In response to a human rights complaint filed with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) has announced that, effective today, Saskatchewan residents will now be able to request the gender field on their driver’s licence (or SGI-issued photo identification) be left blank. This is in addition to the currently available “M”, “F”, or “X” indicator options.

“The Commission welcomes this change as a sign of progress in our province,” said Barry Wilcox, Q.C., Chief Commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission. “Two spirit, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming (2STNBGN) people face discrimination in housing, employment, and travel. This happens, in part, because of the discrepancy between gender expression and government issued identification. The recent change implemented by SGI will help address some of these issues.”

The new designation option was part of a settlement agreement achieved through the Commission’s complaint resolution process.

“The Commission thanks the parties for their participation and, ultimately, finding an outcome that will meet the needs of the 2STNBGN, and other, communities,” said Wilcox. “The Commission remains committed to supporting, upholding, and advancing the rights of all people in Saskatchewan.”

In 2016, the Court of Queen’s Bench issued a consent order in response to a human rights complaint filed with the Commission. As a result of the order, transgender adults in Saskatchewan who want the gender designation on their birth certificate changed no longer require surgery to receive new identification.

In 2018, two human rights complaints resulted in a court order to allow for people under the age of 18 to apply for changes to the gender marker on their birth certificate, and required the Government to allow for “M” and “F” designations to be removed.