French associations challenge mandatory gender markers in online services

Four associations—Stop Homophobie, Bi'Cause, Mousse, and Tous. Tes—along with a non-binary individual, have filed a petition with the French Council of State to remove mandatory binary gender markers ('Mr.' or 'Ms.') from various online public services.

The legal challenge targets three specific digital platforms: the Ministry of the Interior’s online complaint service, the service-public.gouv.fr portal for creating associations, and the impots.gouv.fr website used for VAT declarations. The petitioners argue that requiring binary gender selection constitutes an 'excess of power' and is unnecessary for these administrative procedures.

Lawyer Étienne Deshoulières stated that under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the state should not request personal information that is not strictly necessary or that leads to discrimination. The group is contesting the processing of gender-related data after previous requests to modify the forms were not favorably addressed.