Transgender people in B.C. win a battle over identityAmy Smart, Times Colonist, October 5, 2013, 10:40 PM
A policy change underway at the Ministry of Health will remove one barrier to official recognition of gender identity for transgender people in British Columbia, the Times Colonist has learned.
Sex reassignment surgery will no longer be required before the sex designation associated with a person's B.C. Services Card can be changed, according to the ministry.
The new policy should take effect by the end of the year, a spokesman said, but the ministry could not specify a date. Health Minister Terry Lake was not available for an interview.
B.C. Services Cards began replacing CareCards in February, and the planned change arose during the discussions surrounding that transition, according to the spokesman.
The news comes three weeks after a 10-year-old transgender girl from Comox and her grandmother began campaigning for the same change to other official identification.
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