He says he's tired of waiting for the government to change it. He's willing to die for it? Go get a job.
Non-binary Montrealer Alexe Frederic Migneault entered day six of a hunger strike on Saturday as part of a bid to pressure Quebec’s public health insurance board to add a third gender option to its health cards.
“It’s getting a little hard in the morning, especially,” Migneault, whose pronouns are they/them, said in a phone interview. “That’s the time when I have the least sugar in my blood and the least hydration, as well. So it’s always difficult.”
Migneault says they’ve only ingested liquids — water, vegetable broth, sports drinks and the occasional hot chocolate — since they began their strike on Monday.
They’ve also been camping in a public park near the insurance board’s Quebec City office, withstanding frigid overnight temperatures by bundling up in blankets inside their car. A friend recently found a room where they could stay for a few nights.
During the day, they’ve sought temporary shelter from the cold in malls and cafes.
Migneault has been trying for years to get an ‘X’ gender marker on Quebec health cards, which currently only display the traditional ‘M’ and ‘F’ identifiers for male and female.
The provincial health board, known as the RAMQ, says the Quebec Health Department is still studying the impact such an update could have on the health and social services network, which relies on the information on health cards to process patients and manage their care.
But Migneault says they’re tired of waiting for the RAMQ to catch up. Quebec made the X gender option available on birth and death certificates last year.
“I believe I am shedding light on something that is urgent and that needs to be addressed as soon as possible,” Migneault said Saturday. They rejected arguments that Quebec health cards need to reflect sex assigned at birth, insisting that the X marker would be a boon for the overall health of non-binary people.
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Non-binary Montrealer Alexe Frederic Migneault entered day six of a hunger strike on Saturday as part of a bid to pressure Quebec’s public health insurance board to add a third gender option to its health cards.
“It’s getting a little hard in the morning, especially,” Migneault, whose pronouns are they/them, said in a phone interview. “That’s the time when I have the least sugar in my blood and the least hydration, as well. So it’s always difficult.”
Migneault says they’ve only ingested liquids — water, vegetable broth, sports drinks and the occasional hot chocolate — since they began their strike on Monday.
They’ve also been camping in a public park near the insurance board’s Quebec City office, withstanding frigid overnight temperatures by bundling up in blankets inside their car. A friend recently found a room where they could stay for a few nights.
During the day, they’ve sought temporary shelter from the cold in malls and cafes.
Migneault has been trying for years to get an ‘X’ gender marker on Quebec health cards, which currently only display the traditional ‘M’ and ‘F’ identifiers for male and female.
The provincial health board, known as the RAMQ, says the Quebec Health Department is still studying the impact such an update could have on the health and social services network, which relies on the information on health cards to process patients and manage their care.
But Migneault says they’re tired of waiting for the RAMQ to catch up. Quebec made the X gender option available on birth and death certificates last year.
“I believe I am shedding light on something that is urgent and that needs to be addressed as soon as possible,” Migneault said Saturday. They rejected arguments that Quebec health cards need to reflect sex assigned at birth, insisting that the X marker would be a boon for the overall health of non-binary people.
Non-binary Montrealer vows to continue hunger strike for ‘X’ gender on Quebec health card - Montreal | Globalnews.ca
A non-binary Montrealer has been on a hunger strike for nearly a week in a bid to pressure Quebec to allow a third gender option on health cards, which currently offer 'M' and 'F'.
globalnews.ca
