By 2024 or 2025, gender identity will be removed from Dutch national identity cards.
The Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Ingrid van Engelshoven, announced this decision in a letter to the House of Representatives, reports NOS.
This is part of a broader plan laid down by the Ministry, which, among other things, includes limiting unnecessary gender registration.
According to Van Engelshoven, research into the costs and benefits of the change revealed that there will be no adverse practical effects to organizations that check identity cards. Employees for the army or the police force need to be instructed on the matter, and the Netherlands will need to let other EU countries know of the change.
The indication of gender will be removed around 2024/2025, as Dutch identity cards will change around that time regardless. Gender identity will remain however on Dutch passports due to EU regulation.
In another letter last year to the House of Representatives, the Minister said that “citizens can shape their own identity and propagate it in complete freedom and security”. Limiting unnecessary gender registration is an “important step” in this process.
The Netherlands is not the first EU country which does not have gender on their national ID. Germany made a similar step some years ago.
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And when commonsense and science return to Dutch society and politics…what then? More taxpayers money to revert official documents to something based on reality not identitarianism.