By the end of the month, you will be allowed to have a neutral gender on your Canadian passport and immigration documents.
The Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced that a new gender designation, “X,” for those who don’t identify as male or female, will be available starting Aug. 31.
READ MORE: MPs pass bill to make ‘O Canada’ gender neutral, pending Senate approval
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“By introducing an “X” gender designation in our government-issued documents, we are taking an important step towards advancing equality for all Canadians regardless of gender identity or expression,” Minister Ahmed Hussen said in a statement.
It’s the latest in a series of policy changes supported by Bill C-16, which defends the rights of transgender people and makes it illegal to discriminate based on “gender identity or expression.”
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The government first hinted at gender changes to the passport in November, 2016.
Since then, British Columbia has become the first place in the world to issue a birth certificate without a gender marker. In Ontario, the third gender marker “X” is already in use on the province’s licences.
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