Pensioner asks court to cut his age by 20 years so he can get more Tinder dates
Dutch OAP with ‘body of a 45-year-old’ compares his predicament to identifying as transgender
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?”
Subscribe to 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?”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'New arrivals are more than paying for themselves'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
6 stylish homes in Portland, Oregon
Feature Featuring a wall of windows in Collins View and a historic ballroom in Portland Heights
By The Week US Published
-
What's next for US interest rates?
The Explainer Stubborn inflation forestalls anticipated rate cuts
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published