Gender Options Expanded for Identity Documents

Nova Scotia continues to make changes to reflect the province’s diverse population. Today, July 9 the province is giving people more options for gender identity on a birth certificate, driver’s licence and a photo ID card.

People can now choose to have X as an option for gender identity or have no gender displayed.

“This is an exciting day for our province and for all Nova Scotians who deserve to have their gender identity recognized and respected,” said Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services Minister Patricia Arab. “People who don’t identify exclusively as male or female have said that the identity documents currently don’t accurately reflect their gender.

“As a province that is proud to be diverse and inclusive, we are pleased to introduce new gender identity options in response to the concerns.”

These changes were introduced with support and input from the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

"This is an important change which allows Nova Scotians the opportunity to see themselves represented on one of the most common forms of government identification,” said Shae Morse, non-binary teacher and community advocate. “Accurate identification, including the option to not display gender, reduces harm faced by intersex, non-binary, and transgender people and for all Nova Scotians.

“Enabling this opportunity while waiving the cost, one of the largest barriers faced when accessing these changes, ensures that any one of us from Glace Bay to Yarmouth can do so."

Nova Scotians also have the option to remove the sex designation from the front of their health cards.

There is still the option to have M or F on all identity documents. Sex, or gender displayed as sex, will continue to be recorded in the provincial system.

The fee to change the gender indicator will be waived for replacement cards.

Change of sex indicator services are also now available to people born outside of Nova Scotia but currently live in the province.

For more information on how to change gender on driver’s licence or photo ID cards, visit https://novascotia.ca/drivers-licence-gender , for birth certificates https://beta.novascotia.ca/apply-birth-certificate and health cards https://novascotia.ca/dhw/msi/health_cards.asp .