SGI Set To Issue Gender Free Or X Licenses
By SGI
Effective March 25, 2019, Saskatchewan residents will be able to choose an undesignated marker (“X”) for the sex designation field of their SGI driver’s licences and photo identification cards.
An X designation means sex is not specified. Anyone of any age can make this selection on their SGI driver’s licence or photo ID card upon request.
“SGI is committed to inclusiveness,” said Penny McCune, Chief Operating Officer of the Auto Fund. “We recognize that some of our customers wish to refrain from identifying as either female or male or any gender at all on their identification. Customers now have the flexibility to designate their sex on their ID with an F or M, or choose a non-gendered option by indicating X.”
A Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench ruling in May of 2018 called for the Government of Saskatchewan to issue a birth certificate without a sex designation to two minors who requested them. As a provider of government-issued identification, SGI’s move towards offering an X designation – along with the binary designation options (F or M) – is in keeping with that ruling.
Example of the new SGI X designation on driver’s licenses and photo ID
This policy change brings SGI into alignment with other provinces, including Alberta, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
“As conceptualizations of gender and sex evolve across Saskatchewan and the world, a move to an unspecified option means that all people — whether they’re transgender, non-binary, or simply people who don’t think their gender needs to be on their IDs — will be able to have identification that most accurately represents who they are,” said Jacq Brasseur, Executive Director of the UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity in Regina. “Saskatchewan is following the great move of other jurisdictions, and we’re excited to see this change.”
No documentation is required to change to an X designation and there is no charge for driver’s licence or photo ID cards to make this change. Customers simply need to visit any authorized motor licence issuer and request the change.
Changes to accommodate individuals with diverse gender expressions or those who do not wish to disclose an option are new and not yet Canada-wide nor international. Not all organizations, businesses and government agencies have adapted their practices or policies. As a result, SGI cannot guarantee that a Saskatchewan-issued driver’s licence or photo identification card with an X designation will be accepted by other organizations. Customers who request an X designation on SGI documents will be informed of these considerations.