it’s the same in the czech republic. you also have to “prove” your transness in a series of tests taken months apart so they know you didn’t bullshit through it the one time. there are also several hearings where you have to claim to be absolutely het and binary in front of a bunch of old cis men who then may or may not let you go on hormones. czech is an extremely binary language, too, so you can’t change your name if it’s a name on the other side of the binary spectrum. meaning if i, afab, wanted to change my name to one used by men, they wouldn’t let me unless i have the little M on my identity card. which they won’t let me have unless i’m sterile. i’ve had several trans friends who are on HRT but don’t want operations tell me of the most dehumanizing situations this has put them through. it’s painful, it’s absolutely maddening and inhumane, and the czech queer community is doing its best to get the conversation going but we do still need more ears and mouths to do the listening and talking. trans people everywhere need more ears and mouths to listen and talk in their favor. it is getting unbearable.