Cuba Approves Landmark Legal Gender Change

In a major win for Cuba’s LGBTQ+’s community, the country's parliament passed a new law granting people the right to legally change their gender.

The Law of Civil Registration does not require “a previous modification of appearance” or gender-affirming surgery. Individuals can use the law to change their gender twice as long as the first time happened when the person was a minor.

In recent years, Cuba has blazed a trial for LGBTQ+ rights in the region. The 2019 Constitution opened the door to progressive reforms and the 2022 Family Code legalized same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples.

Until now, it was nearly impossible for people to change their gender without gender-affirming surgery. Previously, trans people could not legally change their name unless the new name corresponded to their legal gender. That provision was revoked in 2022, but the process remained long and difficult, according to activists.

Cuba’s first gender-affirming surgery occurred in 1988, and they became more common in the 2010s. But none have been performed in recent years as hospitals have been forced to stop many surgeries due to the country’s economic crisis.

To see more about the impact of Cuba’s Family Code, watch this video we did about a non-traditional family in Cuba.