Prince Albert Pride says it will also ban Sask. Party MLAs from attending events
Saskatoon not banning, but says they support the actions taken
Prince Albert Pride says it will follow in the footsteps of Queen City Pride in Regina and ban MLAs from the Saskatchewan Party and Saskatchewan United Party from any of its events.
Pride organizations in Regina and Prince Albert made similar decisions in response to the Sask. Party government's pronoun policy — Bill 137 — which requires parental consent before a child under 16 can use a different gender-related name or pronoun at school.
Critics of the bill, which was passed in October 2023 after a 40-hour emergency debate in the legislature, have said the legislation will harm students who do not have supportive families.
On Monday, Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill told reporters he thinks the ban in Regina is unfortunate, but said he's content with where his government landed in terms of the bill.
Prince Albert Pride has said it will not welcome any MLAs at pride festivities unless the politicians publicly denounce the pronoun policy.
Chelsea Bleau, the organization's chair, said Prince Albert Pride is run by a board of queer people whose mission is to serve other queer people.
"Anybody who isn't an ally and [is] hetero and cis[gender] — they're not necessarily the people that we serve as a Pride organization, so we're not obligated to include those people if we don't want to," they said.
WATCH | Sask. education minister reacts to Queen City Pride ban:
The board and people they serve are directly affected by the pronoun policy and the discourse around it, said Bleau.
"It has created an extremely hostile environment, especially in school environments in the province."
Bleau said the Sask. Party's actions only serve to fuel increasing transphobia happening across North America.
"When the bill was passed, it made it rise even more in Saskatchewan, and this really, really affects the mental health of two-spirit, trans and non-binary or gender diverse people, regardless of age."
Beyond the hostility, Bleau said the policy has a negative effect on the mental health and gender dysphoria of youth in classrooms who can't be called by their name or pronouns.
Bleau said they welcome any politicians who want to discuss Prince Albert Pride's decision or the implications of the pronoun policy to come meet with them in Prince Albert, "so we can open a conversation that is hopefully very educational, where we can show them exactly how this affects us."
Saskatoon Pride uses vetting process
While Saskatoon Pride is taking a different approach, the organization said it supports Queen City Pride's decision to ban Sask. Party politicians from Pride events.
"I'm a trans person that was outed in high school, and so I understand what the Parental Bill of Rights will do to queer youth. It is really very heavy," said Saskatoon Pride's Blake Tait.
"I personally think that they're very valid in that decision and making sure that, you know, the parade is safe and that the people walking in the parade are legitimately allies to the community."
Saskatoon Pride's approach is that any organization, including political parties, must pass a rigorous vetting process by its parade values committee.
The committee scrutinizes every application "to make sure the people that we have walking in the parade all around are allies for the community and that they understand that our parade is not a marketing opportunity," Tait said.
Applicants must answer questions about how they support the queer community with their policies and procedures, how their spaces are accessible, and their anti-racism practices.
"It's more than just about, 'Are you OK with queer people?'"
Tait said even if the Sask. Party applies, it's unlikely the political party would score well on the application process given their policies.
He said one of the most important questions Saskatoon Pride asks organizations who want to participate is about their intention — what walking in the parade means to them.
"For a lot of these organizations, it does genuinely mean a lot for them to be able to walk in a parade and show their support and solidarity, and to represent their queer team members and queer family members," Tait said.
"I think Pride is especially important in Saskatchewan this year because our queer youth deserve to know there are people out there who love them and care about them, regardless of who they are and how they identify."
Rise in 2SLGBTQ+ hate: expert
Chris Kennedy, board director of the advocacy organization PFLAG Canada, said there are several developments pointing toward rising 2SLGBTQ+ hate rising in Canada.
"Violence, harassment and abuse are routine in the lived experiences of trans and gender-diverse communities nationwide," he said.
"Stats Canada, for instance, continues to report an increase in reported hate crimes against the queer community, and CSIS is now warning that the anti-queer movement here in Canada poses a threat of extreme violence."
Kennedy said the federal government has failed to take action, and said actions in the wrong direction from several provincial governments, including Saskatchewan's and Alberta's, are reasons to ask more of elected officials.
"These policies violate transgender people's constitutional rights and would lead to irreparable harm and suffering among transgender youth," he said.
"Many of the premiers across the country are playing politics with some of the most vulnerable members of our community, attacking them for cheap political points."