Man wants to legally change his age CEN

A man in the Netherlands thinks he should legally be able to change his age because transgender people can change their gender.

69-year-old Emile Ratelband wants to reverse the ticking clock of life to make himself legally 49 again, allowing him to go back to work and potentially attract more girls on Tinder – his reasoning, not mine.

Emile, who is an entrepreneur and self-help guru, has been told by doctors he has the body of a 45-year-old despite being born way back in the 40s.

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The doctor’s assessment inspired the pensioner to take action against his years and launch a legal battle to change his birthday from March 11, 1949 to March 11, 1969.

Man wants to legally change his age CEN

I suppose at least he’s stopped at being 20 years younger, which is technically still older than his body supposedly looks.

Emile’s local authority refused to amend his age on official documents, and now the determined man is suing them, arguing if transgender people are allowed to change sex, he should be allowed to change his date of birth.

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Fighting his corner, the 69-year-old explained:

I have done a check-up and what does it show? My biological age is 45 years. When I’m 69, I am limited. If I’m 49, then I can buy a new house, drive a different car. I can take up more work.

He continued:

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When I’m on Tinder and it say 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. Transgenders can now have their gender changed on their birth certificate, and in the same spirit there should be room for an age change.

Ridiculous as his hopes may be, you kind of have to give Emile credit for not just saying he’s 49 on Tinder to put himself in that luxurious position he’s striving for.

Age is just a number, right?

The Dutchman argued he encounters problems in society on a daily basis because of his age, including discrimination from companies who are reluctant to hire a pensioner.

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Emile also pointed out changing his age would be good news for the government as he would be renouncing his pension until he reaches retirement age again.

His case has now gone to a court in the city of Arnhem in the eastern Dutch province of Gelderland, where the judge had some sympathy as he recognised people changing their gender would once have been unthinkable, much like changing your age.

Despite the understanding, the court admitted there would be practical problems in allowing people to change their birth date, as it would mean legally deleting part of their lives.

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The judge explained what they meant by asking Emile what would become of his early years between 1949 and 1969, saying:

For whom did your parents care in those years? Who was that little boy back then?

The court is due to deliver a written ruling within four weeks, so we’ll have to see if Emile gets his way…

Until then, hopefully he’ll be able to charm some people on Tinder with ‘the face he has’, despite his real age.