A man launched a legal battle in early November to reduce his age by 20 years.
Emile Ratelband, 69, a ‘positivity trainer’, wants to shift his birthday back, comparing the change to identifying as being trans-gender. ‘We live in a time when you can change your name and change your gender. Why can’t I decide my own age?’ he said.
Limitations of age
Mr Ratelband argues he feels discriminated against because of his age, and that it was affecting his employment chances and his success rate on the dating app, Tinder. ‘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 said. ‘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.’
Mr Ratelband further argued that according to his doctors he has the body of a 45-year-old, and described himself as a ‘young god’.
He said he would renounce his pension if he switched his birth date.
The Netherlands’ Constitution expressly prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of age.
Mr Ratelband, a media personality and motivational guru, converted to Buddhism earlier this year and is a trainer in neurolin-guistic programming. He voiced the character Vladimir Trunkov in the Dutch-language version of the Pixar film Cars 2.
