Okotoks students traded textbooks for placards and joined others across the province in a walkout Feb. 7 to protest recently announced policies that would impact transgender youth.
About 50 students took part in the walkout at the Foothills Composite High School, gathering to speak out against the policies that Premier Danielle Smith rolled out a week earlier.
Among the new policies is a rule that would require parental consent before children 15 and under can change their preferred names or pronouns in school. If older youth choose to take different names or pronouns, but their parents would be notified.
MJ, a Grade 12 student and organizer, said the policies have far-reaching implications.
“There's kids who will get hurt because of this rule,” MJ said. “There's kids who end up homeless, there's kids who won't be able to access the support and the quality of life that they deserve to have.
“It's also putting teachers in a very tough spot that they don't deserve to be put in.”
Throughout the walkout, students who identified as trans, members of the LGBTQ community or as allies made speeches that were met with applause.
Under the new policies, many aspects of gender-affirming care for trans youth would be restricted or prohibited.
Madison Kelly-Reinhart, a Grade 12 student, said she has watched people struggle with depression and anxiety due to their sexuality, and said hormone therapy changed their lives.
Smith said previously that consultation would take place before the new policies are adopted in the fall.
“I'm really hoping that because this is happening at the same time as a bunch of other protests throughout the province, there's a bunch of other schools that are walking out at the same time, we're hoping that this will help send the message to the government and help fight this legislation,” MJ said.
The Foothills School Division said it was aware that walkouts were occurring, and that it recognizes an individual’s right to peaceful protest.
