COALITION LED BY POLITIQ DEMANDS THE END OF DISCRIMINATORY CIVIL STATUS RULES FOR TRANS PEOLPLE

A coalition led by Montréal-based activist group PolitiQ and Montréal’s trans organisations, are taking action to demand changes to civil status rules that they consider discriminatory to Québec`s trans-identifi ed citizens. They have written a text addressed to the Directeur de l’état civil du Québec, entitled Down with STERILE CIVIL STATUS RULES! Trans people demand their citizenship, which has been signed by over 60 organisations as well as over 60 public personalities, such as Amir Khadir and Thomas Mulcair, in a bid to effect rapid change. The text demands most notably access to legal change of name without excessive delay, similar to the regulations in force in all other Canadian provinces (which practice common law instead of civil law), and access to legal change of sex designation without compulsory medical treatments, operations or hormone therapy, based on the recommendation of a professional (a list of professionals can be drawn up in consultation with the concerned communities), following the example of Spain and the United Kingdom.

The text states : “Today in Québec, transidentified people (including transsexual, transgender, genderqueer, nongender, intersex, and other people) do not enjoy the same civil status rights as other citizens. For example, their right to equality and physical integrity is not respected, since they must undergo compulsory sterilization in order to obtain the right to have their designation of sex legally changed in civil status documents. This leaves many trans people with offi cial identity papers (civil status documents) that do not reflect their actual identity. This can lead to endless discrimination on a daily basis (e.g. when looking for work or housing).”

It continues, “In the December 2009 Québec Policy Against Homophobia, the Québec government states (Guideline 4) that it is important to ‘coordinate actions by public institutions’: ‘All the services [that public institutions and systems] provide must be consistent with the guidelines and strategies set up to combat homophobia, and reflect a spirit of inclusion and respect for the rights of sexual minority members. Fundamentally, this will require an in-depth review of institutional cultures and practices in connection with sexual diversity.’ (p. 31)”

The coalition believes that current regulations of the Directeur de l’État Civil harm trans people and their children and threaten the equality of all Quebecers under the law, the aim of the government’s policy against homophobia.

To support these demands, the coaltion held a peaceful demonstration and die-in in front of the offi ce of the Directeur de l’État Civil (corner of De Bleury and Président-Kennedy, metro Place-des-Arts) on June 17.

For more info, go to www.politiq.info.

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