A woman from Finland who came out as transgender during her marriage should be allowed to be legally recognized as a female without changing her marital status, Amnesty International said today after the European Court of Human Rights ruled against her.

On 16 July 2014, the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgment in the case of Hämäläinen v. Finland. It ruled that Finland did not violate the human rights of a trans woman by requiring that her marriage be downgraded to a registered partnership in order for her to obtain her legal gender recognition.

Yesterday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that the divorce requirement for people who wish to change their legal gender and are married, is not a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Today, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights issued its verdict in Hämäläinen v Finland (application no. 37359/09), a case pertaining the necessity for a married trans person to end their marriage before being legally recognized in one’s gender identity.