Dutch court rules 69-year-old man can’t change his age to 49

A Dutch court on Monday ruled against a 69-year-old man’s request to legally change his age to be 20 years younger.

Emile Ratelband, a motivational speaker, made international headlines when he filed a legal request last month to change his age to 49.

“Mr. Ratelband is at liberty to feel 20 years younger than his real age and to act accordingly,” Arnhem court said in a statement.

{mosads}“But amending his date of birth would cause 20 years of records to vanish from the register of births, deaths, marriages and registered partnerships,” the court added. “This would have a variety of undesirable legal and societal implications.”

Ratelband argued that he was suffering from age discrimination, and said that his desire to have his age changed to 49 was similar to legally changing one’s name or gender.

But the court pushed back on that argument, writing that changing his age would render age-related requirements like voting rights and school attendance “meaningless.”