People protest Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's proposed youth transgender policies as she appears at an event in Ottawa on Feb. 5.PATRICK DOYLE/The Canadian Press
Let’s be perfectly clear about one thing: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s new restrictions on treatments for trans youth are not targeted at trans youth and their families.
They are targeted at people who believe that schools have become incubators of queerness and want it stamped out. The Premier has done the best she can to oblige.
Much has been written about whether the new restrictions, revealed in a video statement, are reasonable and appropriate. I put my faith in the judgment of the Canadian Pediatric Society, which declared: “We are deeply concerned that implementation of these policies will not only undermine the fundamental rights of transgender children and youth in Alberta, but will lead to significant negative health outcomes, including increased risk of suicide and self-harm.” That’s what the people who actually know what they’re talking about think.
There was another element of Ms. Smith’s statement that has received far less attention than it deserves. In Wednesday’s video, as a guitar strummed softly in the background, the Premier announced: ”When it comes to classroom instruction on subject matter involving gender identity, sexual orientation or human sexuality, we will be requiring parental notification and an opt-in requirement for each instance a teacher intends to give formal instruction on these subjects.”
In other words, any time a teacher intends to teach sex-ed, parents must be informed and must provide their written consent.
This is not the thin edge of the wedge. This is the wedge.
Teenage pregnancies in Alberta declined 80 per cent between 1991 and 2022, according to Statistics Canada. This dramatic drop is the result of improved access to contraception and an enlightened sexual-education curriculum in schools.
Parents in Alberta currently may opt out of having their child taught sex-ed. But now they must specifically choose to opt in, or their child will not be taught the subject. And here’s a guess: Parents who refuse to sign the form will likely have children who most need the lessons.
With this new policy, Ms. Smith has increased the risk of teenage pregnancies in Alberta. Some young people deprived of school guidance on how they should handle their sexual feelings will have to rely on the internet for answers.
Any decent sex-ed curriculum will also teach children about people in their community who are LGBTQ. A few of the students in the class may be questioning their own sexuality. They will need support. Equally important, those who are straight will need to learn about those among them who aren’t.
After all, some parents tell their children that queer folk are sinners or perverts or groomers. Some parents, if they detect signs that their child may be gay, try to keep them on the straight and narrow.
Some children, parental prejudice stuffed in their heads, become swaggering bullies or fearfully closeted – or both. The new mandatory opt-in requirement ensures there will be more of this.
Only a couple of dozen minors receive top surgery in Alberta annually. Yet the issue consumes vast amounts of political oxygen.
That’s because the trans issue is a stalking horse. There are people who oppose equal treatment and respect for sexual minorities. They know that stand is now out of bounds. So they jump on the issue of trans kids or LGBTQ sex-ed instead.
Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have imposed restrictions on kids changing their pronouns without parental consent. And remember the fight over the “don’t say gay” legislation passed by the Florida legislature in 2022? It only banned instruction on sexual and gender identity for children in kindergarten through Grade 3. But after the furor had died down, restrictions were quietly extended to all grades. Similar actions have been taken in red states across the U.S.
As a spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis explained: “There is no reason for instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to be part of K-12 public education. Full stop.” This is how intolerance advances.
There are kids in Alberta – straight kids and queer kids and trans kids – who need help in a hostile world. If the situation at home is a problem, then maybe teachers and counsellors can help. Maybe other kids who have been raised right and taught right can help.
But the Premier of Alberta is determined to curtail that help. It’s a damn shame.
John Ibbitson