On Sunday, hundreds of people took to the streets in Montreal for the annual Transgender March.
They wanted to celebrate, but also raise concerns that the community faces.
"We are a minority," said one protester. "We are not a big group, but we are people, like everybody."
A major concern for the group is families, and wording on birth certificates.
Harley Vescio, a transgender parent, said the they would like to see birth certificates have the option to say "parent" instead of mother or father.
Vescio is identified as the father of their child, even though Vescio does not identify as such.
"Every step we go through is an affirmation it's like, 'yes, I'm getting there,'" they said. "And then I get this paper and it says I'm a father. Like do I really look like I want to be called a father?"
Vescio would prefer the word "parent" instead.
"When I saw that paper, I just broke down and cried." they said.
Vescio's concerns and experiences were echoed by others at the march.
"It's kind of a shock everytime I pull it up," said Crystal Marchand, who is also a transgender parent. "I don't think about my kid's birth certificate everyday....and they might misidentify me when I'm in the room."
Marchand feels that it's stress that can be avoided.
"It can be very traumatic to be publicly called the wrong name," Marchand said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Quebec Justice Minister said that they have created a committee to evaluate all forms and documents regarding the use of gender. The results of these efforts will be revealed later on.
For Vescio, Marchand, and others, it's a change that could make a huge difference.
"We just want to have the same luxuries as any heteronormative person would have," Vescio said.
