BC Gov’t Removes ‘He,’ ‘She,’ ‘Father,’ ‘Son’ From Regulations in Purge of ‘Outdated’ Gender Language

A file photo showing male and female gender icons on two sides of a wooden cube. Shutterstock

Nearly 750 instances of gender-related language have been removed or updated this year in British Columbia’s government regulations, the province says.

This is the largest-ever removal in one year, with 90 percent of the changes focusing on binary language such as “he,” “she,” “himself,” or “herself,” and the remaining 10 percent amending gender-specific terms like “aunt,” “father,” and “son,” the B.C. government said in a March 30 a news release.

In addition to gender issues, 33 regulations will also be amended to remove terms related to other subjects, such as replacing the term “substance abuse” with “substance use.”

Effective March 30, 2022, these changes will involve 138 regulations across 18 ministries such as Health, Labour, and Children and Family Development.

The changes were made under the Better Regulations for British Columbians program, which is an annual regulatory process that updates information in government regulations. To date, this process has seen the removal of more than 1,300 instances of gendered-related languages, the B.C. government said.

In another policy update earlier this year, the B.C. government said transgender, two-spirit, and gender-diverse adults can now declare their own gender designations on their driver’s licence, BC Services Card, BCID and birth certificate without consent from a doctor or psychologist.