HALIFAX -- Nova Scotians would be allowed to display on their birth certificate the gender they identify with, regardless of whether they had sex reassignment surgery, under legislation introduced today.
The provincial government says amendments to the Vital Statistics Act are intended to further protect the province's transgender population from harassment and discrimination.
The government says they are also designed to eliminate the stress of carrying documents that don't match a person's identified gender.
More than 600 Nova Scotians signed a petition in the fall calling for the amendment.
Applicants who want to change the sex designation on their birth certificate must present a self-declaration, a letter of support from a professional and parental consent if they are under 16 in order to do so.
