Europe’s top human rights court ruled Tuesday against the government of Turkey in a case brought by a trans man who was denied the right to gender reassignment surgery unless he agreed to be sterilized.

Twenty countries of the 47 states that signed the human rights charter that created the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights impose sterilization as a requirement for people seeking legal gender change, according to the org. Transgender Europe. Tuesday’s ruling, which is technically binding on the courts of member states, comes as several European countries are overhauling their gender identity laws to give more control over gender identity to individuals.

“It’s absolutely thrilling and important to have this judgement now,” said Richard Köhler, Transgender Europe’s senior policy officer. Read More