Emile Ratelband, the 69-year-old Dutch citizen who identifies as a 45-year-old and wishes to legally reduce his age by 20 years, has lost his case in court.
Ratelband, a self-styled “positivity trainer,” had said that changing his age would help him find work and attract more women on dating app Tinder.
The court has, however, according to Daily Mail, refused to grant him the age change, stating that the Dutch law assigns rights and obligations, such as voting rights and education, based on age.
If Mr. Ratelband’s request was allowed, those age requirements would become meaningless.
Mr. Ratelband is at liberty to feel 20 years younger than his real age and to act accordingly.
But amending his date of birth would cause 20 years of records to vanish from the register of births, deaths, marriages and registered partnerships. This would have a variety of undesirable legal and societal implications.