Bulgaria has finally ruled that transgender individuals are legally allowed to change their names and gender markers on their IDs. After a decade, transgender Bulgarians have won the case for their autonomy.
The case began when a Bulgarian transgender woman moved to Italy. She attempted to change her name on her Bulgarian documentation but was refused each time.
The woman took her case to the Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation in 2023, but the court ruled against her.
This past March, the tides began to turn when her case was brought to the highest EU court. There, the court ruled that member states are required to support trans people’s legal gender, name, and marker changes. In response, the Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation fell into line with the decision. They confirmed in July they would support legal gender recognition for transgender people, saying, “The rule of law in Bulgaria implies a universal equality of the dignity of all human beings, including transgender people.”
However, some people are still wary, and the organization Transgender Europe (TGEU) released a statement warning people that the Bulgarian government could choose not to honor the EU court’s ruling. They pointed to the Bulgarian government’s past as evidence of its unwillingness to comply with EU rulings. Still, this is a win for the trans community, and transgender advocates everywhere are celebrating.
“It is a deep relief and a source of satisfaction to see that the system delivers,” said Richard Köhler, the expert adviser and litigation lead for TGEU. “Trans people are equal in dignity and rights … The Bulgarian government must now swiftly start the legislative process with meaningful civil society involvement,” he says.
Attorney Denitsa Lyubenova says the decision marks “a long-awaited turning point for trans people in Bulgaria.” Lyubenova was an attorney working on the decade-long “judicial headlock,” as she called it.
“The Supreme Court has affirmed that trans people are equal in dignity and rights and that legal gender recognition cannot be denied because of legislative inaction … I welcome this outcome as proof that strategic litigation can dismantle systemic barriers,” Lyubenova says.
