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Quebec to drop surgery requirement for people who want to change their sex on IDs

In this file photo, a person walks on a trans Pride flag crosswalk in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley In this file photo, a person walks on a trans Pride flag crosswalk in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley
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QUEBEC CITY -

A Quebec bill that would have allowed only people who have undergone surgery to change their sex on identification documents will be changed.

The bill introduced Oct. 21 by Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette was criticized by transgender-rights activists.

The law would have allowed people who identify as transgender to change their "gender" designation on official documents.

However activists said they were worried that would force people to reveal that they are transgender every time they showed their ID, because they would be the only ones with a "gender" as opposed to a "sex" designation on those documents.

A spokeswoman for Jolin-Barrette says in an email today that the government has listened to the critics, and the surgery requirement will be dropped from the bill.

Elisabeth Gosselin says the bill is intended to comply with a court ruling that ordered the government to allow transgender and non-binary people to adequately change their sex and gender identification on civil documents and to better reflect the realities faced by LGBTQ families.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 9, 2021.

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