Significant Victory for Manitobans Who Are Nonbinary
10/12/2020
On 13 October 2020, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) announced a new policy which expands gender marker options available on the basic driver’s licenses and identification cards that it issues. Effective 11 October 2020, Manitobans who are nonbinary will now be able to display an X as the gender identifier on their Manitoba driver’s license or identification cards. Additionally, all Manitobans will have the option to leave their gender unspecified on their driver’s license or identification card by opting to have the gender field left blank.
In May 2019, PILC (Allison Fenske) filed a series of complaints with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission on behalf of a group of nonbinary residents of Manitoba, detailing how nonbinary individuals face discrimination by the government of Manitoba under section 13(1) of the Manitoba Human Rights Code, based on their sex and/or gender identity. As a result of this complaint, PILC and its clients worked collaboratively with MPI to develop the policy changes that have resulted in X and blank gender marker options on licenses and identification cards. This is an important first step toward ensuring that all Manitobans have a choice in whether to display gender information on their IDs, and when they do, to ensure that the information displayed is accurate.
To hear PILC clients Sam MacKinnon and Charlie Eau on CBC’s Up to Speed, talking about the impact of these changes, go to: Sam and Charlie.
To watch Sam and Charlie on CTV, go to: link
