Students protest Bill 9. Then, at least 1,000 activists, advocates and supporters rally downtown

Calgary students walked out of class on Thursday to protest the Alberta government's legislation on transgender children.

Many Calgarians let their feelings about the Alberta government’s legislation on transgender children be known on Thursday.

Students from Westmount Charter School in the city’s northwest walked out of class to show their opposition to Bill 9.

“We just want other people in the school (and) we want people in the community to be aware that this is an issue, and to encourage them to stand up for us,” Westmount student Sammy Brigden said.

The legislation was tabled earlier this week.

The province invoked the notwithstanding clause to override Charter rights with regard to sweeping restrictions, including:

• A ban on hormone therapy for youth under 16 years of age and gender-affirming surgery for those under 18;
• Required parental consent for pronoun changes in schools;
• Making sexual-health classes “opt-in” only; and
• Barring trans athletes over 12 years of age from competing in female sports, requiring proof of gender at birth.

The UCP said it consulted teachers, doctors and coaches on the legislation.

Students who walked out of class on Thursday said they want to have their voices heard.

“(This is) to unite as a community and stand for our trans peers,” Brigden said.

“It’s just protest—we’re tired of sitting down and watching the government trample our rights.”

The UCP government leaning on the notwithstanding clause for Bill 9 marked the second time in less than a month it has done so.

The first was to force teachers back to work following a weeks-long strike.

Both times, the province said it had little choice but to turn to the notwithstanding clause, as children’s well-being was at stake.

Thursday also marked the Trans Day of Remembrance, which commemorates trans people who have died by violence.

Protest of the UCP government’s recent actions continued in the evening.

At least 1,000 activists, advocates and supporters rallied at the McDougall Centre in downtown Calgary.

They chanted, “No to notwithstanding.”

“If one group’s rights are under attack, if one group’s rights are negotiable, anyone’s rights are,” said Victoria Bucholtz with Queer Citizens United and Momentum Canada.

“We’ve seen it with the teachers, (and) we’re seeing it with us.”

Bucholtz said the use of the notwithstanding clause as simply “a force button to ram through” harmful policies sets “a terrifying, terrifying precedent.”

“This is not a democratically responsible government; this is a radical right-wing government pushing its agenda on this province,” Bucholtz said.

With files by CTV’s Kathy Le and The Canadian Press