I put in my application a month ago and you definitely don't need any gender recognition stuff now, so you CAN get male on your passport. Not being able to get that would actually make it illegal for me to fly without faking a high voice and looking like a girl as you are not allowed to travel if you don't present as the gender on your passport in Canada! Obviously they're not picking out tomboys or effeminate men, but a deep voice and a packer could, theoretically, mean you'd not be allowed to fly. I don't know how often, if ever, this is upheld, but it is a law and it just takes one person to uphold it. So perhaps rules like that made the British passport folks buck up their ideas!
They didn't require anything beyond proof of name change, proof of using that name (I used a bill for health insurance) and a letter from a doctor. You can do the application online and it's easy as pie. The gov website has specific instructions for changing gender. It's honestly as simple as doing the renewed passport application and ticking male and writing your new name, indicating previous named and including change of name certificate or a deed poll thing, whatever you have for that.
FYI: anyone with a British passport that reads F, especially if taking T, if I were you I'd get that fixed to M before planning on visiting Canada and perhaps US. Just in case!!
