Guardian.
Despite the support of the law, Sturgeon has become embroiled in a controversy over the fact that transgender women were allowed into women’s prisons after a rape case that caused widespread outrage.
“I think Spain is trying to be progressive and remove gender barriers,” Anderson said. She explained that while she supports their efforts “in principle”, she believes they set the age limit too low, which she warned could lead to “some unexpected consequences”.
Activists celebrate in front of the Spanish Congress in Madrid. December 16, 2023, after the passage of the law on transgender people. (Oscar Del Pozo via Getty Images)
“I haven’t spoken to anyone in Spain so I don’t know what their expectations are, whether it will be very easy to implement and there will be no disagreements,” Anderson said. “But I would be very surprised if it didn’t cause other problems that they may not have thought of.”
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Anderson has been candid about her concerns about children being pushed too early into a transgender identity. She filed a note amicus in November against a school district in Montgomery County, Maryland, for its policy that allows teachers to hide a student’s gender identity from parents.