Hundreds of Albertans gathered outside the legislature on Saturday to protest three new bills targeting transgender and non-binary Albertans, including teachers, nurses, medical professionals, politicians and community advocates.

If passed, the legislation would restrict gender-affirming treatments for youth, require parental consent for pronoun or name changes in schools and limit participation in competitive women’s sports divisions to athletes registered as female at birth.

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“It’s really important to tell our stories, to demonstrate and protest, to deny the bills that target our existence, that target our access to health care,” said Adebayo Chris Katiiti, founder of the advocacy organization of human rights Raricanow.

“The bills introduced this fall session do not meet the needs of the average Albertan,” said Rowan Morris of Trans Rights YEG. “They are not representative of the current evidence or needs of Albertans.”

With 2021 census data Showing that less than 0.4 per cent of Albertans identify as transgender or non-binary, Premier Danielle Smith has faced questions about the need for such legislation at this time.

“For nine months, people have been telling us that this is not what they want, that they want action to be taken to address the (homeless) crisis, that they want action to be taken. taken to address the fact that they can’t keep food on their table or their lights on,” Morris said.

“Bills that address 0.37 per cent of Albertans…are not meeting the needs.”

Protesters can be seen outside the Alberta Legislative Assembly during a trans rights rally in Edmonton on November 2, 2024. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton)

The policies were first announced earlier this year, sparking pushback from advocates, organizations, medical professionals, educators and legal experts.

Smith argued the legislation is meant to protect young people, and on Thursday she compared gender-affirming care that impacts fertility to forced sterilization.

“In the past, when governments have made the decision to sterilize people deemed mentally weak, this has ultimately resulted in lawsuits and massive compensation awards,” she said.

“We need to be able to protect children’s rights to be able to make these choices when they become adults.”

The prime minister has also been criticized for including a ban on sex reassignment surgery for minors, as it is already illegal in Canada to perform bottom surgery on a minor, and experts say top surgeries level are only practiced among those under 18 in very rare cases.

When asked how many young Albertans underwent hormone treatment, high-level surgery or how many transgender athletes were competing in women’s sports divisions, Smith was unable to answer.

She said the province bases its policies on data from other countries like the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

Chris Gallaway of Friends of Medicare says the legislation sets a dangerous precedent.

“We have a prime minister who is willing to stand between patients and their doctors and tell them what care they can and cannot access,” he said. “That’s something we don’t want to see in health care.”

The current legislation targets a very small group, but Gallaway said it has much larger implications.

“The resolutions debated at their convention go much further, so all Albertans should be concerned,” he added.

The bills were introduced on October 31, the day before the United Conservative Party’s general meeting and leadership review, where Smith received 91 percent support.

At the meeting, the UCP voted overwhelmingly in favor of a motion banning transgender women from using restrooms, locker rooms and women’s shelters. The party also voted to limit gender markers on government documents to only men or women.

These policies are not binding, so Smith’s UCP government will not be required to act if a motion is successful.

Smith’s transgender policies have been condemned by Amnesty International Canada.

Egale Canada and the Skipping Stone Foundation announced they would take legal action against the Alberta government over the bills. Smith said she thought the policies were reasonable and would hold up in court.

Calgarians also rallied against the bill on Saturday.