Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, is set to vote later on Friday on a law that would make it easier for people to change their first name and gender identity in official records.
The reforms, called the Self-Determination Act, would allow people to make the changes with a simple procedure at government registry offices.
Under current law, people seeking to change their names or officially registered genders are required to obtain expert medical assessments and a court decision.
Trans advocates have complained that the requirements under Germany's current transsexual law are humiliating, with those seeking a change in their name and gender forced to submit to a psychological assessment and intimate questioning.
Sven Lehmann, who serves as the German government's commissioner for LGBTQ issues, has called for broad support for the changes ahead of the vote and said the current law "violates human dignity."
The proposal is controversial among many conservatives. Opponents from the opposition centre-right CDU/CSU bloc, as well as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), have expressed fears that the reform would allow people to change their officially registered gender arbitrarily in the future.
Lehmann told dpa that the law is overdue and that the proposals are relatively simple and broadly popular, "despite a very heated debate and targeted disinformation campaigns."
If the Bundestag approves the law on Friday, it will be deemed to have been passed. The approval of the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, is not required. The law is scheduled to come into force on November 1.
