A 69-year-old pensioner has launched a legal battle to have his age officially changed to 49 so that he can attract more women on the dating app Tinder.
Emile Ratelband, a self-help guru from the Netherlands, argues if transgender people are allowed to change sex, he should be allowed to change his date of birth because “doctors said he has the body of a 45-year-old”, says The Daily Telegraph.
Speaking to Dutch daily De Telegraaf, Ratelband argued: “We live in a time when you can change your name and change your gender. Why can’t I decide my own age?”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The pensioner says he suffers discrimination because of his age, and is asking a court in the eastern city of Arnhem to officially change his birth date by 20 years.
“When I’m on Tinder and it says I’m 69, I don’t get an answer. When I’m 49, with the face I have, I will be in a luxurious position,” Ratelband says.
He has promised that if his age is lowered, he would renounce his pension if required.
Ratelband is a familiar figure in the Dutch media, with a varied public career that has seen him forming his own political party and voicing the character Vladimir Trunkov in the Dutch version of Pixar film Cars 2.
The court is expected to rule on the case within the next four weeks. However, experts insist there is currently no legal method of changing a birth date in Dutch law, says the BBC.
One of the judges on the case reportedly asked Ratelband: “Who were your parents looking after then? Who was that little boy?”
-
What to know before filing your own taxes for the first timethe explainer Tackle this financial milestone with confidence
-
The biggest box office flops of the 21st centuryin depth Unnecessary remakes and turgid, expensive CGI-fests highlight this list of these most notorious box-office losers
-
What are the best investments for beginners?The Explainer Stocks and ETFs and bonds, oh my
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
