Montrealer vows to continue hunger strike for ‘X’ gender on Quebec health card

A non-binary Montrealer on a now weeklong hunger strike says having an “X” gender marker on Quebec health cards is a matter of safety.

Alexe Frédéric Migneault has been on a hunger strike since Nov. 20 to pressure Quebec’s health insurance board to add a third gender option on RAMQ cards that reflects the identity of other non-binary Quebecers.

“If I don’t have an X, I am very scared of falling victim yet again to acts of transphobia,” Migneault told CityNews.

Migneault, whose pronouns are they/them, has only ingested liquids — water, vegetable broth, sports drinks and the occasional hot chocolate — since beginning the strike.

“As long as that problem isn’t fixed to me, it’s still going to be the gap that separates me from the health-care system,” they said. “And I am sure that there is some other non-binary people in Quebec who feel just as uncomfortable navigating the traditional ways of consulting a doctor right now.”

Migneault says not having the X gender mark has prevented them from getting specialized psychiatry consultation for people with gender dysphoria – a service they’ve been trying to attain for months.

Their advocacy for the X option on Quebec health insurance cards has been an ongoing effort since May 2021.

“The answers that they have isn’t always the ones that I would expect or like to hear,” said Migneault.

Hoping for a better response, Migneault has been camping in their car or nearby park near the office of the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) for a week.

“If I wanted to get as much visibility as I can, I might as well go in front of the RAMQ’s windows,” they said.

Part of the challenge has been battling the elements, having to withstand frigid overnight temperatures.

“The weather is really hard these days,” Migneault said. “In the nights, it falls down to minus-20. I try to stay in the park as long I can.

“The rest of the time, I either go warm myself up in a tunnel nearby or in a coffee shop. Then, at least, I can drink some warm tea. And I sleep in my car most of the time.”

CityNews contacted the RAMQ office regarding any plans for a third gender marker on Quebec’s health insurance card but did not immediately hear back.

The Éducaloi website states, however, that residents who lived in Quebec for more than a year can apply to change their sex designation to “reflect (their) gender identity on official documents, including their health card.”

“We need to remember that our needs are valid,” said Migneault. “We’re just as valid as everybody else. We’re a tiny minority, and we deserve just representation. And we deserve papers that represent us.”

–With files from The Canadian Press