He (or she) just wanted to buy a Chevrolet Cruze, but his gender would cost him a lot.
The concept of gender appropriation isn’t a new thing and oftentimes, women are at the disadvantage. That’s why there are more feminist groups these days, aimed at correcting the status quo of gender equality. The debate as to who’s wrong and who’s right is for a different discussion altogether, though.
However, as absurd as it sounds, it seems like there’s a different type of gender appropriation happening in Canada. Apparently, younger men (below age 25) are given higher premiums in car insurance policies, and this story from CBC news brings a certain truth to that.
A 23-year old male at the shorter end of the stick tried to beat the system, and actually won. CBC news called him David, so let’s stick to that. David, a resident of Alberta, wanted to buy a full-optioned Chevrolet Cruze. But little did he know, his driving records, which included a collision and a ticket (or two), boosted his premium up to CAD 4,500 ($3,442) a year.
However, an idea struck him. He asked the insurance company what his costs were if he’s a woman. The answer? CAD 3,400 ($2,600), which would have him save CAD 1,100 ($841) a year or roughly CAD 91 ($70) a month. That’s enough money to buy him fuel for at least two or three weeks.
“I was pretty angry about that. And I didn’t feel like getting screwed over any more,” he said.
And so, as any angry person would have done, David did his research and found out how he can change his gender in the insurance policy. First, he needed to get a doctor’s note that says that he likes to be identified as a woman in his personal documents. He then had it processed in the provincial government’s office. Then after a few weeks, he received his new birth certificate that showed his gender as a woman. With that, he updated his driver’s license, and ultimately, his insurance policy.
“I was quite shocked, but I was also relieved,” he said. “I felt like I beat the system. I felt like I won.”
David was aware that the method he used to change his gender were for Albertans who wanted to correct their gender on legal documents to reflect who they really are. However, his intention was to beat the obscure insurance policy system, and not to attack gender diversity.
“I didn’t do it to point out how easy it is to change genders,” he said. “I didn’t do it to criticize or ridicule transgender or LGBT rights.”
At the end of the day, it looked like David got what he wanted, a shiny Chevrolet Cruze with a cheaper insurance policy. He might want to keep his identity, though, as the Insurance Bureau of Canada might file a fraudulent claim against him if they find out.