What is Bill #2?
Bill #2 (projet de loi no.2), is a bill proposed by the CAQ, current party leader of the Quebec government, to reintroduce genitalia-based sex markers and the proposed segregation of intersex people by sex markers.
What does this mean?
Currently, on the birth certificate there is a field to indicate gender. When someone is wishing to change their gender, they often seek to change their gender on their ID documents to match their true gender. The first step to do is to change your gender (and often name) on your birth certificate - all other changes to ID documents springs from the birth certificate. This process is long, expensive, and exposes people to the transphobic violence of intentional misgendering that is embedded in the current system, BUT once it’s done, it’s done.
Bill 2 proposes that a field be ADDED on all QC birth certificates, to indicate which genitals you currently have, or “sex”. So, for a cis woman, you would have an F gender, and an F sex on your birth certificate, which, for them, means you identify as a woman and you have a vagina. For a trans man that hasn’t had surgery, his birth certificate would say M for gender, and F for sex. You can probably see where this starts to go wrong for trans, intersex, and non-binary people. For intersex people, their genitals may not conform to what Quebec society currently classifies as “vagina” or “penis”. So, the new system would continue to erase them entirely.
How does this apply to rehab?
This Bill will put additional barriers on place for trans, intersex, and non-binary folks to accesses the safe care they deserve. Everyone deserves access to safe care where they’re comfortable being themselves and are referred to in the way they prefer. This Bill creates an opportunity to force someone to continually misgender themselves & could discourage individuals from getting the care they need.
In particular, people who do choose to receive gender-affirming surgeries, can pursue the help of a pelvic floor physiotherapist which can help people on their transitioning journey if needed. This Bill can influence the trust individuals have in the government and therefore public healthcare, causing them to not be comfortable getting the care they need because it promotes unsafe spaces.
We at JCR believe in treating individuals holistically, we believe in rights for gender identity, and advocating when those rights are being infringed.
What can I do to help?
Indicate your disapproval of Bill 2 on the National Assembly website.
The required fields on the page are your first and last name, email address, and a multiple choice question indicating your level of support for the bill. The “Strongly Disagree” option is the one that opposes Bill 2 in the strongest way possible. It is the option that is second from the bottom in the multiple choice question.
Feel free to copy and paste the message below, it would greatly help increase the weight of your submission.
Copy paste the below message in the Comment on the general intent of the bill:
The general intent of the bill is transphobic, discriminatory and regressive. It would directly oppose the findings of the Superior Court of Quebec that deemed several provisions of the Civil Code to be unconstitutional.
Bill 2 will directly put trans/intersex/non-binary people at risk of transphobia, violence and discriminatory behaviour, where the distinction between gender and sex is unnecessary. There are very few instances where the individual's gender assigned at birth is a required piece of information, and most settings where a birth certificate or piece of I.D is required, is not this specific setting.
Copy paste the below message in the Suggestion for changes to the bill
Bill 2 should be eradicated. It is unnecessary for the birth certificate and other I.D to have a section added where gender and sex are differentiated. In the specific circumstances where an individual's gender assigned at birth is absolutely necessary to disclose, it is up to the individual to consensually provide.
The Supreme Court amended the following provisions on January 28, 2021 in documentation 2021 QCCS 191 (Gender Advocacy v. Attorney General of Quebec):
1 - The existence of Non-Binary individuals is recognized. An option of neither “M” or “F”, such as “X” must be provided in the documentation.
2 - The birth certificates of children with trans parents may be changed to match the parents gender. Option of either “mother”, “father” or “parent” must be provided.
3 - Trans youth 14-17 years old, may change their gender designation independently without a health professionals attestation
4 - QC residents who are non citizens may change their name and gender designation on legal documentation
Credits to Rowan C. Woodmass for writing this message. Follow the link for the original article :https://rwoodmass.com/bill2/?fbclid=IwAR0_fq2VyQaoboeNjyC8R0Piz6hWI3C_hdRqj70c7EGMFm520h2OWXeZ0w8