Transgender people in France can now legally change their gender without undergoing sterilization, under legislation that was passed this week. As the Thomson Reuters Foundation reports, the move was welcomed by LGBT rights groups in Europe, where several countries have passed similar laws in recent years, though advocates say France should do more to streamline the process for legally changing genders.

Twenty-two European countries currently require transgender people to undergo sterilization when legally changing genders, according to Transgender Europe, a Berlin-based human rights organization. In recent years, Malta, Ireland, and Norway have allowed transgender people to change their gender by simply notifying authorities, and…

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