Drivers in Prince Edward Island are getting two new gender options on their licence, that allow them to keep their gender identity to themselves.
The province has added two new non-binary gender options of ’gender not listed’ and ‘prefer not to say,’ joining the existing male and female options.
The selection will appear on the licence as X, blank, M, and F respectively.
Transportation Minister Paula Biggar says adding two non-binary gender options is “an important step in advancing equal human rights for everyone.”
While the federal government and some other provinces offer X or `gender not listed’ on identification, P.E.I says it’s the first Canadian jurisdiction to allow for the option of `prefer not to say’ or blank.
Changes to the driver’s licence will be available beginning Tuesday.
“We, at PEERS Alliance, applaud this action by government to intentionally recognize trans and non-binary identities in public processes,” Cybelle Rieber, executive director of PEERS Alliance, a Charlottetown organization formerly known as AIDS PEI, said in a news release.
“Providing non-binary gender options on provincial government IDs will better reflect the diverse identities of Island citizens. Important actions, such as this, formally acknowledge the reality of gender diversity and prevent the systemic erasure of non-binary people.”