Calgarians rally for Trans Day of Remembrance, protest Alberta’s notwithstanding clause

Hundreds of Calgarians gathered at the McDougall Centre on Thursday for a special cause: the Trans Day of Remembrance, a day to honour the lives of transgender people lost to violence. For many, the message is beyond remembrance — it’s a call to action and a protest against the Alberta government’s recent decision to invoke the notwithstanding clause on legislation impacting transgender youth that the courts had previously blocked.

“We’re here to not only protest Danielle Smith’s use of the notwithstanding clause to enact Bills 26, 27 and 29 and Bill 9, but also protest actually using that notwithstanding clause and fighting for trans rights,” said Karrie-Lynn Sparvier, a Two-Spirit trans woman and knowledge keeper.

CityNews also spoke to two students who say they came to the rally to support fellow trans youth as they feel its disruptive and heartbreaking to see that this clause has been used recklessly, and it’s causing irreparable damage to so many like vulnerable people.

Chanting slogans and holding placards, the atmosphere was electric at the event, where hundreds of people from all walks of life and ages came together to support the trans community.

Victoria Bucholtz, event organizer with Queer Citizens United and Momentum Canada, is very firm in her stance on the subject, and what she wants to see from the province.

“We want you to withdraw the notwithstanding clause. We want you to stop Bills 26, 27 and 29 and return trans healthcare and trans pronoun usage and supporting back to the people actually at the heart of this,” she said. “There was no problem, There is no problem — Danielle Smith is making one. She’s politicizing our very small, already marginalized community, and we’re asking her to stop immediately.”

It was a busy day for many of these Calgarians as they also wrote letters to government officials to raise their voice and show support for the trans community.

Organizers say they hope the message reaches beyond the steps of the McDougall Centre… that remembrance must be paired with action.