‘X’ on EI form ‘encouraging’ to non-binary community
REGINA Elias Lachance says the ability to mark ‘X’ instead of male or female on an employment insurance application is a huge relief.
“It feels like I don’t have to fit myself into a box,” said Lachance, a member of the non-binary community who uses they/them pronouns.
The relief comes after a Thursday morning announcement made by Jean-Yves Duclos — federal minister of Families, Children and Social Development — that the non-binary option would now be available to anyone applying for EI benefits.
“Identities are complex and notions of gender can have a profound effect on how Canadians experience daily life,” said a Government of Canada news release.
Training to be an electrician, Lachance said electricians’ apprentices apply for EI every time they go for their next level of training, so the change is exciting.
“(It) definitely removes some stress as a non-binary person, knowing that I don’t have to choose between genders on those forms,” said Lachance, who lives in Regina.
Lachance has been openly nonbinary for two years, but said they ’ve identified as such for pretty much their entire life.
Growing up in a religious family, they never felt their non-binary gender identity was accepted.
But they say the general community has become a lot more accepting than it used to be and the federal announcement is another step in the right direction.
“When it’s on a government level, it’s really encouraging to see,” said Lachance. “It does make us feel validated in a way, that we’re seen by the ‘big guys’ and that they do actually care about us.”
At a federal level, an additional gender option is also available on applications for citizenship, immigration and travel documents or a social insurance number.
Important changes at a provincial level have also taken place.
A recent court ruling in Saskatchewan that allowed for the removal of gender markers on birth certificates was hailed as a landmark case in Canada by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC).
SHRC chief commissioner, David Arnot, said the decision to include a non-binary option on EI forms is an important step in advancing equality for all Canadians, regardless of gender identity or expression.
“I think over the last several years ... there’s been a lot of discussion about whether or not a binary classification system for sex is sufficient and for many transgender and gender-fluid citizens, the binary model falls short in capturing their lived experience,” said Arnot.
He said the change allows people in Saskatchewan who apply for EI benefits to “self-express in a way that promotes inclusivity and diversity and best reflects themselves as an individual. They have a legal right, a human right, to do that,” he said.
But there’ s more room for growth, said Lachance, who is executive director of the Trans Umbrella Foundation (TUF) — a Saskatchewan non-profit that advocates for equal access to education, health care, social events, family support, and employment services for the gender diverse community.
As a student at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Lachance said most of the forms they filled out for the institution do not have a non-binary gender option. It’s an issue they’ve brought to the school’s attention.
The food/service industry is another area that falls short when it comes to awareness and acceptance of the gender diverse community, they said. A server and kitchen worker in the past, Lachance said they’ve gotten mixed reactions from co-workers.
“I had some people who were very adverse to it and if I mentioned it would avoid me,” they said.
Others would go out of their way to use gender-specific pronouns.
“Management oftentimes doesn’t know what to do about it just because they want to be inclusive and supportive and make sure that they’re not making me uncomfortable, but they have no understanding or knowledge on how to do that,” they said.
Despite progress still left to be made, the new non-binary option for EI applications is positive, said Lachance. They hope other organizations and institutions follow suit.
“I think for those in the gender diverse community, definitely it’s something that people will be excited about,” they said.