Residents will have the option to make no designation of sex on licences and identification, SGI announced on Tuesday.
Effective Feb. 22, residents will have the option to leave their specified sex blank instead of the “M”, “F”, or “X” designators. The change is available to all customers of any age upon request.
Auto Fund COO Penny McCune said the option to have no sex designation on identification and licences is part of SGI’s commitment to inclusiveness.
“We have customers who wish to refrain from identifying with any sex on their identification,” McCune said. “This change gives them flexibility in how they are identified on SGI documents.”
No documentation will be required for someone to remove their current sex designation. SGI will not charge customers for making changes to their licence or photo ID, however they must visit a motor licence issuer to make the change.
McCune added that changes to accommodate residents who do not wish to disclose their sex are new, and have not been universally adopted universally. Because of that, SGI cannot guarantee a Saskatchewan-issued driver’s licence or photo identification card with a blank designation will be accepted in Canada or internationally.
SGI’s decision comes in response to a human rights complaint filed with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission. The new designation was part of a settlement agreement achieved after the Commission heard the complaint.
Barry Wilcox, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission’s chief commissioner, called the change a “welcome sign of progress” in Saskatchewan.
“Two-spirit, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming (2STNBGN) people face discrimination in housing, employment, and travel,” Wilcox said. “This happens, in part, because of the discrepancy between gender expression and government issued identification. The recent change implemented by SGI will help address some of these issues.”
In 2016, transgender adults in Saskatchewan were allowed to change the gender designation on their birth certificates without requiring surgery. The Court of Queen’s Bench ruling came in response to a human rights complaint filed with the Commission.
In 2018, two more human rights complaints resulted in court orders to allow people under the age of 18 to change the gender marker on their birth certificate. The Government was also required to allow for the “M” or “F” designations to be removed.