advocates fear loss of schools as safe space amid gender pronouns policy
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protesters fill the plaza in front of calgary city hall to rally against the alberta government’s proposed transgender policies, in this photo from feb. 3, 2024.
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postmedia
education advocates are bemoaning the loss of schools as safe spaces for vulnerable kids only weeks after the ucp announced a controversial gender pronouns policy that they say puts a wedge between lgbtq+ students and teachers.
teachers, parents and academics worry schools are already being enveloped in a culture of fear and mistrust, well before this fall when the policy is implemented, requiring teachers to notify and get consent from parents to alter the name or pronouns of a student under 15 years, and to notify parents of students aged 16 and 17.
even the much-celebrated and protective gsas (gay-straight alliances) — clubs created by students and led by trusted adults to support lgbtq+ kids in schools — are at risk of being lost as students question the potential risks now associated with joining them, advocates say.
“i’m worried — it’s going to be so long between now and when this legislation would be introduced, it’s having a real chilling effect on schools, the culture, relationships between students and teachers, and the overall ability to provide safe, inclusive spaces for students,” said jason schilling, president of the alberta teachers’ association.
“if you’re a student, you might be thinking twice about whether to start up a gsa or not, there’s that potential now to second guess that. and it’s a shame, because gsas are supposed to be those really safe spaces, places of support where students can really connect with their allies.”
krista li, a parent whose grade 9 child identifies as queer, agrees, saying protections are being eroded, and lgbtq+ kids are no longer asking to form gsas, or joining them.
“kids are already afraid to join gsas, because they’re afraid they’ll be outed to their families,” li said.
“we know this is happening, and this is already an at-risk community, kids who are at risk of suicide and mental health issues.”
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li argues protections around gsas were rolled back in 2019, when the ucp, then led by premier jason kenney, introduced a new education act where teachers and principals were no longer required to “immediately” form gsas when students requested them.
advocates at the time said it would mean principals, especially in conservative, rural areas of the province, could easily put off gsa formation until students eventually gave up.
now, li said, as the debate around gender identity extends to giving parents the right to be notified of their child’s gender identity, students have lost schools as safe spaces.
“under the guise of parental rights, we are removing children’s rights.
“so now, for these vulnerable kids, it becomes a question of, ‘do i out myself at school? do i keep quiet? will i get in trouble? how will it be interpreted?
“instead of a place of safety, schools are almost like a place of surveillance now. and that’s a tragedy, because we know that not all families are safe, not all families are happy, not all families are caring.”
li adds students that her family knows, who also identify as lgbtq+, are afraid to speak with their parents about their gender identity.
“i look around at my child’s friends, i know there are kids who are gay, bi and queer and they dare not speak out at home, because they hear the rhetoric, that it’s wrong, it’s sinful or they’re hearing jokes about it,” li says.
“schools, for them, were the only safe space left. and now that’s gone too.”
michael kehler is a professor in the faculty of education at u of c who specializes in masculinity and gender studies.
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michael kehler, a professor and gender studies specialist at the university of calgary’s werklund school of education, argues the gender pronouns policy not only reduces a school’s ability to provide critical safe spaces like gsas, but erodes their ability to give vulnerable students a voice.
“this policy, if it comes into play, will deeply affect teachers’ authority and teachers’ ability to create welcoming and safe spaces for students.” kehler said.
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“it will have a chilling effect on how teachers will be able to respond to student need, and how confident students will be in confiding in their teachers and turning to them as a source of support.”
kehler adds that teachers, classrooms, even gsas are a critical part of students’ everyday lives, giving them spaces to talk about their lives and where they see themselves in the world.
“they often have conversations in these spaces that they might not have with their parents.
“but if students begin to question teachers’ allegiance to them, and know teachers are obligated to inform the school about pronoun usage, it really erodes the relationships that teachers can have with students.”
premier danielle smith’s announcement around gender identity included a series of new policies regarding children and lgbtq+ rights, including bans on gender reassignment surgery for those under 17, on hormone therapy for children aged 15 and under, as well as limits on sports participation for transgender athletes.
ucp officials have said they will spend the next several months reaching out to stakeholders around the policy, including parent notifications on gender pronouns in schools.
kehler called the announcement a troubling pivot for smith, recalling a passionate speech she made in the legislature nearly a decade ago as leader of the wildrose party.
in december 2014, smith made an emotional plea for lgbtq+ kids and gsas, referencing the unfairness around students being told they could not have a gsa in a rural community, or a child beaten by a father because of their gender identity.
smith also suggested children can make individual decisions about their autonomy, their sexuality and their education well before the age of 18.
smith argued in the legislature: “at the age of 12, a child, if they’ve got a split home, can choose to live with mom or dad. so we recognize a child as young as 12 can choose which parent they want to live with.
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“at age 14, they can choose to have sex as long as it’s with someone within a close age to them and not somebody who is in a position of authority over them,” smith continued.
“at age 16, they can become emancipated from their parents to make entire educational decisions on their own. so there is with these children, somewhere in the age of sexual maturity, somewhere above the age of 14, when they’re in high school, where they really have the ability and right to be able to make their own decisions about the kind of support that they feel they need to feel accepted.”
yet today smith argues that youth must be 18 years of age before they can even choose a different name or gender pronoun without their parents being notified.
in the past week, she has defended the new policy by arguing “parents love their children” and that cases where a parent does not support a child’s gender identity are extremely rare and can be handled by alberta child services.
medeana moussa, spokeswoman for the support our students advocacy group, says smith’s proposed legislation is simply an “anti-lgbtq” policy that erodes the mutual trust between teachers and students that is critical in creating safe spaces like gsas.
“this proposed legislation will make schools less safe for many children,” she says.
“there is a direct correlation between positive educational outcomes and students having a safe and caring environment with a sense of belonging to learn in.
“the proposed legislation is aiming to pit parents against teachers and will leave vulnerable children without sufficient supports to help them navigate what is always a challenging time for youth.”
but moussa and other advocates say the erosion of safety in schools extends beyond the gender pronouns policy, arguing government underfunding has already cut back important resources like counselling and mental health supports.
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schilling agreed, explaining huge enrolment spikes in the past two years have created unmanageable class sizes which prevent teachers from building the relationships that give students the emotional supports they need.
“teaching is all about building relationships. but when your class sizes get so big, it becomes a real struggle for teachers to build the relationships kids need to feel safe and to feel like they are in a trusted and secure space.”
alberta education has argued they invested a historic high of $8 billion in funding to school boards in last year’s ucp budget, as well as an additional $30 million in funding last fall for increased growth through the supplemental enrolment growth grant.
as well, education minister demtetrios nicolaides said implementation of the new gender pronouns policy will still require consultation and feedback from various stakeholders.
“over the next few months, i will be engaging on how to implement these policies to best support students,” he said.
“i’ve already had discussions with the minister’s youth council earlier this month, many school boards across the province, the ata, and other education partners.
“more information will be shared when it is available.”
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