Transgender People are People First

Did you know that approximately 1% of the world’s population are transgender? In the 2021 census in Canada, of those age 15 and older, less than 1% identified as transgender/non-binary: 0.19% identified as transgender and 0.14% identified as non-binary. The data shows that out of the 4.2 million Albertans aged 15 and older, 99.63 per cent are cisgender, meaning they identify the same as their sex at birth. That means that only a fraction of one per cent of Albertans, 7,305, are transgender Albertans — 3,420 transgender men and 3,880 transgender women. Another 5,170 Albertans are non-binary, meaning they may identify as gender-fluid, queer or Two-Spirit. Keep in mind that some people will not come out as transgender or non-binary because they do not feel safe doing so. The proposed Alberta government policies will have the effect of making it feel less safe to be openly transgender or non-binary.