A teen holds up a protest sign in front of Balfour Collegiate in Regina after several teens walked out of class Tuesday afternoon to protest the pronoun policy that will soon be law in Saskatchewan. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

By CJME News; Lisa Schick

Upset Students

Saskatchewan teens walk out of class to protest pronoun policy

Oct 17, 2023 | 5:13 PM

With many wearing flags and waving signs, students walked out of class Tuesday afternoon to show their frustration and displeasure with the government’s soon-to-be law around pronouns in schools.

In Regina, around two dozen students walked out of Balfour Collegiate.

Salem, 16, is pansexual, trans and asexual.

“I wanted people to see how much this is affecting students because a lot of the students that wanted to come weren’t able to come because of the fact that they were scared,” they explained.

Salem called the policy stupid, saying it disregards the feelings of trans students.

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“It’s just sad because a lot of these students can’t be themselves now and they’re losing that because of this pronoun policy … They won’t be able to be themselves in the safest environment that they’ve had for years,” said Salem.

They said it’s terrifying to see these rules being made about them without them.

“Every day you can wake up and feel like you’re scared because what if something new gets passed? What if something completely different gets passed and you’re terrified because you won’t be able to have a say on it because you’re not over 18?” they said.

Avery, 16, changed their name and pronouns a couple of years ago and said it immediately improved their life.

“Before, I was really quite depressed. It was really quite painful to just go through the day not being seen for who I am,” said Avery.

“This policy is going to take away the right of some people to just be seen as who they are, which is really dangerous – it’s dangerous for kids’ mental health. There’s a reason why transgender children have a much higher suicide rate, because oftentimes we aren’t accepted for who we are.”

Avery said kids should have the right to explore their gender and that it’s not dangerous.

They believe the goal of policies like this is to scapegoat trans people and force them out of public spaces.

“I think we need to put a stop on this anti-trans trajectory before it gets too far, because I’m afraid for my rights and I’m afraid for the rights of my fellow trans people,” Avery said.

Some teens made their way to the front steps of the Legislature to try to get their voices to those making the decisions.

Signs were set up on the sidewalk in front of the Legislature as teens protested the soon-to-be passed pronoun policy. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

Maxwell, 17, said the government is trying to back up the policy with the claim of parents’ rights, but said it’s actually disrespecting children’s autonomy.

They said since the policy was first announced and school started, the year has been hectic. Maxwell said they and their friends have been harassed at school.

“Over my four years that I’ve been in high school I have not once experienced this amount of harassment, but now that this (policy) is being put in place, it has almost given this breeding ground for hatred in young people,” they said.

They believe the policy is giving kids licence to single out trans kids.

Maxwell was one of about 40 teens at the legislature.

“I’m really hoping that with all the work that we have been doing, this policy will no longer be in play and that it will be not even be discussed whether it should be passed or not,” they said.

NDP MLAs Aleana Young and Jared Clarke took a break from the marathon debate that was happening inside the Legislative Assembly at that time, and invited the teens inside to the gallery to watch the proceedings.

NDP MLAs Aleana Young and Jared Clarke invite teen protesters into the Legislature’s gallery to watch part of the marathon debate on the pronoun policy legislation they were protesting. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)