Protesters clashed in front of the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton on Saturday over a controversial bill that establishes new guidelines for gender expression in schools.
Bill 10 was passed in 2015 by the provinceâs then-Conservative government.
The legislation focuses on studentsâ rights to access gay-straight alliances and has led to a push for accommodations, including all-gender washrooms in schools.
School boards across the province have since created policies to implement the new law, based on guidelines provided by the current NDP government.
On Saturday, about 200 members of Edmontonâs LGBTQ community gathered in front of the Alberta Legislature, demanding greater real-life implementation of the bill.
The activists said Bill 10 is a step in the right direction, but discrimination is still rampant in the province.
âThey fear me in the menâs room and they fear me in the womenâs room, and thatâs the whole point. Theyâd rather they didnât have to see me at all,â said Mickey Wilson, a transgender man and the executive director of Edmontonâs Pride Centre.
âWeâre protected here in Alberta already, (but) accommodation is required.â
But across the square, anti-Bill 10 protesters led by the group Parents for Choice in Education argued the law ignores childrenâs family values.
âBill 10 fundamentally and profoundly undermines the parentsâ choice to provide the kind of education that should be given to their children,â said Theresa Ng, one of the groupâs members.
Others at the rally said those with conservative values are the ones facing discrimination.
One man said he accepts that gay and transgender students have rights, but âthe other kids in the school also have rights.â
Wilson said, however, the resistance to the bill can be expected during any rights movement.
âItâs been 25 or 35 years,â he said. âThis is the same argument weâve been having about human rights throughout many identities.â
Support for all-gender washrooms grows in Winnipeg
Meanwhile, LGBTQ activists in Winnipeg are pushing to make all-gender washrooms mandatory.
âThese are necessary things assigned to the times,â Pride Winnipegâs Shandi Strong told CTV Winnipeg. âThese are the (trans) people that are coming to your schools and your businesses and this is the way we have to work.â
Strong said she remembers what it was like to be forced to choose between the men and womenâs washroom.
âYouâre terrified, whichever choice you make,â she said.
But several Winnipeg businesses have already started offering all-gender facilities.
âThere are more than just two genders in the worldâŚso letâs make a safe space for everybody,â said Amanda Kinden, the owner of Oh Doughnuts, a recently opened business that includes a gender-neutral restroom.
Kinden said she doesnât want anyone to feel ostracized.
Others proponents of all-gender washrooms say the facilities are not only inclusive for trans people, but also help parents.
âI have kids and it was something that we always struggled withâŚwhen I want to bring my little boy into the ladiesâ room and people will look strange at that,â Nicole Barry, owner of the Peg Beer Co., said.
The University of Manitoba has also started offering gender-neutral washrooms.
The issue has been pushed into the spotlight in recent weeks.
Last week, the Obama administration said U.S. public schools must permit transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity. The guidance came amid a between the federal government and North Carolina.
With files from CTV Edmonton and CTV Winnipeg