Canadians who apply for a new or renewed Nexus card can no longer select an “X” gender marker on their applications, and instead must choose either “M” or “F.”
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed the change in a statement on Tuesday, saying it followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order in January that the U.S. will only recognize male or female on documents such as visas and passports.
The corresponding changes by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also changed the application process for Nexus cards, the CBSA said in an email to CBC News.
The change went into effect in February, it said.
The Nexus program, run jointly by the CBSA and CBP, allows card holders to fast-track through customs and security lines at airports and land crossings. While many use the cards for cross-border travel, some use them primarily for shorter wait times while travelling within Canada.
The CBSA says there were more than 1.8 million program members in April 2024, “with the majority of members being Canadian.”
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The agency says Canadians who currently have a valid Nexus card with an “X” will still have the document recognized, but they will no longer be able to choose “X” when it comes time to renew or replace their cards.
Trump’s executive order declared federal agencies will only recognize “two sexes, male and female,” which “are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
The presidential order said passports and other forms of government-issued identification must reflect the sex assigned at birth.
The website for the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs, the agency that issues passports, said it will “only issue passports with an ‘M’ or ‘F’ sex marker that match the customer’s biological sex at birth” and will no longer use the “X” marker for nonbinary people, citing Trump’s order.
Canada began recognizing the “X” marker on passports for those who don’t identify as male or female in 2019. About 3,600 Canadians had the marker on their passports as of 2021, according to the federal government.
The CBSA says Canadians with an “X” marker on their passport can continue to use it to apply for a Nexus card, even though that marker cannot be used on the card itself.
Statistics Canada data shows there are more than 100,000 transgender or non-binary people across the country.
The Canadian government website warns people with gender-neutral passports they “may face entry restrictions into some countries that do not recognize your gender.”
