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Denmark has often led the way when it comes to LGBT issues: It was the first country to legally recognize same-sex civil unions in 1989; and back in 1930, Danish artist Lili Elbe became one of the first people in the world to change genders through reassignment surgery.

Now the country has introduced one of the world’s most progressive laws for transgender people. As of September 1, 2014, Danish citizens have been able to self-determine their legal gender—without the need for medical approval of any kind.

Niels Jansen, a transgender man from Denmark, welcomes the new law: “You can legally change your gender just by filling in a form saying that you are transgender—it’s fantastic,” he said.

Before his legal gender change Jansen worried about the confusion his identification could cause. “Personally it was the thought of what could happen that was stressful. I thought, what if I get pulled over by the police in some routine control and they don’t believe that this is my identification?”

He also chose to limit his travel abroad. “I’d heard of others that had problems and I didn’t want to put myself through that,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to traveling with my new passport.”

Twenty European countries and most U.S. states currently require sterilization for a legal gender change and almost all still require at least a medical statement or court order of some kind. Although Denmark may have leaped ahead on the legal side of the issue, Jansen still feels the country lags behind when it comes to health care provision.

“Unfortunately, access to medical care has not followed this great new law,” he said. “In fact, we’re way behind the U.S. and pretty much every other country in the Western world.”

Those wanting to undergo surgery in Denmark must still go through a long and complicated process in order to get the treatment they want.

“The program is very invasive: They evaluate your sex life and write down what you wear every time you show up to note how well you are presenting yourself as whatever gender you want to be,” said Jansen.

Rights groups also criticize Denmark for the fact that even under the new law, applicants must be over 18 and married couples must divorce and re-marry as a gay couple if one decides to change gender.

Despite these issues, Denmark’s new law makes it the most legally progressive European country for transgender people, and globally it is matched only by Argentina. Elsewhere in the world, most countries have no way whatsoever of changing a person’s gender on legal documentation.

Progress is being made though. In recent years several European countries have dropped the need for sterilization and so too have the states of California, Iowa, New York, and Washington, according to Dr. Rebecca Allison, president of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.

There is also a similar movement emerging to include a “third gender” option on legal documentation. Nepal was the first country to do so, in 2007, with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Germany, New Zealand, and most recently Australia, in April, all following suit.

Though the Danish system clearly isn’t perfect, campaigners are hopeful that other countries will follow its example on the issue of legal gender self-determination.

“Trans activist groups worldwide are seeking to change the law in this way,” said Stephen Whittle, vice president of U.K. transgender organization Press for Change.

Whittle believes that such changes come in waves: “The U.K. allowed gender recognition for all legal purposes without any demand for sterilization or any medical input, other than diagnosis of gender dysphoria, in 2005. South Africa followed in 2005, Sweden in 2013 and Holland in 2014. Once the UK had taken this step the others started to fall. The world is changing.”

Graphic by Jim McGowan.

Edited from source: Yes! Magazine by Ted Lawson (October 2014)