Opinion: UCP’s gender law endangers both children and parental rights

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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will introduce legislation later this fall to support the planned policy changes affecting transgender and non-binary youth and adults. In all of her press conferences about these legislative changes, Smith has said these policies are designed to “protect children” and uphold “parental rights.” 

In brief, Smith promises to restrict access to gender-affirming health care for youth, forbid trans girls from participating in competitive sports, and require parental consent for youth to use their chosen name or pronouns. She also plans to require parental “opt-in” consent for classroom instruction on gender and sexuality. 

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“We’re putting this forward with the best interests of the child in mind,” Smith says.

The slate of new anti-2SLGBTQIA+ policies about to be debated, then introduced in Alberta by the UCP government has been critiqued extensively by experts and professional associations for ignoring evidence-based research. Dr. Kristopher Wells, Canada Research Chair for the public understanding of sexual and gender minority youth, has stated that these policies would be some of the most extreme anti-trans and anti-2SLGBTQ policies, not only in Canada, but in the world.

Even though experts have called the UCP’s proposals harmful — and even deadly — the Alberta Conservative government is charging ahead and is expected to table legislation later this month.

As professors who work with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and families, we are very concerned about the lives that will be harmed and lost if this legislation passes. Moreover, we want the public to know that the voices of 2SLGBTQIA+ parents and youth have been missing in conversations and consultations about these new anti-2SLGBTQIA+ policies. 

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To amplify these missing voices, we have launched a long-term research project with parents from queer families who are helping us track the short- and long-term impacts of the proposed anti-2LSGBTQIA+ legislation in Alberta.

One of the overwhelming sentiments of parents in our project was that the supposed consultations the UCP did about the proposed policy changes completely excluded parents of 2SLGBTQIA+ kids. The families in our research project remarked that their responsibility to protect their children from harm is actually being taken away by the provincial government that is making choices for their families.

Although the legislation has not yet passed, the climate in Alberta has already changed for these families in significant ways. This includes children losing access to safe spaces at school. Once inclusive, some schools have become more hostile in the eyes of queer families who have seen fewer rainbow stickers and inclusivity posters up this school year. 

2SLGBTQIA+ youth in Alberta are expressing increased anxiety and despair. We are hearing stories of mental health challenges, self-harm, and teenagers whose grades are falling because they can’t concentrate at school. Trans girls are especially concerned about the loss of bathroom access, which is next on the UCP’s agenda. 

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Several of the families in our project — including valued health-care workers and educators — are already actively looking to leave Alberta. While some parents are making their plans to move, those that have to stay behind are “in complete survival mode.”

If Smith and the UCP are serious about protecting children and upholding “parental choice,” our research shows that they are failing miserably. 

What can you do if you oppose these proposed policies? Sign TransAction Alberta’s online petition. Send a letter to your MLA. Attend a protest. Speak up at your child’s school council meeting. 

Defend trans youth, and tell personal stories about the 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in your life when the topic comes up with your immediate or extended family. As one of our research participants put it, “It is hard to hate people up close.” 

We implore Smith and the UCP government to stop using 2SLGBTQIA+ families as political pawns. Research shows that the consequences of the government playing with human rights in Alberta is already dire, and it is only going to get worse. 

Leah Hamilton and Corinne L. Mason are professors at Mount Royal University.