Calgary students join marches to protest the province's gender policies

Hundreds of Alberta students plan to walk out of classrooms Wednesday as part of a provincial protest against the UCP government's controversial proposal for transgender youth.

Starting at 10 a.m., students walked out of classrooms to take part in a demonstration against the health intervention policy announced last week by Prime Minister Daniel Smith.

Its recommendations include parental sex education, sexual orientation, and gender identity affirmation.

Students at Western Canada High School in Calgary are participating in a protest. About 50 students from this school walked out to protest the proposed legislation.

Other students from Crescent Height, William Aberhart and Henry Wisewood schools also walked out of class to support the movement.

The Calgary Board of Education said it was aware of the demonstration and would not discourage students from participating.

“During this time, we will not prevent students from leaving class, but any students who are absent will be marked as unexcused.”

Smith said the fall session of the Legislature will introduce new rules, including restrictions on youth changing their names or pronouns in school and on hormone therapy or sex-reassignment surgery.

He said the aim of the policy is to ensure children are “fully informed” of the decisions they make, as they may regret it later in life.

Defending his proposals during a visit to Ottawa on Monday, Smith said there is no “one voice” that can speak for the entire transgender community. She said she has spoken with some transgender people who have expressed concern about children's ability to transition at a young age.

“We need to talk about what age is appropriate to make life-changing decisions,” she said.

At least 50 Alberta schools are expected to participate in the demonstration, according to social media posts by protest organizers.

(With files from The Canadian Press)