Status and rights of transsexual people in national and international context

This thesis is an analysis of the status and the rights of transsexual people and of the legal aspects of sex change, both in the national and international context. It deals with sex change from the legal point of view, de lege lata and de lege ferenda, and with the development of laws concerning sex change and the access to sex reassignment surgery during the last years. Special focus is given to the status of underage transsexual patients. The legal consequences of sex change are described. The thesis extensively copes with fundamental human rights and freedoms which were subjected to the European courts' decisions. It deals with questions that occur when the international element is present in the process of sex change, and especially with the recognition of a new sex status in one's home country or abroad. The situation worldwide is summarized, together with different approaches to transsexuality in different countries. Problems of hate crimes and asylum are also pointed out