3 bills passed by the UCP have been at the forefront of Alberta’s political dialogue this month due to their focus on transgender youth. With only 0.37% of Alberta’s population identifying as trans or non-binary, many people are wondering how these laws will affect Alberta’s small and vulnerable 2SLGBTQIA+ population.
Bill 26, part of the Heath Statuses Amendment Act, seeks to prohibit hormone therapies and “sex reassignment surgery [for] minors,” according to the provincial government. Hormone therapies, like testosterone and estrogen medication, may be allowed for 16-year-olds with parental consent.
Bill 27, the Education Amendment Act, aims to require parental approval before a child under 16 changes their preferred name or pronouns. This bill also requires the Minister of Education to approve all new learning materials before they are used in a classroom. “Our primary objective … is to ensure that parents are informed,” stated Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, during a December 3 Legislative Assembly.
Bill 29, the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, aims to protect female sports leagues while ensuring trans athletes can still participate. All sport leagues will require “biological female-only divisions” with an option of co-ed teams “where numbers warrant,” according to the province. A system of checks and balances will also be applied, with mandatory reporting on athlete’s eligibility concerns.
“People are struggling,” said Rowan Morris, founder of Trans Rights YEG. Morris, who uses he/him and they/them pronouns, recalled meeting with parents who are worried about the safety of their children who are trans. “To see a lot of loved ones of trans folks feel so helpless and scared for us is really sobering for a lot of us,” he said.
Indigenous and Two-Spirit communities have been hit especially hard according to Morris, as many consider this a violation of treaty. “Within treaty, Indigenous peoples … are entitled to the best quality healthcare available,” said Morris. “All science and federal compliance points to that being gender affirming care.”
Morris worries about the future of Alberta’s queer community if further legislation like this is passed. “The road that they’re headed on is a rage path of eliminating transness from the province of Alberta completely” stated Rowan.
“The prairies have always been queer, and I think what’s to come from this is more of that anger, more of that justified fight for our ability to fully show up as ourselves in this province.”
The province feels the laws are justified, with the Minister of Education stating it’s a “nonpartisan issue” for parents to be involved in their child’s education. “We have heard numerous concerns about inappropriate material being provided to students that, quite frankly, they should not be experiencing,” stated Nicolaides. Premiere Danielle Smith also defended the laws in the Assembly stating, “we are ensuring that everyone … is all aligned where there are official name and gender changes.”
On the topic of youth undergoing gender-affirming surgeries and hormone therapies, Smith claims “we don’t fully know all the risks or long-term consequences.” The conservatives hope that restricting these treatments to adults will assist children in making life-altering decisions.
Joseph Schow, Minister of Tourism and Sport, maintains that the province wants to “ensure that transgender athletes have meaningful opportunities to participate in the sports they love of their choice.” But not all feel that way, and Morris argued that the law is “purposely so unclear” and “not scrutinized by any real metrics.”
“It’s going to cause significant harm,” Rowan states. “I think how we pick ourselves up from [this] is going to be a challenge, but I know that we will.”
Cover photo: File photo from Feb. 25, 2024 from protests against proposed legislation from the Alberta government. Photo by Taylor Winnie Hughes.
