Gendered change room policy in Sask. schools would put trans kids at risk, say advocates, families
CBC
Some advocates and families in Saskatchewan say trans kids are being used as a political pawn in this year's election campaign, and they're concerned about a campaign promise made by one party this week.
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe said Thursday if re-elected on Oct. 28, his party's "first order of business" would be a policy restricting students to change rooms based on their assigned sex at birth.
"He doesn't care about kids. He doesn't care about making the change room safe, because he's using this as a way to keep specifically trans women out of their correct bathrooms and change rooms," said Wilbur Braidek, a trans teen in Saskatoon.
"It's endangering children more than it's helping children."
Trans girls would particularly be at risk if forced to use the men's change rooms, "because trans women are much more likely to be raped or assaulted," said Braidek.
In making the announcement in Regina, Moe said "there will be a directive that would come from the minister of education that would say that biological boys will not be in the change room with biological girls."
Terms like "biological boys" and "biological girls" can be used to imply that transgender people are still their assigned sex at birth, despite their identity.
The party was just alerted to change room-related concerns "recently," said Moe.
Braidek said if the policy is implemented, trans kids may feel forced to use gender-neutral change rooms, which "could heavily endanger them by outing them."
The 15-year-old Grade 10 student said he knows many trans kids at his school who use washrooms and change rooms interchangeably, and it's never been an issue at his school.
"It's just sad that my entire existence is being debated while I'm just trying to live out my teen years."
Braidek's mother, Jessica Fraser, said Moe's comments are a "dog whistle," trying to pander to a voter base while distracting others from real election issues.
"I just wish he would stop using trans kids to promote his brand," she said.
Moe's announcement came after the news outlet the Western Standard published a story Wednesday featuring a parent saying their daughter had been uncomfortable in a change room with two other students who identified as female, but were assigned male at birth, at a Balgonie, Sask., school.
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