A man declared himself a woman for an “unexpected” reason!

A Swiss man reportedly took advantage of a loophole in the country’s new, simplified sex-change legislation, and registered as a woman so that he would be eligible for a large pension a year before it was due.

As of January 1, a 10-minute interview and payment of 75 Swiss francs (about $80) to a person in Switzerland to change their gender on paper is sufficient. Procedures such as physical examination and hormonal testing have been cancelled.

Local Luzerner Zeitung reports that a citizen of the canton of Lucerne in the central German-speaking part of the country saw a good profit opportunity.
In the wealthy Alpine state, the retirement age for men is 65, compared to 64 for women, and pensions are very high, ranging from 13,480 euros (about 15 to nearly $27,000 a year).

It appears that the person, who has not yet been named, decided not to wait another year for the money, simply by going and registering as a female with the authorities.

The sex change only happened on paper, with the plaintiff later confirming to family and friends that it was only done to speed up retirement, according to media outlets.

So far, there have been no reports of authorities in Lucerne planning to challenge this reported request.

However, the isolated incident points to significant flaws in the sex change rules. The local media soon came up with several other scenarios that males in the country could exploit.

Men can register as women to avoid military service, as it is only mandatory for men in the country. A widower can also become a widow to receive the higher compensation to which a woman in Switzerland is entitled.