Census provides a clear picture of Canada’s transgender community

Canada’s transgender population, with 0.33 percent of inhabitants identifying as a gender other than the one given to them at birth.

According to statistics obtained during last year’s national household census, around 100,815 persons are transgender or non-binary, including 31,555 transgender women, 27,905 transgender men, and 41,355 non-binary people.

It is the first time in the census that Statistics Canada distinguishes between “sex at birth” and “gender.” While the agency and supporters agree that the new figures likely underestimate the real population size, they believe the statistics will provide critical insight into a disadvantaged society.

Previously, censuses simply inquired about sex, but the 2021 edition asked about “sex at birth,” which it claimed is “determined by a person’s biological traits,” as well as “gender,” which it noted might differ from what’s shown on legal papers.

Respondents could select either male or female or put down the third choice under “gender.” According to Florence Ashley, a transfeminine jurist and bioethicist who uses they/them pronouns, methodology raises several concerns.

Ashley claims that even using the word “sex at birth” rather than the preferable “sex assigned at birth” is deceptive.

“By referring to it as sex at birth,’ you’re implying that sex or gender is basically something you read on the body, rather than something that is assigned based on the social meaning that’s attached to those bodies,” they explained, noting that it excludes intersex persons.

Government demographers have stated that they will compare “sex at birth” statistics to historical data on sex.

According to Statistics Canada, it will be required in some circumstances to divide gender into two groups “to ensure the confidentiality of replies supplied.” These groups will be “men+” and “women+,” and each will include some non-binary individuals.

Maintaining the binary in this way, according to Ashley, is also problematic since it continues to misgender non-binary persons. They proposed introducing a third “not revealed” or “not relevant” category and compressing individual ages into larger age categories to ensure anonymity.

They said that if the government had listened to some of the criticism it got from transgender professionals and community people during consultations, this situation may have been averted.

“The fundamental concept is that the government should do a better job of truly partnering with communities rather than engaging them in a very superficial and tokenistic fashion,” they stated.

“The manner in which the census is gathered favors a specific sort of class status,” they claimed. “However, there are a lot of people who aren’t necessarily in an atmosphere where they can freely disclose their gender to other people.”

Statistics Canada confirmed this. It was noticed that the proportions of transgender and non-binary persons were “three to seven times greater” in those born between 1981 and 2006 than in those born before 1980.

Acceptance and understanding of gender and sexual diversity have grown over time. Furthermore, there has been societal and legislative acceptance of transgender, non-binary, and LGBTQ persons in general,” according to Statistics Canada. “Younger generations may be more open about their gender identification than older generations.”

The inclusion of transgender individuals in the census is part of the Liberal government’s larger effort to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ population.

Gender identity and expression were added to the list of banned grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act in 2017, and the Criminal Code was updated to put the same groups on the list of “identifiable groups” that might be targets of genocides and hate crimes.

Transmasculine non-binary author and activist Gemma Hickey said it’s “about time” the census recognized them.

“As a champion for LGBTQ rights for over 20 years, I’ve seen and been a part of many developments. However, such adjustments, particularly in the census, have been long needed.”

Hickey was one of the first Canadians to acquire a gender-neutral birth certificate nearly five years ago.

Hickey expressed optimism that the census will stimulate a larger discourse by recognizing that a person’s sex at birth is not always the same as gender.

“That visibility, that acknowledgment, is critical for people to understand why we are here. We’ve been here for as long as you have “They said.