Reflecting on a Year of Activism

Now that I've settled into life with a baby, I've had a moment to catch my breath and look back at some of the other significant parts of 2024—namely my involvement in Alberta's new trans-related legislation.

I'd like to start by pointing out that I believe my role to be minimal, in the grand scheme of things. The government consulted very widely with many different individuals and groups. But I did have at least a small role to play, and I'm proud of that.

It actually all started in November 2023, when my friends Lois and James and I got to meet with Premier Danielle Smith to discuss some of our concerns. We were all so giddy in the few days leading up to it, and it's still one of the coolest moments of my life.

To my pleasant surprise, the Premier announced the proposed trans-related policies early last year. I then attended two roundtable discussions about the policies, one in Edmonton in February and one in Calgary in August.

"You're Going to Make Kids Commit Suicide" — A Histrionic Roundtable in Edmonton

A Positive and Productive Roundtable Discussion with Premier Danielle Smith

After the legislation was announced in October, I also got an op-ed in support of the legislation and the Premier published in the Calgary Herald! The funny thing is that my water broke not 24 hours later so it was kind of driven from my mind, but I wanted to document it here for posterity’s sake because I gotta say, that was pretty neat.

The legislation was then finally introduced on October 31. I was asked to attend the legislature that day via an email that I received during labor. So, of course, I was not able to make it, but I felt a huge sense of accomplishment nonetheless. It actually felt far more right that I should be at home with my new baby girl on that day, since my hope is that this legislation will protect her as she grows up. All three bills were then passed in early December.

People have asked me how I ended up involved in all of this, often because they are trying to get their own politicians to listen.