Transgender individuals in Newfoundland and Labrador will now be able to change their birth certificate and government identification to match their gender identity.
The province’s government made the change to its Vital Statistics Act after Canadian transgender activist Kyra Rees filed an application with its Supreme Court to change legislation under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“Anytime I had to present the ID, I had to kind of ‘out’ myself as a transperson and someone would know my gender from looking at that identify document,” she said. “There was definitely this social anxiety thing that really was the biggest chunk of it and also, of course, my safety.”
Previously, changes to IDs were only granted on the basis that those who requested them had underwent gender reassignment surgery.
Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba also allow for gender identity changes on government identification.
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