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La Spezia Court Grants Legal Gender Change to 13-Year-Old, Marking Italy's Youngest Case

The ruling rests on clinical findings of sustained therapy, effective treatment and demonstrated capacity following specialist care begun in 2021.

Overview

  • The Tribunal of La Spezia ordered rectification of the birth record and recognition of the elective name, legally registering the adolescent as male.
  • Judges cited consistent psychotherapy, successful hormone therapy and the boy's mature management of social distress in accepting the parents' petition.
  • Specialists at Careggi hospital in Florence followed the case since 2021 and used triptorelin to pause puberty during ongoing evaluation and support.
  • The parents filed through the prosecutor's office with lawyer Stefano Genick, who described the decision as a precedent given the child's age.
  • Multiple outlets report this as the youngest completed female-to-male transition recognized in Italy, and the group Pro Vita & Famiglia publicly criticized the ruling.