The Canadian province of Alberta plans to introduce the strictest gender-related laws in the nation, later this year. The sweeping reforms will apply to medical gender transitions, the management of gender dysphoria issues in schools and transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sport.
They include banning gender-affirming surgery for children under 18, and prohibiting puberty blockers and hormone treatments for children under 15. Schools will need parental permission to refer to students under 15 by preferred names and pronouns. Parents will be able to take their children out of classes on gender and sexuality. Transgender athletes will be banned from competing in women’s sport.
Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith who leads the province’s United Conservative Party government said: “I am confident that Albertans do not want children to make irreversible decisions that impact their reproductive health. I am confident that they don’t think those are child decisions to make; that those are adult decisions to make.”
Premier Smith added that the science around the safety of puberty blockers and hormone therapy in children is not settled and that other jurisdictions are moving away from recommending their use.
She plans to introduce the following measures during the northern hemisphere autumn:
- Top and bottom surgeries will be banned for minors aged 17 and under.
- Puberty blockers and hormone therapies for gender affirmation will not be permitted for children aged 15 and under.
- Youths aged 16 and 17 will be permitted to start hormone therapies for gender affirmation with parental, physician and psychologist approval.
- Parental notification and consent will be required for a school to alter the name or pronouns of any child under age 15.
- Parents will have to “opt-in” their children every time a teacher plans to teach about gender identity, sexual orientation or sexuality.
- All third-party teaching materials on gender identity, sexual orientation or sexuality will need to be approved in advance by the education ministry.
- Transgender athletes will be banned from competing in women’s sports.
The executive director of the Alberta Parents’ Union Jeff Park told CBC News that the government consulted with his organisation, but he was still surprised by how many of the issues raised were included in the policy. “It reflected a deep and thorough amount of work on a lot of the concerns and issues that parents have been bringing up to us for the last two years,” he said.
Jeff Gunnarson, national president of the pro-family Campaign Life Coalition, proclaimed: “A political miracle has just happened. With these new policies, a Canadian premier has essentially told the seemingly unstoppable transgender movement to stop in its tracks and leave Alberta kids alone. I commend Premier Smith for her proposed policies that will go a long way in protecting children and safeguarding the unreplaceable parent-child relationship.”
Teresa Pierre, executive director of Parents as First Educators said the Alberta policy is a sign of growing momentum in parents taking back their rights against bureaucrats pushing radical gender agendas. The Association for Reformed Political Action, a lobbying organisation that aims to equip and encourage Christians to political action, also applauded Smith’s policy announcement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who leads the Centre-Left Liberal Party denounced Premier Smith for unveiling “the most anti-LGBT policies of anywhere in the country.” He called on her to “fight with us to defend the rights of vulnerable Canadians, don’t fight against vulnerable LGBT youth.” Mr. Trudeau had previously derided other conservative provincial leaders for introducing similar, but less restrictive gender-related laws. as “far-right political actors” who were exposing vulnerable children to “cruelty and isolation.”
