A man from Alberta, Canada legally changed his gender in order to receive lower car insurance rates given to women – and the transgender community did not appreciate it.
In a Reddit post titled, “I saved 15% or more on car insurance by switching my gender,” the man, identified as David, said, “I am now a woman. I now pay $1100 less for auto insurance. I won. The end.”
Previously, citizens had to provide evidence of genital surgery, but regulations put in place in 2015 allow Albertans to amend their birth certificates if they “submit a signed affidavit stating the gender they identify as, along with a supporting letter from an accredited physician or psychologist.”
“It was pretty simple. I just basically asked for it and told (the doctor) that I identify as a woman, or I’d like to identify as a woman, and he wrote me the letter I wanted,” David said during an interview with CBC.
David changed his Driver’s License sex to female after the Birth Certificate was altered and reported the change to his insurance company, dropping his annual total from $4,517 to $3,423.
Many activists, politicians and people in the trans community were upset by the news.
Marie Little, the former chair of the Trans Alliance Society, spoke out, saying, “I think it cheapens the whole process,” but David claims he never meant disrespect to transgender people, adding, “I did it for cheaper car insurance.”
“Whether he says, ‘I didn’t mean to do harm to the trans community,’ is irrelevant because the impact is very real to a community that is already quite vulnerable,” said Marni Panas, a trans woman.
Calgary NDP MLA Stephanie McLean wrote on Twitter, “He thinks he’s so clever. Perjury is an offence liable to imprisonment of up to fourteen years.”
Alberta man admits to Perjury – “changes gender on government IDs for cheaper car insurance.” He thinks he’s so clever. Perjury is an offence liable to imprisonment of up to fourteen years. IT’S NOT A LOOPHOLE IT’S A CRIME! #ableghttps://t.co/U4jjP7elrk pic.twitter.com/46swLWdIf5
— Stephanie McLean (@NDPStephanie) July 26, 2018
In 2016, Canadian journalist Lauren Southern showed how easy it is for a Canadian citizen to legally change their identity.
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