this has literally no ramifications whatsoever. there is no legal weight carried by gender identity, so not only would it be entirely pointless if the article had even an ounce of truth, but the article's existence is also pointless.
transgender people shouldn't have a problem with this either. if you need to legally change your gender in order to feel valid about your identity you're basically a superficial handicap. if you want to identify as a different gender and you want your friends to identify you as a different gender, get them to do it on their own whim.