Alexe Frédéric has been trying unsuccessfully to obtain a RAMQ card with the gender marker “X” for almost three years. This non-binary person says she’s willing to stop eating until the insurance company grants her wish.
Non-binary person: a person whose gender identity does not fall into the binary classification of male or female.
My will is notarized, our house is cleaned, everyone is informed. “I’ll do what it takes, I’m not leaving here empty-handed,” says Alexe Frédéric Migneault, who purposely traveled from Montreal.
This is the fourth hunger strike for Alexe Frédéric, who believes he has exhausted all options to make his voice heard. The gender marker “X”, which has been found on civil status certificates since January 2023, is not yet used in many institutions and ministries, which represents an obstacle to access to health care, regrets Alexe Frédéric.
“A lot of administrative and even human barriers arise between me and the specialists, the doctors that I have to consult,” says Alexe Frédéric, who claims to have to pay significant sums for medical care since he stopped using his health insurance card .
The pronoun iel, formed from the pronouns he and she, is used in this text to reflect the gender identity of Alexe Frédéric Migneault. The agreements between adjectives and past participles are in the masculine according to the preferences expressed by Alexe Frédéric Migneault.
Acute nausea
Alexe Frédéric Migneault believes his situation reflects a lack of consideration for the non-binary community and a misunderstanding of their needs. She [la RAMQ, NDLR] Treat us like we’re aliens.
It’s so arrogant of them to think they know what care I need. I’m here to provide care, so I hope they do their job.
After his repeated attempts, he finally received from the RAMQ a temporary document called TT-19, which simply confirms his registration with Quebec’s health insurance without changing the gender marker. Ultimately, this leads to errors in the request processing system and administrative blockages, says Alexe Frédéric Migneault.
They firmly believe in the importance of their gesture and remain optimistic. The bill that allowed us to receive the X was not given to us, we were in court for it. The Supreme Court said that the current situation is causing us unnecessary and unfair worries and problems.
In government, an interministerial committee has been working for months to create guidelines that will allow ministries and organizations to properly manage the changes associated with the X-marker.