WESTLOCK — The provincial government's announcement of a new parental rights policy is not being welcomed by all Albertans.
Eighteen-year-old Shaylin Lussier, a member of the R.F. Staples School’s gay-straight alliance (GSA), Thunder Alliance, says many members of both the GSA and the 2SLGBTQI+ community are now fearful for their safety.
“My initial reaction was disgust. In full honesty, I was disturbed,” said Lussier, whose preferred pronouns are she and him. “I thought it was blatant disregard for our trans and LGBTQIA2S+ students. I thought it was just appalling.”
She said there is much concern and fear, especially from the younger GSA members.
“A lot of us are under the age of 15 and some of us are younger. I’ve heard (they're) terrified,” she said.
Lussier said she’s not aware of any concrete plans to rally or protest the policy either as a GSA or with members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, especially since it is so new, but did say “there’s been a lot of talk” since the announcement.
Lussier came out about six years ago when she was 12 years old and said she is thankful for the support she had from both friends and family members.
“I was lucky enough to have a family that did support me for who I was,” said Lussier, noting friends were just as supportive.
Looking back, if there was a policy in place six years ago, her journey might have been a different one.
“If that policy would have been in place when I was growing up I think I would have been even more scared because you have to really watch your step of who you can tell,” she said, pointing out the fear that youth could have if someone accidentally tells someone else, with such a policy in place. “I think I would have been terrified to say anything even more so. My parents were supportive but even thinking about that, I don’t think I would have come out.”
The impact of the new policy will be “harsh”, said Lussier.
“Because of all of this it feels scary,” she added noting she worries for the younger students. “Knowing we have so many younger members who don’t feel safe coming out to their families and who don’t feel safe being who they are. They know they have a safe space within this school and that is now being taken away and it’s really heartbreaking,” she said.
2SLGBTQI+ students at the school know who they are safe with and know “when they go home at the end of the day if they are safe to be themselves or not” and if they choose not to come out yet, that is their choice because “they know exactly what their life is,” noted Lussier.
“These blanket decisions being made by Danielle Smith (and her government), they don’t know anything about these kids lives. These kids could be genuinely put in danger,” said Lussier, adding that she tries to make herself a safe space for youth, if they need somewhere to go or someone to talk to she is “always there for them.”
Lussier said if the premier wanted to work with queer children (within the scope of the new policy) she would have reached out and talked with them. Lussier wishes there was more input from GSA’s and the 2SLGBTQI+ community on the policy and stressed that “no child feels safe under this (policy). No trans children feel safe.”
Moving forward, Lussier said there’s “going to have to be some long conversations about how to protect our kids.”
“I think that’s going to be a huge thing, how can we make sure that while abiding by this policy, we make sure that these kids are going home safe.”
Both Nicky Vranas, Thunder Alliance teacher lead at R.F. Staples School and Pembina Hills School Division student and family advocate Heidi Mills, are choosing not to comment on the policy at this time.
