The French Parliament adopted new legislation Thursday allowing transgender citizens to update their legal status without having to undergo sterilization procedures [Reuters report]. The change comes after backlash over the requirements [BBC report] and campaigns from several advocacy groups. Citizens will still have to go to court to have their update be recognized. Laws regarding transgender rights are undergoing reformation in other European countries as well, including Denmark, Ireland, and Malta, which have all dispensed with similar sterilization or medical requirements.

The lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community (LGBT) continues to face legal challenges throughout the world. Last month tens of thousands of people marched in Mexico in protest of same-sex marriage [JURIST report]. In August the Belize Supreme Court struck down [JURIST report] a law banning sodomy, declaring it unconstitutional and adversely impactful to the LGBT community. Last December voters in Slovenia rejected a law [JURIST report] that would allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children. In November the Constitutional Court of Colombia ruled [JURIST report] that same-sex couples can legally adopt children. The UN has become increasingly focused on the rights of LGBT individuals. In September 2015 twelve UN agencies released a joint statement [JURIST report] arguing that abuses toward the LGBT population are human rights abuses impacting society as a whole. In June 2015 the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported [JURIST report] that members of the LGBT community continue to face discrimination and human rights abuses.