[JURIST] Ireland’s Parliament, the Houses of Oireachtas [official website], passed the Gender Recognition Bill [text, PDF] on Wednesday, which allows transgender people over 18 legal recognition of their preferred gender and changes in their birth certificate. Ireland President Michael Higgins [official website] is expected to sign the bill into law later this month. While many citizens in Ireland are praising the new bill, some are concerned [RTÉ News report] about medical requirements that would still be mandatory for transgender children under 18. The law makes Ireland the third nation in Europe, after Denmark and Malta, to allow legal gender change without government intervention.

Transgender rights remain a controversial issue throughout the world. US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter [official profile] released a statement on Monday announcing [JURIST report] a comprehensive plan by the Department of Defense (DOD) [official website] to move in the direction of allowing transgender troops to serve in the military. In November, Malaysia’s Court of Appeal [official website] in Putrajaya struck down [JURIST report] an anti-crossdressing law in a challenge filed by three transgender women. The High Court of Australia [official website] ruled last year that a person can be legally recognized [JURIST report] as gender neutral. In May 2014 a number of human rights groups urged Cameroon to drop charges [JURIST report] against two transgender youths who were arrested for engaging in homosexual conduct. Earlier that month, Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal ruled [JURIST report] that a law prohibiting a transgender woman from marrying her boyfriend was invalid under the Chinese constitution. Canadian lawmakers approved a bill [JURIST report] in March of last year that would outlaw discrimination against transgender individuals.