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Posts Tagged ‘trans’

Follow Along: CBC Sudbury’s TransNorth

October 23rd, 2012 Comments off

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Treanor Mahood-Greer, a Native Human Services Social Worker in North Bay, Ontario, has graciously informed us of a week-long CBC radio series called TransNorth, which explores the lives of transgender individuals (and their communities) in northeastern Ontario: http://www.cbc.ca/sudbury/features/transnorth (Treanor is one of the featured individuals).
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We encourage you to follow along and to show your support for such educational and consciousness-raising CBC programming — and, of course, to write to the CBC if you feel there is any kind of oversight or misrepresentation whatsoever: http://www.cbc.ca/contact
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Wishing you all the best this week,
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The Queer Ontario Steering Committee
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Breaking! ServiceOntario Announces New Criteria for Change of Sex Designation on Ontario Birth Registration

October 5th, 2012 Comments off

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The following letter by Sandra Leonetti (Deputy Registrar General, Office of the Registrar General) was forwarded to us by Alexandra Schmidt (Senior Policy Advisor, Policy & Regulatory Services Branch, ServiceOntario), as a stakeholder in the consultations around the Change of Sex Designation Criteria on an Ontario Birth Certificate. French and English PDF versions of the letter can be downloaded after the text.
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October 5, 2012
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I am writing to inform you of changes to requirements to change sex designation on an Ontario birth registration.
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The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ordered the Government to cease requiring transgendered persons to have “transsexual surgery” in order to obtain a change in sex designation on their registration of birth. In accordance with the Tribunal’s order, the criteria for changing sex designation on a birth registration have been revised and there is no longer a requirement for “transsexual surgery”.
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The new criteria requires that a person wishing to change their sex designation on their Ontario birth registration complete a statutory declaration that they have assumed (or have always had) the gender identity that accords with the change in sex designation, they are living full-time in that gender identity and they intend to maintain that gender identity. The person must also provide a letter from a practising physician or psychologist (including a psychological associate) authorized to practise in Canada who can support the requested change. Alternative evidence to this letter in certain circumstances may be acceptable and is detailed on the application form.
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At this time, an applicant for a change in sex designation on a birth registration must be at least 18 years of age.
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The revised criteria and forms are posted on the Ministry’s website at www.ServiceOntario.ca. We would appreciate if you would make this information available to members of your organization and any clients who may be impacted by the revised criteria.
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Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.
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Sincerely,
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Original signed
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Sandra Leonetti

Deputy Registrar General, Office of the Registrar General
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A PDF version of this letter can be downloaded here: English Registrar General Letter Re New Change of Sex Designation Criteria in Ontario

A French version can be downloaded here: French Registrar General Letter Re New Change of Sex Designation Criteria in Ontario
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Queer Ontario’s Response to ServiceOntario’s Questions around Change of Sex Designation Criteria

August 23rd, 2012 Comments off

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On Wednesday, August 1, 2012, Queer Ontario submitted the following [first] document to Alexandra Schmidt, Senior Policy Advisor for ServiceOntario, in response to ServiceOntario’s consultation document regarding an amended criteria for a change of sex designation on an Ontario Birth Registration. As expected, Queer Ontario was not one of the organizations contacted to provide feedback on the document, but we were thankfully alerted to it, five days before the due date, by a firm supporter. Unfortunately, given the short timeline, we were unable to fully enact our discussion and consensus process, so the document we submitted was not given our full critical attention. Therefore, we are providing a second document that puts forward a critical analysis of the sex designation process, and highlights/elucidates the points made in our original submission.
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Indeed, we felt that the questions and terms put forward by ServiceOntario would replicate the problems already present with the sex designation process, since it still conflated “sex” with “gender” and ignores the concept of a “sex identity”. We are positive our recommendations would be equally beneficial for transsexual, transgender, intersex, sex-neutral, gender-queer, two-spirited, bi-gendered, and gender-neutral people alike.
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Queer Ontario’s Submission to ServiceOntario:


Downloadable version: QueerOntario-ServiceOntarioSexDesignation-Response
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Queer Ontario’s Addendum:


Downloadable version: QueerOntario-ServiceOntarioSexDesignation-Addendum

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