Quebec Calls on Non-Binary Person
to End Hunger Strike
(Quebec) The Legault government is asking a non-binary person to end their hunger strike.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault stopped eating on Monday and set up camp in a park near the headquarters of the Régie de l'assurance maladie in Quebec City.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault is calling for a third gender option, "X," to be added to Quebec's health insurance cards, an alternative to the traditional "M" or "F" for both men and women.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault does not intend to start eating again until he/she is satisfied.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault
"I'd like this person to end his hunger strike," Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Martine Biron, said in a press scrum on the sidelines of an announcement Friday in Quebec City.
"There are a lot of people who would like him to stop because we want him to be safe. I have discussed this with the LGBTQ communities, the Alliance Arc-en-ciel, which is here in Quebec City and has ties to this person. We would all like him to end the hunger strike so that we can be more peaceful, to work. »
Alexe Frédéric Migneault has been working for more than two years to win his case and is on his fourth hunger strike.
But the minister says the file is "moving forward" and that a committee of 18 departments and agencies is working on a solution.
"There are things that happen, there are steps that need to be taken, I can't pull on the flower to make it grow faster," she summed up.
The addition of the "X" designation would help protect members of Quebec's non-binary community and ensure that medical records reflect accurate information, Migneault said.
"It's a health issue, it's a matter of physical health, it's a mental health issue, (for) the whole community involved,"
Migneault told The Canadian Press.
Quebec began authorizing a non-binary gender marker on birth and death certificates last year.
The Régie de l'assurance maladie has not yet implemented this option on its cards, which are required to access publicly funded health care.
In addition to the "M" and "F" symbols on the cards, the Régie includes a code according to the gender of Quebecers in the unique numbers of their health cards.
In a statement, the RAMQ said its health insurance cards and numbers are essential to ensure that diagnoses, treatments and care are "linked to the right person." She added that the Ministry of Health is currently analyzing the consequences of the introduction of a third gender designation on the province's health and social services network.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault does not intend to call off his strike until his health insurance number has been changed and his health insurance card identifies "X" as his gender.
Water, sports drinks, and vegetable broth are his only means of subsistence.
No fewer than 350 people have asked the RAMQ to change the designation of "X,"said Biron's press secretary. There are 16,000 trans and non-binary people in Quebec, according to the data she provided.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault stopped eating on Monday and set up camp in a park near the headquarters of the Régie de l'assurance maladie in Quebec City.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault is calling for a third gender option, "X," to be added to Quebec's health insurance cards, an alternative to the traditional "M" or "F" for both men and women.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault does not intend to start eating again until he/she is satisfied.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault
"I'd like this person to end his hunger strike," Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Martine Biron, said in a press scrum on the sidelines of an announcement Friday in Quebec City.
"There are a lot of people who would like him to stop because we want him to be safe. I have discussed this with the LGBTQ communities, the Alliance Arc-en-ciel, which is here in Quebec City and has ties to this person. We would all like him to end the hunger strike so that we can be more peaceful, to work. »
Alexe Frédéric Migneault has been working for more than two years to win his case and is on his fourth hunger strike.
But the minister says the file is "moving forward" and that a committee of 18 departments and agencies is working on a solution.
"There are things that happen, there are steps that need to be taken, I can't pull on the flower to make it grow faster," she summed up.
The addition of the "X" designation would help protect members of Quebec's non-binary community and ensure that medical records reflect accurate information, Migneault said.
"It's a health issue, it's a matter of physical health, it's a mental health issue, (for) the whole community involved,"
Migneault told The Canadian Press.
Quebec began authorizing a non-binary gender marker on birth and death certificates last year.
The Régie de l'assurance maladie has not yet implemented this option on its cards, which are required to access publicly funded health care.
In addition to the "M" and "F" symbols on the cards, the Régie includes a code according to the gender of Quebecers in the unique numbers of their health cards.
In a statement, the RAMQ said its health insurance cards and numbers are essential to ensure that diagnoses, treatments and care are "linked to the right person." She added that the Ministry of Health is currently analyzing the consequences of the introduction of a third gender designation on the province's health and social services network.
Alexe Frédéric Migneault does not intend to call off his strike until his health insurance number has been changed and his health insurance card identifies "X" as his gender.
Water, sports drinks, and vegetable broth are his only means of subsistence.
No fewer than 350 people have asked the RAMQ to change the designation of "X,"said Biron's press secretary. There are 16,000 trans and non-binary people in Quebec, according to the data she provided.
