Canada is taking on the issue of sex vs. gender in an all-new passport option.
By August 31, Canadian passport holders will be no longer be required to identify strictly between male and female and will have the choice of selecting "X" as an "unspecified" gender designation.
"All Canadians should feel safe to be themselves, live according to their gender identity and express their gender as they choose," said the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship "By introducing an 'X' gender designation in our government-issued documents, we are taking an important step towards advancing equality for all Canadians regardless of gender identity or expression."
The third designation will be available on any federal document issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Gender is used to describe the characteristics of women and men that are socially constructed, while sex refers to those that are biologically determined. People are born female or male, but learn to be girls and boys who grow into women and men. This learned behavior makes up gender identity and determines gender roles."
It is the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that mandates travel documents must include a field for sex identification, but in 2012 the New Zealand Passport Office authored a paper, "Displaying the holder's gender on travel documents: Is it still appropriate in the age of e-travel documents?"
In response, the ICAO ruled, "The costs of the removing the requirement to display the holder's gender on travel documents outweigh the benefits at this stage. The costs of the change would be more significant given the adverse effects on the operations of border authorities and the potential inconvenience for passengers. However, the tangible benefits of not requiring travel documents to display the holder's gender mean there is still a significant opportunity for ICAO in changing the mandatory requirement in the future.
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In the same document, ICAO also warned, "The risk of inconsistencies may increase if more countries follow Australia and New Zealand's lead and allow travel documents with the gender displayed as X."
ICAO does allow for an X determination to mean "unspecified" when choosing a gender assignment. However, it also allows for each country to determine who may use the "X" option.
Which means Canadians identifying as Gender X could face problems when traveling to some international destinations.
"I'm really worried that in countries like Uganda and Jamaica, where being LGBT is illegal and there are laws on the books that prosecute people for identifying as trans, that this could leave people open to arbitrary detention, it could leave them open to scrutiny at airports, degrading treatment," said Adrienne Smith, an immigration lawyer based out of Toronto in an interview with GlobalNews.ca. "There's a whole host of actions that foreign law enforcement could take, I think if you have an X on your passport."
The IRCC has said that starting August 31, it will introduce "interim measures" that allow travelers to "add an observation to their passport stating their sex should be identified as 'X,'" until it is able to print official documents reflecting the change.
Canada has taken numerous steps to ensure and enhance the rights of LGBT travelers.
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In May of this year, the Honorable Bardish Chagger, the minister of small business and tourism announced that the Government of Canada would partners with Travel Gay Canada and allocate $100,000 (CDN) over two years for Canada to market itself as a gay-friendly travel destination.
"Canada is already one of the most welcoming countries in the world for LGBTQ2 travel and we want to build on that reputation," said Minister Chagger, during the press event. "I am proud to work with Travel Gay Canada and businesses like OWL Rafting, who are breaking barriers and helping to create memorable experiences and visits for everyone."
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