The Alberta government has introduced a trio of bills that will impact how the transgender community is treated in this province.
The controversial legislation has sparked outrage from many within Alberta’s transgender community. However, some say the policies look out for the best interest of youth.
Kellie Lynn Pirie calls herself a de-transitioner.
Born biologically female, at 37, she began transitioning from female to male in 2004. She started taking testosterone a year later. Soon after, she underwent a hysterectomy and a bilateral mastectomy. She legally changed her sex marker and changed her name to Kenneth Logan Anderson.
It’s a decision she now regrets. She re-transitioned back to female.
“I was given the indication that it would address mental health issues that I experienced, issues with social anxiety, issues with feeling uncomfortable in my body,” Pirie said.
She was told that at the time, she was experiencing internalized transphobia because she didn’t grow up in a household that supported the transgender community.
“I was diagnosed by multiple doctors, councillors, psychiatrists with severe gender dysphoria,” Pirie said.
Gender dysphoria is the psychological distress a person experiences when their gender identity does not match their assigned sex at birth.
She says she had psychological assessments before and during her gender transition, but she says many of her feelings were not fully explored.
“I realized that the discomfort that I started to experience after my mastectomy, was actually the early indicator that I was entering into what was called regret,” she said.
She feels medical professionals misguided her. She said she wasn’t informed about some of the health complications she would experience with her hysterectomy and the health risks of taking testosterone.
“I was not told by the gynecologist who initiated me onto testosterone that women on testosterone have a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes if they are also obese. I was obese when I began to transition. I’m still obese today. I will have Type 2 diabetes for the rest of my life,” she said.
Pirie says she was contacted by the Alberta government for consultations surrounding three bills tabled this week.
One of the bills, the Education Amendment Act, 2024, would require children under 16 to have parental consent to change their names or pronouns at school. Youth age 16 to 17 wouldn’t need consent, but parents would still be notified.
The second bill, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, would prohibit doctors from treating those under 16 seeking transgender treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapies.
The third bill, the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, would ban transgender women and girls from competing in female-only sports divisions and require organizations to report eligibility complaints.
“Under these policies, the child will have a consultation with their family, their physician, and a psychologist or psychiatrist. Premier Smith is going to promote a research environment in which the research, as it is evolving, can be discussed,” Pirie explained.
Dr. Roy Eappen was part of the province’s consultations. He was part of a stakeholder event Thursday, alongside eight other transgender people, medical professionals, and athletes. He said access to gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers could affect fertility. He believes more research is needed before allowing youth to access care.
“There’s also questions about height, questions about bone density, and other issues. There’s long term issues about whether or not this is actually affecting brain development. And studies that should have been done for this have not been done,” Dr. Eappen explained.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators took to the steps of the Alberta legislature to rally against the three bills tabled this week.
Trans Rights YEG Founder Rowan Morris said those who are not actively trans shouldn’t be speaking for the transgender community.
“They do not identify as that anymore. To have those individuals be representing our community, people who do stay as the gender they transition for the rest of their lives, is misrepresentation,” Morris said.
Pirie says while transitioning was the wrong decision for her, she supports transgender people making decisions for themselves as long as they’re adults and have received comprehensive support.