Starting Aug. 31, transgender Canadians can indicate on their passports that they don鈥檛 identify as either male or female.

It鈥檚 the latest step in the federal government鈥檚 plan to eventually allow individuals to identify their sex as 鈥榵鈥� 鈥搕hat is, unspecified 鈥� on passports and other government-issued documents that typically allow people to tick only 鈥渕鈥� or 鈥渇.鈥�

Until documents with an 鈥榵鈥� option can be printed, the government will allow people starting next Thursday to add an observation to their passports, stating that their gender should be identified as 鈥榵.鈥�

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen says his department will be the first to introduce the interim measure, part of a government-wide initiative to make all government-issued documents gender neutral.

The initiative stems from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 promise to better reflect the gender diversity of Canadians.

Hussen says all Canadians should be free to 鈥渆xpress their gender as they choose.鈥�

鈥淏y introducing the 鈥榵鈥� gender designation in our government-issued documents, we are taking an important step towards advancing equality for all Canadians regardless of gender identity or expression,鈥� he said in a statement Thursday.

The Canadian Press