Nova Scotia recognizes the gender of binary and non-binary trans people. I.E. trans women are considered women, trans men are men, and non-binary people are recognized for some purposes. The non-discrimination/anti-harassment laws are positive and there is non-discrimination protection for trans people.
- Trans people are specifically named in Nova Scotia non-discrimination laws.
- Trans people are allowed to use the facilities they are comfortable in, including bathrooms, showers, locker rooms, etc. Legal documentation of your gender is not required for this protection.
- Drag performance and cross-dressing is legal in Nova Scotia.
- Anti-trans/anti-gay protests sometimes occur, from groups that connect drag and transgender identity with conspiracy theories.
International travel should ensure that tickets and passport have matching gender marker.
Some security screenings are gendered, such as some body scanners, which may result in a pat-down of trans people that have bodies that don't match expectations for the body the security staff assumes they have. It is a traveler's right to have pat downs conducted by the gender of the passenger's choice, and use different gender screeners for top and bottom half of the body, should it be necessary.
- Trans prisoners can be housed in Nova Scotia prisons on the basis of gender identity rather than sex assigned at birth.
- However, reports indicate trans people face discrimination in the criminal justice system and may be housed according to sex assigned at birth.
Non-binary people are recognized, and trans people are generally recognized on the basis of their gender identity, including the ability to update their documents.
- Trans medical care is legal for all ages.
- Medical care may be somewhat more difficult for travelers to access than medical care in some USA states (but likely easier than other USA states), and may move slower than some providers elsewhere in the world may.
- Transition care is not defined as child abuse
- Same-sex marriage (and thus all trans marriage) is recognized
Because of the rhetoric around trans people in the political and media space, trans people should use caution, particularly in bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, etc. Random and targeted attacks may occur, and trans people who report these attacks can expect to sometimes be misgendered by officials and public institutions.
Active, organized anti-trans activity occurs in Nova Scotia, although this is less supported than in much of the USA and other parts of Canada. Much of this anti-trans activity occurs as online "protest" with occasional in-person anti-trans demonstrations.