(Photo Credit: Sam Ellwood)

By Nathaniel Leigh

Student Walkout

Grande Prairie Composite High School students participate in walk-out protest of youth transgender policy changes

Feb 9, 2024 | 11:39 AM

Students at Grande Prairie Composite High School participated in a school walkout in support of transgender youth Wednesday morning.

Organizer Sam Ellwood, whose pronouns are She/They, says approximately 20 youth walked out of the school around 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday as a peaceful protest against legislation proposed by Premier Danielle Smith.

“It was the beliefs of the protesters that what was proposed by the UCP was a harmful policy that would be putting transgender and queer youth into harms way,” Ellwood says. “And we wouldn’t stand for that.”

Smith announced last week policies including banning puberty blockers and hormone therapies for children 15 and under for the purpose of gender reassignment or affirmation.

Smith also suggests in proposed legislation that children 15 and under not be allowed to change being called their preferred names or pronouns at school without parental/guardian consent, and students 16 and older would not need consent, but would have their parents/guardians notified

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Ellwood says the walkout was an entirely student-run event.

(Photo Credit: Sam Ellwood)

“It was also pretty last minute because there were other ones happening in the province, so it was planned around that,” they say.

“If I had more time I would have liked to get a teacher involved, because I believe organizing with a teacher would have been more influential because teachers genuinely talk to more students who may be interested. Otherwise it’s really just grassroots organizing.”

Ellwood and their classmates were encouraged to participate in the walkout by the Peace Country Progressive Alliance, who have also been campaigning against Smith’s proposed policies.

(Photo Credit: Peace Country Progressive Alliance)

“We had one of the more higher up organizers drive by a few times to watch and make sure everything was ok,” they said.

“It was just seen as generally a positive interaction and a positive sign that we could rally together like that in such a way, and that there were definitely people who are against the proposed policies.”

The PCPA congratulated the students on their walk-out and is also inviting residents to attend a rally for literacy & inclusion taking place on February 18.