Two 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy organizations are launching a court challenge against the Alberta government’s name and pronoun restrictions, which came into effect in the province’s schools this week.
Egale Canada and Alberta’s Skipping Stone Foundation are seeking a judge’s order declaring sections of Alberta’s Education Amendment Act (or Bill 27) related to pronouns and gender-related name changes to be unconstitutional.
The organizations are in the process of filing the documents at the Calgary Courts Centre.
The new laws require children under the age of 16 to have parental consent to change their names or pronouns at school.
Students who are 16 or 17 won’t need permission, but schools will need to let their parents know first that their child has requested a change.
The law came into effect on Sept. 1, 2025, the day before most children in the province began school.
“Alberta has put gender diverse young people in a lose-lose situation: either be outed by the government, or be misgendered and misnamed at school,” said Adam Goldenberg, a lawyer with law firm McCarthy Tétrault, which is representing Egale.
Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides declined to comment on the court action.
“As this matter is in front of the courts it would be inappropriate to comment at this time,” said the minister in a brief statement emailed to CBC News.
Injunction ordered
In January 2024, Premier Danielle Smith first announced the school policy changes alongside two other pieces of transgender-related legislation: banning transgender athletes from competing in female sports divisions and prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care to youth.
Egale and Skipping Stone launched a court challenge to the health care bill. In June, a Calgary judge issued a temporary injunction against the province’s law banning doctors from providing gender-affirming care to children under the age of 16.
Justice Allison Kuntz found that the law – not yet fully in effect – raises serious issues that need to be hashed out in court, and issued a temporary injunction pending a full hearing on the matter.
The province is appealing the injunction.
