Quebec Is Making Changes To Bill 2 After Critics Called It Transphobic

Quebec is making changes to its controversial Bill 2, which has been widely criticized for being transphobic. This includes removing the requirement for transgender people to have surgery in order to change the sex on their birth certificate.

"The objective of Bill 2 has always been to respond to a Superior Court ruling and to better reflect the realities of LGBTQ families. It was never our intention to complicate the gender affirmation process for trans people," the Office of the Minister of Justice said in an email statement to MTL Blog.

"We are working to find a way forward that will both address the judgment and resolve the concerns. We are confirming that the requirement for an operation to change the sex designation will be removed from the bill."

The original bill, tabled by Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette on October 21, was created in response to a Superior Court of Québec ruling that gave the province until December 31 to revise the Civil Code after finding that it discriminates against trans people.

The initial draft of Bill 2 also proposed the creation of separate sex and gender markers. Jolin-Barrette previously explained that a person could choose to use a gender marker instead of a sex marker on their birth certificate in order to "reflect their identity without undergoing surgery."

However, the Centre for Gender Advocacy told MTL Blog this could expose people's trans status "by having it be separate from the 'sex' marker, resulting in the same or similar dangers a trans person with no IDs at all would face."

While the ministry hasn't specified what other changes it will make to Bill 2, Le Devoir reported that Jolin-Barrette will be amending all aspects of the bill that have been deemed transphobic.

"We want to reassure the community. We are listening and have heard the concerns raised [...] The bill is in no way intended to force anyone to come out and we will ensure that this is not the case with the solution that will be developed," said the statement from the Office of the Minister of Justice.

Meanwhile, over 11,000 people have signed a National Assembly petition requesting the removal of nine sections of Bill 2 that it deems "discriminatory for the entirety of trans, non-binary, and intersex people."

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.