The Alberta government will be introducing policies regarding transgender youth in the province.
Premier Danielle Smith teased at these changes in a video posted to X on Wednesday. She mentioned changes that would require parental consent if a student under the age of 15 wanted to change their name or pronouns at school.
“We wanted to make sure we struck the right balance so that kids are not making irreversible decisions when they may not be mature enough to make those decisions,” said Smith at a news conference in Calgary on Thursday afternoon.
These changes were confirmed in a news release which outlines their plans over the coming months. These plans include:
- Prohibiting all gender reassignment surgery for minors under 17.
- Banning hormone therapy for minors under 15.
- Parents must opt in if they want their children to be taught about gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality.
- All school presentations related to gender, sexual orientation, or sexuality must be approved by the Ministry of Education.
- Parents must consent for children aged 15 and under to alter their name or pronouns.
- Parents must be notified for children aged 16 and 17 who wish to alter their name or pronouns.
The Alberta government will also be developing a counselling pilot project for transgender youth and their families.
As for sports, the provincial government will be working to prevent transgender females from competing in women’s sports.
