P.E.I. making it easier for transgender people to officially change gender

The P.E.I. government is looking at making it easier for transgender people to change their gender on government identification.

The government has tabled a bill to amend the Vital Statistics Act, requiring people only to declare the gender they identify with and have a letter from a doctor. Sex-reassignment surgery will no longer be necessary

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Under the current rules, someone has to have undergone sex-reassignment surgery and have affidavits from two physicians before a birth certificate or other government documentation changes can be made.

The proposed legislation follows a recommendation by the P.E.I. Human Rights Commission, said Premier Wade MacLauchlan, noting other provinces have already moved in this direction.

"In fact, there have been cases in Ontario and in Newfoundland and Labrador that found that requiring prior surgery was discriminatory," MacLauchlan said.

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