The leader of Alberta claims that she has had numerous discussions with trans individuals before and since drafting a number of policy proposals addressing transgender rights.
There isn’t a single voice or point of view, either. During a press event on February 5 in Ottawa, Danielle Smith said. But according to Smith, it was one person’s experience in particular that inspired the state to act.
“Any time a strategy change has occurred, it is frequently prompted by a specific event,” said Smith. “We have a trans woman named Lois Cardinal in our county.”
Cardinal claims that after having gender-affirming surgery in 2009 at the age of 21, she felt regret. She claims that she spoke with the leader in a one-on-one meeting for more than an hour after approaching the United Conservative authorities to advocate for change.
Cardinal remarked, “I was asking for better care and prevention.” “I expressed my concern that the choice should be made by an adult.”
The administration’s decision to heed Cardinal is questioned by members of the LGBTQ2 community, who cite several posts from her social media account that equate transgender identity with a mental illness.
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“I suffer from a psychological illness known as gender identity disorder,” Cardinal wrote in a blog on her X system, originally Twitter, account @duchess_elle. “It fell under the Mental Health Act before it was removed and hijacked by this trans agenda.” “I’m not like these people.”
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This fall, the Alberta government plans to introduce legislation to forbid anyone under the age of 18 from undergoing gender-affirming surgery, top or bottom, as well as young people under 16 from accessing puberty-blocking treatment.
According to Dr. Kate Greenaway, clinical director of the Foria Clinic, a gender-affirming office with offices in Ontario and Alberta, the treatment with puberty blockers is accepted and recommended by international organizations like the World Professional Association for Transgender Health as well as the Canadian Pediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics. “This is a widely acknowledged, evidence-based practice that would be against the law under this bill.”
People under the age of 18 are currently unable to get bottom gender-affirming surgery. Major surgery is allowed, but it is unknown how many minors receive it annually for gender-affirming reasons.
At the age of 15, a trans man in Edmonton underwent major surgery. Global News may refer to the man as Dave in this article because it has decided to protect his identity out of concern for his safety.
Dave had the support of his parents and paid out of pocket for the surgery, which he believes saved his life.
“To be completely honest,” he said, “I probably wouldn’t be sitting here.” “It just isn’t discussed enough in terms of mental health.”
“I probably would have killed myself if these policies had been in place seven years ago and I hadn’t been able to do the things I did.”
According to Dr. Greenaway, “Suicide is the main risk genuinely when we’re talking about gender-affirming treatment of all types.” “Numerous studies have shown that when you act, begin hormones, or provide other treatments, the crisis point for people significantly decreases.”
