The “X” gender marker authorized on identity cards in Quebec

Photo: David Afriat Archives Le Devoir Directives have been sent to the RAMQ and the SAAQ (in the photo), assures the office of the Minister of Families.

Turnaround in the situation in Quebec. People who identify as non-binary will now be able to request that their driver's license and health insurance card be marked with the symbol “X” without having to wait for the conclusions of the “committee of wise men” on gender identity.

Le Devoir was able to confirm this information, first reported by Radio-Canada on Monday morning. According to the office of the Minister of Families, Suzanne Roy, the directives were sent to the Régie de l'assurance santé du Québec (RAMQ) and the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).

By allowing anyone who asks to write “X” rather than “F” or “M” on their identity documents, the government is following the spirit of its own law, adopted in 2022 by the Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, and which allowed people requiring it to have their gender marker modified in civil status documents.

Last December, Quebec said it wanted to wait for its committee of wise people, appointed by Minister Roy, to take a position before authorizing such steps. However, the RAMQ and the SAAQ had already received at that time several requests from people wishing to modify their identity documents to identify as non-binary.

In fact, according to exchanges obtained by Le Devoir under the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection personal information, the government's Office to Combat Homophobia and Transphobia (BLCHT) contacted the RAMQ at the end of 2022 to find out how it would proceed to allow the use of an “X” in its systems.

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“Attached, a first draft of government guidelines. This document was reviewed by jurists from the [Ministry of Justice],” wrote Jonathan Vidal, a BLCHT official, at the beginning of November 2022. “For discussion at the November 16 meeting. A more precise timetable may be agreed upon at this meeting. You can already start commenting or improving this version if you wish. »

Even before the changes to the law, moreover, the RAMQ had “begun work with the aim of targeting the various products (e.g. communications, systems, online services) and services (plans and programs) for which the mention of sex is currently used”. “Work will begin soon to review communications with customers with a view to removing the gendered aspect,” wrote an advisor within the Directorate for the Development of Customer Services and Risk Management. RAMQ, Gabrielle Poulin, in May 2022.

Upcoming deadlines

Asked about the new directives from the Legault government on Monday, the Régie indicated that it welcomed “this decision which will make it possible to respond to the need expressed by some of its customers”. “The RAMQ will work today to establish a precise timetable in collaboration with its various partners to implement this decision. In addition, we will communicate in the coming days with people who have already submitted a request for a card with an ~/p>

At the SAAQ too, “customers who had made the request will soon be contacted to inform them of the possibility of having the mention the organization, Gino Desrosiers, Monday.

Alexe Frédéric Migneault, a non-binary person who made headlines last year by starting a hunger strike so that the RAMQ would allow him to add the X marker to his health insurance card, reacted Monday by asking for apologies from the Legault government. “Admitting that the law gives him no choice, he admits that he kept us waiting for absolutely nothing. »

Recently, the RAMQ offered to participate in a mediation process, despite the Legault government's desire to wait for a return from its committee of wise men. “I have very, very little tenderness in my heart for people who preferred to put our entire lives on hold, while they read for years literature that literally already exists,” added Alexe Frédéric Migneault.

The spokesperson for Québec solidaire for LGBTQ+ communities, Manon Massé, welcomed the government's decision on Monday, which ensures that “finally, the law adopted in June 2022 giving rights to these persons will apply.” “It may seem trivial to you, but for non-binary people, having an X instead of an F or M on your identity documents means finally being able to be recognized, respected and validated in your identity and expression gender,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

“1,131 days later, it is a relief for all the people whose rights will finally be respected,” added Liberal spokesperson on the matter, Jennifer Maccarone. “However, there is still a lot of work to be done for the community, and my concern persists regarding the mandate of the committee of elders, the relevance of which still appears unclear to me…”

The conclusions of this group — which does not include any trans or non-binary people — are expected in 2025.

With Dave Noël