Trans rights - the legal landscape

Alberta's new anti-trans laws received royal assent on December 5, 2024.

• Bill 26, designed to prevent trans youth from getting widely-accepted medical care, was put on hold June 27 when the Alberta Court of King’s Bench granted an interim injunction prohibiting the government from proclaiming the law.

• Bill 27 requires schoolteachers to "out" teens to their parents and misgender them if the parents don't support their gender identity. It is expected to be proclaimed in September 2025.

• And Bill 29 requires schools and sports organizations to create policies that will exclude trans athletes. This law is also expected to be proclaimed in September 2025.

I believe that in a few years it’ll be widely accepted that these laws violated human rights and the Charter: another shameful piece of Alberta history similar to the Vriend case from the 1990s, where Alberta argued all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada that it was perfectly legal to fire an employee for being gay.

Pro bono advice

As these new laws are implemented I’ll be dedicating part of my time to pro bono legal services for people affected by them. If you’re directly affected by any of these laws and want to take legal action, you can reach out to me using this form to request a free, confidential consultation.

Resources

• Egale’s October 31, 2024 statement opposing the new laws

• The Alberta Medical Association’s November 8, 2024 statement opposing Bill 26

• The Canadian Pediatric Society’s June 2023 statement on appropriate medical care for trans youth

• Skipping Stone’s services and resources promoting the inclusion of trans people

• The Alberta Court of King’s Bench interim injunction prohibiting the government from proclaiming Bill 26 regarding gender-affirming care.