Advocates are in Ottawa asking the federal government to call an inquiry into provincial laws they say have escalated harassment, bullying and mental health harms for transgender people.
Laws on the books in Saskatchewan and Alberta require parental consent for students under 16 to change their names or pronouns at school.
Alberta also has a law that bans transgender athletes 12 and older from participating in amateur competitive female sports, and another that restricts gender-affirming medical care for youth.
LGBTQ+ advocates say members of Parliament need to hear from those impacted by these laws, adding that some have taken their own lives since the policies were enacted.
Both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe invoked the notwithstanding clause to shield their laws from court challenges.
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They say the school rules are about parental rights, and Smith’s government says its other laws are about safety for females playing sports and ensuring youth don’t make rash, life-altering decisions.
The only transgender care someone under 16 can access is puberty blockers. As soon as one stops taking them, their effect ceases and normal puberty starts up again. Taking them is hardly a rash, life-altering decision as it makes no permanent changes to the body. Puberty, on the other hand, makes permanent, life-altering changes to the body that cannot be reversed.
The UCP is simply pandering to the fears of her uneducated electorate and don’t care how many lives they ruin in the process.
Stay away from my children unless you really enjoy hospital food