The province will change how it displays sex and gender information on driver's licenses and health cards, according to the Minister of Government and Consumer Services.
As of early 2017, those who do not identify as exclusively male or female will have another option on their driver’s license, Minister Marie-France Lalonde said. They’ll be able to mark their gender as “X” -- instead of “M” or “F” for male or female.
“Many Ontarians do not identify as female or male.” Lalonde told reporters. “As society’s understanding of gender evolves, government must adapt. Part of that is being more thoughtful about how and when we collect gender or sex information, and how we use it. We look forward to getting input from the public on these important policy changes this summer.”
Another change implemented on June 13 was for Ontario health cards, which no longer display gender information on the face of the card. The change doesn’t affect the card’s validity and it continues to function in the same way.
These changes come near the end of Toronto’s Pride Month and are part of a government plan to be more inclusive toward all people, including those in the LGBTQ community.
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Eric Hoskins said, “The purpose of health cards is to show that the card holder is eligible for public health care. A person’s sex is not relevant.”
He said everyone in Ontario should feel “comfortable and safe,” especially with health care.
“Removing sex designation from health cards is a step towards achieving that,” Hoskins said.
Residents who want a new health card without a sex identifier before their renewal date can go to a ServiceOntario centre or call 1-866-532-3161.
Ontario is not the first to make the change. Australia, Nepal and New Zealand also mark genders with an “X” when it is not otherwise specified. This standard is also accepted by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which promotes consistency among travel documents.
