Recently, the government of Alberta recommitted to banning and restricting gender-affirming care for Albertan trans youth, along with passing other anti-trans legislation impacting both education and sports. This will begin next week when Alberta’s legislature reconvenes.
The medications used in gender-affirming care will still be available to cis youth for other medical purposes, but they will be banned or restricted for trans youth for gender affirmation. This is not about concern for the safety and well-being of trans youth. It is about dictating which types of children and youth get to exist. It is about limiting trans youth’s options to be themselves and express their genders.
This would force healthcare providers to practice in opposition to clinical practice guidelines, evidence-based standards, and the medical consensus regarding gender-affirming care. This interferes with medical and professional autonomy. It inserts politicians into exam rooms, setting a horrifying precedent for everyone’s right to access healthcare. Your access to medications, surgeries, and healthcare should not depend on the politicking of a provincial party. Neither should trans youth’s access to healthcare.
In light of this incoming legislation, please consider reading and sharing the article linked below. The journalist speaks to trans youth and their families about the material and harmful impacts of anti-trans policies and laws in Canada. These laws attempt to erase trans youth and we can fight that erasure by sharing their stories.
Young and trans in Canada – Xtra