(Quebec) The Legault government asks a non-binary person to end their hunger strike.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault stopped eating on Monday and set up camp in a park near the headquarters of the Régie de l’assurance santé, in Quebec.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault is calling for a third gender option, “X”, to be added to Quebec health insurance cards, an alternative to the traditional “M” or “F” for men and women.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault does not intend to start eating again as long as he/she does not obtain satisfaction.
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Alexe Frédéric Migneault
“I would like this person to stop their hunger strike,” asked the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Martine Biron, in a press scrum on the sidelines of an announcement Friday in Quebec.
“There are a lot of people who would like him to stop because we would like him to be safe. I discussed it with the LGBTQ communities, the Rainbow Alliance, which is here in Quebec and which has links with this person. We would all like him to stop the hunger strike so that we can be more peaceful, to work. »
Alexe Frédéric Migneault has continued his efforts for more than two years to win his/her case and he/she is on his/her fourth hunger strike.
But the minister affirms that the file is “advancing” and that a committee bringing together 18 ministries and organizations is working on a solution.
“There are things happening, there are steps to take, I can’t pull the flower to make it grow faster,” she summarized.
Adding the “X” designation would help protect members of Quebec’s non-binary community and ensure that medical records reflect accurate information, argued Alexe Frédéric Migneault.
“It’s a question of health, physical health, mental health, (for) the entire community concerned,” Alexe Frédéric Migneault told La Presse Canadienne.
Quebec began allowing a non-binary gender marker on birth and death certificates last year.
The Health Insurance Authority has not yet implemented this option on its cards, which are necessary to access state-funded health care.
In addition to the “M” and “F” symbols on the cards, the Régie includes a code according to the sex of Quebecers in the unique numbers of their health card.
In a press release, RAMQ said its health insurance cards and numbers are essential to ensure that diagnoses, treatments and care are “attached to the right person.” She added that the Ministry of Health is currently analyzing the consequences of introducing a third gender designation on the province’s health and social services network.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault does not intend to abandon his strike until his health insurance number has been changed and his health insurance card does not identify “X” as his gender.
Water, sports drinks and vegetable broth are his only means of sustenance.
No less than 350 people requested a change of designation for “X” at RAMQ, said M’s press secretary.me Biron. There are 16,000 trans and non-binary people in Quebec, according to the data she provided.