(Adrian St.Onge/CHAT News)

By Adrian St.Onge

NEW

‘The side effects are death’: Medicine Hat parent rings the alarm over Alberta’s proposed transgender policies

Feb 16, 2024 | 9:59 AM

As Premier Danielle Smith said her proposed LGBTQ policies would keep transgender youth safe and supported during a recent Medicine Hat town hall, Ashley Large stood up in opposition.

“You’re changing legislation,” Large said. “I’ve been to two funerals of children who have taken their lives because of this issue.”

Large and his partner then walked out of the town hall in a video that went viral on social media.

READ MORE: Hecklers, walk-outs mark Danielle Smith’s town hall as she addresses gender policy, pension plan

Danielle Smith announced new policy changes for LGBTQ minors, school and medical professionals earlier this month.

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The policy changes would require parental consent for minors to use a different name in schools and parental consent for minors hoping to complete gender affirming care.

The policy has been split down the middle for support, with opponents saying it endangers the lives of children and supporters saying it’s a step in the right direction.

For Large, it’s a danger to the youth it impacts.

Large said that parents need to ask questions and that legislators should to talk to more experts before putting the policy in place, otherwise the consequences could be dire.

READ MORE: Smith says new transgender youth policy arriving this fall, critics call it damaging

“The side effects of not letting trans people be who they are is death. It’s death,” Large said.

“It’s death in private life, it’s death in public life. If we want to look at what we want to do, let’s start there,” he added.

“Let’s try and take that away and then we can solve the other problems because kids not making it until they’re adults and can’t make those decisions because they take their own life, it’s just, it’s not worth it.”

“It’s not worth a vote. It’s not worth policy that doesn’t make any sense, that’s anecdotal. We’ve got 17,000 transgender people in Alberta, why aren’t we asking them and seeing what they think?”

The LGBTQ+ community and their supporters have staged protests at the legislature building in Edmonton and school walk outs have already ocurred across the province.

Last week, the premier and Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright held a town hall event at the library.

Smith said the changes will be rolled out in the fall legislature sitting in the form of further legislation, regulation and policies.