Italian court approves gender change for 13-year-old girl
The ruling of an Italian court has become unprecedented – changes to a minor’s documents were approved against the background of psychotherapy and hormonal intervention.
In December 2025, a court in the city of La Spezia (Italy) authorized a transgender transition for a 13-year-old minor, including a change of legal gender and name, making her the youngest person in the country to receive such a ruling, reports the Italian newspaper Il Giornale.
The court granted the appeal filed by the teenager’s parents, citing a “consistent commitment to a psychotherapeutic pathway, the successful application of hormone therapy, and a mature management of the social discomfort arising during the process of change.” The judges concluded that, despite her young age, the minor had developed a stable awareness of her own identity.
The case concerns one of a pair of twin sisters, both born female. According to court materials, during childhood the child gradually developed a sense of mismatch between biological sex and self-perception, which was noted both by the family and by specialists who accompanied the adolescent over several years.
The ruling emphasizes that the minor “has maturely realized the discrepancy between the body and the experienced identity” and demonstrated the capacity to consciously complete the process aimed at achieving harmony between her psychological state and legal status. Medical supervision was provided at a specialized institution and included hormonal treatment.
Commenting on the verdict, the family’s lawyer, Stefano Genik, called it unprecedented. “At the age of 13, her gender identity has already been formed, as confirmed by forensic medical assessments. She possesses full awareness and intends to formalize it legally,” he stated, adding that early legal recognition, in his view, helps reduce the psychological suffering of adolescents during puberty.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the international organization Women’s Institute will ban transgender individuals from membership.
