Alberta Premier Marlaina Smith continues her regressive dangerous despotic attacks on trans youth.
Alberta has become ground zero in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in Canada, with Premier Marlaina Smith’s government enacting a series of regressive laws targeting the province’s trans and non-binary population. These laws, marketed under the guise of “protecting children” and “parental rights,” have sparked fierce backlash from advocates, legal experts, and the queer community. Now, activists are gearing up for what could be one of the most consequential legal battles in Canadian history.
Laws That Hurt, Not Help
Premier Smith’s government has pushed through policies that restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ students and trans youth, including:
- Forced Use of Given Names: Students under 16 must obtain parental consent to use a name or pronoun that doesn’t match their given one at school. Here at TML, we refer to Premier Smith by her given name, Marlaina.
- Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Minors: Puberty blockers and hormone therapy are now prohibited for anyone under 16, while surgeries are banned for those under 18.
- Exclusion from Sports: Trans women and girls are barred from participating in women’s sports categories.
The Premier defends these policies, claiming they restore “common sense” and strengthen parental involvement. Critics, however, argue they create hostile environments for vulnerable youth and strip away essential support systems.
A Legal and Moral Battle
Trans advocates are not standing by. Legal challenges are mounting, with activist groups arguing these measures violate Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees equality and protection from discrimination.
“We’re not just fighting for policies; we’re fighting for lives,” says a spokesperson for the Alberta Transgender Rights Coalition. The group has filed lawsuits aimed at halting the enforcement of these laws, focusing on the harms they inflict on trans youth.
Lawyers are hopeful that Canada’s strong human rights framework will provide a solid foundation for overturning the laws. But as with any legal battle, this will be a long and emotionally taxing process.
Impact on the Queer Community
These laws are already taking a toll. Trans youth in Alberta report increased feelings of alienation, fear, and despair. Without access to gender-affirming care or supportive school environments, many feel abandoned by the systems meant to protect them.
Research consistently shows that access to gender-affirming care and inclusive school policies dramatically improves mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth. With these avenues cut off, advocates fear a rise in mental health crises, including suicide rates among queer teens.
Not Alberta’s First Rodeo
This isn’t the first time Alberta has found itself at odds over LGBTQ+ rights. The province was at the centre of a heated national debate over Gay–Straight Alliances (GSAs) in schools just a few years ago. Then, as now, conservatives wielded “parental rights” as a weapon to undermine queer inclusivity in education.
This isn’t the first time Alberta has found itself at the epicentre of a national debate over LGBTQ+ rights in schools. The province’s struggles with queer inclusivity go back decades, but one of the most prominent flashpoints was the battle over Gay–Straight Alliances (GSAs).
GSAs are student-led clubs that provide safe and affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies. They play a vital role in promoting understanding and combating bullying in schools. However, their very existence became a lightning rod for controversy in Alberta’s political sphere.
In 2015, Alberta made headlines when the Progressive Conservative government introduced legislation requiring schools to allow GSAs if students requested them. For a brief moment, it seemed like a step forward for queer youth. But when Marlaina Smith’s United Conservative Party (UCP) rose to power, the progress was swiftly rolled back. In 2019, the UCP repealed protections that ensured students could form GSAs without parental notification, claiming it was about respecting “parental rights.” Critics argued this move put vulnerable students at risk, particularly those not yet out to their families.
The debate over GSAs revealed the fault lines in Alberta’s approach to LGBTQ+ rights. It wasn’t just about clubs—it was about whether queer students had the right to feel safe and supported in their schools. The parallels to today’s fights over name and pronoun changes are striking. Once again, the government is invoking “parental rights” to justify policies that activists say erode the autonomy and dignity of LGBTQ+ youth.
What’s clear is that Alberta has long been a battleground for these cultural and political wars. The same arguments used against GSAs—claims of protecting children, defending family values, and opposing so-called “agendas”—are being recycled to attack trans rights today. And just as before, queer students are bearing the brunt of the fallout.
These repeated clashes have left many in Alberta’s LGBTQ+ community feeling disheartened but determined. As one activist put it during the GSA fight: “We’ve seen these battles before, and we’ll see them again. What matters is that we don’t stop fighting.”
Why It Matters
What’s happening in Alberta isn’t just a provincial issue—it’s a warning for the rest of Canada. The global wave of anti-trans rhetoric and legislation has arrived on Canadian soil, and Alberta is the latest battleground. The outcomes of these legal challenges will set a precedent for how queer rights are defended—or dismantled—in this country.
For now, one thing is clear: Alberta’s queer community won’t go down without a fight. Trans rights are human rights, and the people of Alberta are ready to defend them.
How You Can Help
- Donate to Advocacy Groups: Support local organisations like the Trans Equality Society of Alberta to fund legal challenges.
- Speak Out: Contact your local representatives to voice opposition to anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
- Support Trans Youth: Create safe and affirming spaces in your own community.
The fight in Alberta is far from over, but if history has shown us anything, it’s that resistance is a force to be reckoned with.
Sources: CBC, Global, CityNews Calgary