The right to gender self-determination is inferred by the prohibition of gender discrimination, and self-naming is a huge component of invoking that right. I've previously written on the need to remove gender from identification documents and to use fill-in-the-blank gender data collection. My fourth Advent Policy Brief insists on barrier-free access to the process of legal name change.
Given our technical capacities, changing names should be inexpensive (with waivers for low-income earners), quick, and non-intrusive. The attestation that changing names to avoid civil or criminal penalties is the only context an applicant should have to supply.
When a Canadian turns 18, they should get a card in the mail asking if they'd like to confirm their name at birth or change it free of cost. If there is no action taken, birth names are assumed confirmed.
I'd also like to take a moment to viciously shade Elections Canada for deadnaming thousands of people and only planning to phase out the system flaw over a the next few years.
 |
| The 6 Traditional Gender Roles |