By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on March 5, 2024.
People hold up transgender colors and evidence of support at the Saturday protest outside city hall. -News Photo Anna Smith [email protected]
Despite the bitter cold, Medicine Hat people gathered outside the town hall on Saturday evening with flags and signs in order to show support for children in their area. “We are out here today to display love and support to the nearby two-spirit, trans, non-binary, and gender diverse kids who are being attacked by the latest proposed transgender and filial rights policy by the government,” said Kim Big, who organized the event.
The legislation in question, proposed by Premier Danielle Smith, places a ban on gender reassignment surgery for those under the age of 17, and would not allow puberty blockers for those under the age of 15 who are not already undergoing this treatment.
The purpose of the legislation has recently been stated to stop children from making life-altering decisions before they are intelligent enough to do so, but some parents and professionals have spoken out against this reasoning. “There have been over 60 specialized companies and professionals that are in the area or opposed to the areas that have spoken out about this dangerous policy,” said Big. “There’s even been 70-plus female organizations that have spoken out about this, making it an integrative problem.”
Big referred to the proposed plan as both “overreach” and “misinformation,” stating it would be “rolling back human rights”.
While the circumstances that caused the march may be concerning, Big was heartened by the number of people who attended to show their support to gender diverse children. “For how cold it is, it’s really nice to see so many people,” said Big. “I’m absolutely pleased with the attendance. We’ve got you know, about 75-ish people here and (they) come and go and so, yeah, we also have some kids here, advocating for themselves and their peers. Their kids are teaching them how to be great people, that’s for certain”.
