Saskatoon parent fights for gender-neutral birth certificates

Jul 21, 2017 | 5:44 PM

Fran Forsberg, a Saskatoon parent of a nine-year-old transgender girl named Renn, said she is excited the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC) will take action against the Saskatchewan government following her human rights complaint.

Forsberg filed four years ago on behalf of Renn, and the SHRC found that Renn’s rights were violated by having a gender marker on her birth certificate.

As a result, the SHRC will be applying to the Court of Queen’s Bench to have gender markers removed.

“We have freedom of expression in Canada in our constitution, so you don’t have that freedom of expression if the government is telling you that you have to have a marker for male or female,” Forsberg said. “It really does set us all up for discrimination.”

Three other families have also joined Forsberg in filing a lawsuit against the Saskatchewan government to remove gender markers.

Although some argue removal of gender markers could create obstacles such as for medical treatment, Forsberg said the medical professionals she has talked say they don’t need the markers to treat a patient in emergency situations.

According to Forsberg, people also tend to get confused between gender and biological sex, arguing that gender is defined on an individual level rather than the binary social constructs that have been put in place.

Forsberg will be making an appearance in North Battleford in hopes of educating the public on the matter.

“It’s really an interesting topic, but it’s also a safety factor for a lot of kids,” she said. “I think the more we educate people about this matter, the more accepting people are going to be, and there’s going to be less controversy about these children and their lives.”

Forsberg will hold a presentation at the North Battleford Public Library auditorium from 2 to 3 p.m. on July 30, and welcomes everyone to attend.

 

jared.gottselig@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jgottsel