Children Could Choose Gender at Any Age Under New EU Proposal

Children could soon be able to choose their own gender at any age under new proposals outlined in the European Commission’s LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026–2030. The plan, which promotes gender self-identification without age limits, has drawn strong criticism from women’s rights and sex-based campaign groups across Europe.

The document, published on Wednesday, commits the European Commission to “support the development of legal gender recognition procedures based on self-determination that are free from age restrictions.” It highlights disparities in how EU member states currently handle gender recognition, noting that while some allow self-identification, others require medical or psychological interventions—requirements the European Court of Human Rights has previously ruled may breach human rights.

Under the proposals, therapies designed to help children confirm their decision to transition and existing age limits on gender recognition could be removed. The plan also suggests that EU regions not aligned with the Commission’s “values” on gender identity could face funding cuts.

Critics have condemned the move as an attempt to impose gender ideology across Europe. Maya Forstater, chief executive of the UK-based campaign group *Sex Matters*, told *The Telegraph*: “This chilling EU-wide strategy pushes legal gender self-identification for children of any age and a ban on talking therapy for vulnerable children. Gender activists have entrenched their ideology in European institutions with devastating consequences for women and girls, vulnerable children, and gay and lesbian people.”

Similarly, the Athena Forum, a European women’s rights organisation, accused the Commission of “silencing women” through policies that prioritize ideology over biological reality.

The proposals have not yet been ratified by national governments, but their inclusion in the EU’s equality strategy signals a major policy shift that could influence future legal frameworks across member states.