Mom Of Transgender Child Wants ID Rules Changed

Fran Forsberg, the mother of atransgender child wants theSaskatchewan government toremove any record of a person’ssex on birth certificates.Forsberg has filed a complaintto Saskatchewan’s HumanRights Commission on behalfof her six-year-old child, Renn,after the province’s VitalStatistics Agency refused tochange Renn’s sex designationfrom “Male” to “Female” on theyoungster’s birth records.Renn was born with male genitaliabut has identified as a girlsince the age of three.According to the CanadianPediatric Society, children establishtheir gender identitybetween 18 to 30 months. WhenForsberg sought to changeRenn’s birth record, she submittedreports from a physician andpsychologist confirming thatRenn identifies as a female. TheVital Statistics Agency, however,was not moved.In Saskatchewan, Forsberglearned a resident can onlychange the sex designation on abirth certificate after undergoingsex reassignment surgery, arequirement that is considereddiscriminatory in the provinceof Ontario.”We used to have race on ourbirth certificates — also, whatyour father did for a living. It’sirrelevant,” Forsberg told CBCNews. “What I would like to seeis for gender to be removedcompletely from birth certificates.”The Forsberg family first realizedthat Renn, six, didn’t feellike a boy inside when she startedself-harming about threeyears ago. Renn would bang herhead against the wall unless shewas allowed to wear girls’ clothingand be called a girl. Today,her older sister, Krista, 11, likesto help Renn pick her outfits,ranging from black sequin halterdresses to pink frilly gowns.Renn is also allowed to use thegirl’s bathroom at her elementaryschool.”We think people should acceptother people for who they are,and not judge them for whothey’re not,” Krista said.The Forsbergs decided to gopublic with their campaign,arguing that staying quiet onlyadds to stigma and discrimination.”I wantpeople to understandthat my kids do nothave an issue with theirgender or their genderexpression,” Forsbergsaid. “It is society’sissue.”Forsberg said that whenthe gender marker — Mor F — on a birth certificate,driver’s licence, or passportdoesn’t match one’s physicalpresentation, it triggers confusionand discrimination.The Ontario governmentchanged its legislation after theprovince’s Human RightsTribunal ruled that it’s discriminatoryto require transgenderpeople to undergo surgerybefore changing the sex designationon their birth certificates ina decision in 2012.While the change was celebratedas the first legislation of its kindin Canada, many were not satisfiedbecause it doesn’t apply tochildren under 18 and a personmust still present a doctor’s notethat verifies their gender identity.The B.C. government is nowpoised to pass similar legislationregarding its records, after pressurefrom HarrietteCunningham, 10, who was borna boy but identifies as a girl.The proposed B.C. legislationfalls short of Cunningham’srequest that gender markers beremoved entirely from government-issued ID.While birth certificates fallunder provincial jurisdiction,they’re required for passportsissued by the federal government.Barbara Findlay, a lawyerfrom Vancouver, has launched alegal challenge to have M and Fremoved from passports. Shereasons that compared to photographsand other biometricsecurity features, a gender markeradds little information.At the Forsberg home, Renn’ssiblings, Tana and Krista, saythey’ve been taught to stand upfor themselves and be proud ofwho they are. Renn’s big brother,Tana, 9, isn’t transgender butlikes to experiment with girl’sclothing. He wears costumesand wigs to church and onceentered a drag queen competition.He has also posed as a girlon posters and billboards for the”Pink Revolution” campaign,which is intended to educatepeople about different genderpresentations. Their mother saidit is important to foster a healthyself-esteem in her children.According to the Public HealthAgency of Canada, an estimated20 to 30 per cent of transgenderyouth have attempted suicide.Forsberg said filing the humanrights complaint is part of makingsystematic change. “I don’twant my kids to think that theyhave something to hide or thatthey have something to beashamed about, because theydon’t,” she said. “And peoplewho are unkind to children likethis, they’re the ones whoshould be ashamed and hiding.”