In a troubling development, an Italian court has authorized the legal sex and name change for a 13-year-old child, marking the youngest such case in the nation’s history. The Tribunal of La Spezia sided with the parents’ request, involving one of the twin girls who reportedly began rejecting her biological sex during childhood and adopting masculine traits.
Judges justified the ruling by claiming the adolescent demonstrated a “clear and settled belief” that her body mismatched her identity, showing sufficient awareness despite her tender age. The process originated in 2021 at Careggi Hospital, where specialists prescribed triptorelin, a puberty blocker, to halt normal development as part of the child’s so-called transition pathway.
This intervention raises serious concerns about exposing minors to irreversible medical treatments under the guise of aligning body and identity. Such steps undermine natural maturation and parental responsibilities to protect children from hasty decisions. Family advocacy group Pro Vita & Famiglia condemned the decision as “madness,” with spokesperson Jacopo Coghe highlighting the hypocrisy: Italian law deems a 13-year-old too immature for a tattoo, yet permits court-approved sex changes after hormone therapy.
Commentator Francesca Totolo echoed this sentiment on X, noting that at 13, one cannot drive, vote, get inked, or drink alcohol, but a judge can endorse a gender change with parental consent.