A letter of the alphabet has been talked about a lot this week: the X. But what does it mean? Aces explain to you.
Until now, in Quebec, when a person obtained their driving license or renewed their health insurance card, they had to indicate whether they were male (M) or female (F). A new option is now offered: the X.
F, M, X
Some people identify as neither male nor female. They are called non-binary people. On an identity card, neither the M nor the F suits them. Many of them also feel uncomfortable having to choose one of these letters. Option X is aimed at them.
What happened ?
The X marker is not new. In fact, since 2022, more than 500 Quebecers have had the M or F marker changed to an X on their birth certificate. What is new is that they can now do it on their driver’s license and on their health insurance card. This decision taken by the Quebec government this week caused surprise.
This is an announcement that has been long awaited. Moreover, last fall, a non-binary person named Alexe Frédéric Migneault went on a hunger strike in front of the offices of the Régie de l’assurance santé du Québec, which is the organization that distributes insurance cards disease. Its goal ? Lobbying for non-binary people to be able to use option X on their card. According to Alexe Frédéric, it was an emergency.
A question of rights
This decision was rather well received, even if many consider that it should have been taken much earlier.
Manon Massé, spokesperson for the Quebec Solidarity Party for LGBTQ+ communities, explained why this is important news. “It may seem trivial to you, but for these people, having an X instead of an F or M on their identity documents means finally being able to be recognized, respected and validated. »
By Lysiane Alexandre, for The Aces of Info
According to an article by François Carabin, The duty
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