“I will go to the end if necessary” entrusted a non-binary person who has been on hunger strike for a week demanding the addition of the gender marker “X”. At her Health insurance card at the risk of his life.
“I will stay here as long as the government does not budge and does not realize the damage it is doing to us by neglecting its work,” says Alexe Frédéric Migneault near the offices of the Régie de l’assurance santé of Quebec (RAMQ). ) since last Monday.
Alexe Frédéric has been calling for the addition of this gender marker since 2017 and is now on his fourth hunger strike in less than a year, while the government “seems to be in no hurry to solve the problem.”
“Many people, including myself, are struggling to access the healthcare system in its current form and are suffering hardship, and this must stop.”
“The current situation is simply untenable and the government must do its duty because it has dragged on for far too long,” adds Alexe Frédéric.
Giving in is no longer an option because this time they want to hold on, even if it means losing their lives.
“RAMQ must comply”
According to the president of the Alliance Arc-en-ciel de Québec, Dave Tremblay, there is absolutely no ambiguity and the RAMQ must comply with Bill 2, which came into force in June 2022.
This bill, among other things, allows non-binary people to indicate their gender on civil status certificates with the notation “X”.
“It shouldn’t even be a topic of discussion. The law is clear: whether RAMQ or the Ministry of Health, no one has the legal capacity to determine the gender of a person other than the civil status of Quebec,” explains the man, who is also a lawyer.
“The RAMQ is required by law to issue a card containing the person’s date of birth and gender, and civil status recognizes non-binary status with the indication ‘X’, so there is no problem,” explains Mr. Tremblay.
Despite the official recognition of this mention by the State, Alexe Frédéric is still not able to obtain a health insurance card with this mention.
A “totally disconnected” government
Exhausted by having to fight for “a fundamental right,” he also accuses the CAQ government of being “totally disconnected from today’s reality.”
“The government has a complete indifference towards us and fear of people who do not fit into the traditional Western culture of Mr. and Mrs. and that urgently needs to change.”
Alexe Frédéric Migneault also ended his interview with Le Journal by stating that “Minister Biron is seriously failing in her duty”.
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