About half a dozen members of Westlock Pride staged a protest in front of Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock United Conservative Party (UCP) constituency's office in Barrhead Friday (Sept. 20) to voice their concerns over the provincial government's to take away trans rights in the upcoming fall legislative session and ahead of the town's neutrality bylaw discussion, which could ban Pride crosswalks and flags on municipal property.
Westlock Pride's vision is to build a community that values inclusivity and respect for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
"We stand for trans rights and the right to be accepted, which is especially important in our smaller communities," Jasmine Boutin, founder and one of the protest's organizers, said.
She added they also chose to organize a protest in Barrhead to support the community's Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning (2SLGBTQ+) community and their allies as Barrhead "is going through the ugliness of a neutrality bylaw."
Crysty Badfield, a 65-year-old trans woman from Legal, joined the protest to protect parents and their children's rights to affirming care for trans and gender-diverse youth.
On Jan. 31, Premier Dannielle Smith, in a seven-minute social media video and then reiterated in a Feb. 1 press conference, stated that the government planned to table policy, legislation, or guidelines relating to transgendered youth and children, including banning puberty and hormone blockers for those under 16 without permission from their parents or guardians, top and bottom gender reassignment surgeries will be banned for minors aged 17.
"Puberty blockers give trans kids time," she said. "What they do is they put the brakes on puberty ... giving them time to decide, get counselling and determine if continuing to transition is right for them."
If they don't, Badfield said, they can stop the treatment and puberty resumes.
According to the Alberta Medical Association's pediatric section, the effects of puberty blockers are not irreversible.
Badfield added she is essentially the same person she was before she publically identified as trans.
"I'm still the person I was. I am an expert in military history and rebuild motors. I did all that when I was still a man," she said.
She also takes offence to the notion that the 2SLGBTQ+ are attempting to "convert people".
"We are a small community," she said, referring to the trans community. "In Legal, there are three trans people in a community of 1,200. But [the UCP] are going on like we are trying to turn half the population trans. We're not. All we want is for people that are to have the right to counselling, puberty blockers and other affirming care."
Badfield added her fear is that by denying these treatments, they are putting children's lives at risk.
"The suicide rate for trans kids is seven or eight times that of other kids," she said.
Westlock Pride member Dorthy Baker, a retired sexual and reproductive health worker, said she joined the protest because it was important to help protect
"This is an incredibly important issue. Parents and kids should have the right to seek support and medical treatment for their well-being. Denying puberty blockers makes no sense because by the time [the UCP] allows them to take it, puberty would have happened. The whole point of the blockers is to give kids time."
The Barrhead Leader contacted MLA van Dijken via his constituency office but has not received a reply.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com