Stuart Park in Kelowna was filled with colour on Feb. 4 as over 100 people gathered in solidarity of transgender rights across Canada.
The protest was held in opposition of the Alberta government’s proposed legislation that would ban hormone therapy for children 15 and under, except for those who have already started, and would prohibit gender affirming surgery for anyone 17 and younger.
D McWatters, Vice-President of Advocacy Canada, attended the event from Summerland.
McWatters said it wasn’t until she was 43 that she took ownership of who she is. “After struggling for 43 years, I have never been happier in my life in the last almost six years knowing my authentic self.”
Speaking to the crowd, McWatters commented on how important sexual orientation and gender identity education is in schools not only for those who are transgender, but also for friends and family of someone who is.
“I’ve got kids that are now in their early 20s. When I came out to them, they showed so much support for me because they had learned it in school. It wasn’t necessarily about their own sexuality or identity, it was about learning that there is diversity that we never learned about growing up in the schools here in the Okanagan.”
Central Okanagan School Board Trustee Wayne Broughton attended the rally and addressed the lack of care that will be in place for transgender youth in Alberta if the legislation is passed. “We’ve already seen what’s happened in the U.S. and we don’t want it to get that bad here, so we need to be pushing back.”
The protest took place in Kelowna’s Stuart Park from 2 to 3 p.m. A few community members attended to protest the opposite side of the matter, but the event remained civil.
