Joshua Ferguson, who identifies as neither a man nor a woman and uses the gender-neutral pronoun "they", says receiving a birth certificate that accurately represents their gender was a hard-fought victory.
Ferguson initially applied to Service Ontario to change the sex designation on their birth registration to non-binary in 2017 and later filed a human rights complaint, prompting a policy change.
People can now choose between "M" for male, "F" for female and "X" for non-binary.
They can also opt not to display a sex designation on the birth certificate at all.
Ferguson says the policy makes it clear that non-binary people exist.
"I'm feeling good to finally have a birth certificate that correctly displays who I am," Ferguson said. "I feel so relieved on a deeper level... I know this policy will save lives."
