Ertzaina Officer Who Changed Legal Gender Retires on Disability
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Ertzaina Officer Who Changed Legal Gender Retires on Disability
- Otavio de Paula, an Ertzaintza officer, has reportedly retired on permanent disability after legally changing gender in April 2023.
- This follows Spain's "Ley Trans" of 2023, which allows individuals over 16 to change their legal gender without medical requirements.
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Otavio de Paula, an officer with the Ertzaintza, the Basque Country’s regional police force, has reportedly retired on permanent disability. This development follows de Paula’s legal gender change in April 2023, becoming the first Ertzaina officer to do so.
The change was made possible by Spain’s “Ley Trans” (Trans Law), enacted in 2023. This legislation allows individuals over the age of 16 to change their legal gender through an administrative process, without requiring a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria or two years of hormonal treatment, as was previously the case. The law has been a significant milestone for LGBTQI and trans activists in Spain.
De Paula’s case gained public attention when the officer was assigned to the women’s changing room at the Irun police station, leading to discussions among colleagues. De Paula has publicly stated a feeling of being a woman “trapped in a man’s body” and does not identify with gender dysphoria, accepting a physical appearance that includes being “fat, ugly, short, and poor,” while also being muscular from martial arts.
The implementation of the “Ley Trans” has seen other instances of police and military personnel in Spain changing their legal gender. In March 2024, it was reported that dozens of male soldiers and police officers, particularly in the Spanish territory of Ceuta, had legally changed their gender to female. Some reports suggest that some individuals made this change to access benefits intended for women, such as increased salaries, larger pensions, or private accommodations. For example, Corporal Roberto Perdigones, who changed his legal gender, reportedly saw a 15% increase in salary and a larger pension.