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from the does-the-pensioner-want-to-repay-his-benefits-and-go-back-to-work,-too? dept.
In the quixotic battle against old age, some people use skin care and spin class.
That’s not enough for Emile Ratelband, a 69-year-old who feels like he’s in his 40s. The Dutch pensioner is asking a court in his hometown of Arnhem, southeast of Amsterdam, to change his birth certificate so that it says he took his first breath on March 11, 1969, rather than on March 11, 1949. The judges heard his case Monday and promised they would render a verdict in the next several weeks.
Ratelband sees his request as no different from a petition to change his name or the gender he was assigned at birth — and isn’t bothered that this comparison might offend transgender people, whose medical needs have been recognized by the American Medical Association. It comes down to free will, he maintains.
I want to be recognized as an alien trapped in an Earthling's body.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by ilsa on Friday November 09 2018, @06:56PM (2 children)
The reason why the opposition is so harsh is because it feels like a dogwhistle lawsuit trying to discredit transgender people. While your arguments regarding age-ism are true and worth discussing, the lawsuit doesn't seem to speak to them.
Especially when you consider the political backdrop: The Right has been seriously ratcheting up their rhetoric against Trans people, lead by the Orange Gropenfuhrer. Based on that, it is very hard to see this as anything other than a poorly veiled attack on Trans people.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 10 2018, @01:53AM (1 child)
You do realize this guy is in the Netherlands, not the USA, right? So it isn't a Trump thing. And did you bother to look up this guy, who is a minor celebrity and seemingly quite vain, just the sort of person who might want to pretend to be younger than he is??
No -- it must be a grand conspiracy to undermine transgender rights... Because no one in the world ever wanted to lie about their age.
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Tuesday November 13 2018, @10:33PM
I actually double-checked after I made the post, but the point still stands.
If you knew anything about the world of transgender rights, you wouldn't be so quick to throw out terms like "grand conspiracy".
The fact is that Trump has done an exceptionally good job of empowering bigots all around the world. There have been incidents outside the US where the douchebag cited Trump as motivation for their douchebaggery. And nevermind the US sending their shit-stirring missionaries around the world, inciting hatred. Look at what happened with gays in Africa.
And heck, we haven't even gotten into US foreign policy yet. It's not at all hard to blame the US for tons of things happening all over the world.