Sweden's parliament Wednesday passed a controversial law lowering the minimum age to legally change gender to 16 from 18 and making it easier to access surgical interventions.
The law passed with 234 votes in favour and 94 against in Sweden's 349-seat parliament.
While the Nordic country was the first to introduce legal gender reassignment in 1972, the proposal, aimed at allowing so-called "self-identification" and simplifying the procedure, sparked an intense debate in the country.
The debate has also weakened conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's standing, after he admitted to caving to pressure from party members on the issue.
"The great majority of Swedes will never notice that the law has changed, but for a number of transgender people the new law makes a large and important difference," Johan Hultberg, an MP representing the ruling conservative Moderate Party, told parliament.
Beyond lowering the age, the new legislation is aimed at making it simpler for a person to change their legal gender.
