This week, two of the three anti-trans laws passed last year in Alberta officially go into effect.
As of Sept. 1, trans women and girls are banned from women’s sports leagues and divisions, and parents will be informed if a student chooses to go by a different name or pronoun at school.
The Fairness and Safety in Sport Act requires any women’s league, class or division to consist only of participants who were assigned female at birth. Each school, post-secondary institution and provincially recognized sports organization is required to develop a process for confirming that all of their players were assigned female at birth, and trans women and girls will be barred from competing in any women’s division of collegiate, school or amateur sports in the province.
This week, the Edmonton Public School District confirmed that schools will be sending home forms for parents guardians to confirm that the birth certificate of any girl who wants to participate in a competitive sport reads female.
The Education Amendment Act, 2024, also went into effect this week. As of Sept. 1, parental permission will be required for students who wish to go by a different name or pronoun related to their gender identity. Parents will also need to opt in for their child to receive any sex education on issues such as gender identity, sexual orientation or human sexuality.
A third anti-trans law, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, is currently being challenged in the courts. The law would ban gender-affirming care for minors under 18.
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