Visiting athletes exempt from Alta. transgender ban in women’s sports

Alberta is rolling out new regulations this fall banning transgender athletes from playing women’s sports, but the province will still welcome out-of-province transgender competitors.

Tourism and Sport Minister Andrew Boitchenko said the discrepancy is out of his hands. “We don’t have authority to regulate athletes from different jurisdictions,” he said.

In a followup statement, ministry spokeswoman Vanessa Gomez said it’s due to outside sporting organizations being bound by out-ofprovince or international guidelines. She said the rules allow the government “to do what is best for Albertan athletes, while also showcasing Alberta as a premier destination for national and international sport events.”

Starting Sept. 1, the province will block transgender athletes from Alberta who are 12 and older from competing in female amateur sports. It’s one of a raft of changes surrounding transgender health, education and sport introduced last year by Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party government.

The laws have sparked polarizing debate. Proponents, including Smith, say it’s about fairness on the playing field, so girls are not battling opponents with biological advantages. Detractors say it’s about stigmatizing and punishing those in the transgender community.

Transgender athlete Allison Hadley said: “If I had the resources to move, honestly, I probably wouldn’t be in Alberta now. We’re here in a province that doesn’t want us to be in the public or exist in many ways.”