Calgary duo Tegan and Sara call out Alberta government on stage at Junos

Alberta’s controversial proposed legislation on children and transgender rights made its way onstage at the Juno Awards in Halifax on Sunday.

Calgary-born indie pop duo Tegan and Sara Quin received the Humanitarian Award for their work through the Tegan and Sara Foundation which its website says “[fights] for economic justice, health, and representation for LGBTQ girls and women.”

In their acceptance speech, the twin musicians took aim at the province’s United Conservative government and one of its most recent proposed policies.

“We are dedicated to confronting any form of discrimination that threatens the well-being of our community, threats like the Alberta government’s attempt to prevent trans youth from accessing vital care,” the pair said. “These attacks are harmful because they are directed at the kids who need our support the most.”

Earlier this year, Premier Danielle Smith announced plans to bring in a ban on gender reassignment surgery for those 17 and under, and ban puberty blockers or hormone therapies for the purposes of surgery for anyone 15 and under, unless they’ve already started the procedures.

Parents would also have to give consent for students 15 and under who want to change their names or pronouns at school. Students aged 16 and 17 wouldn’t need consent from their parents, but they would have to be notified.

There would also be new restrictions on transgender athletes competing in women’s and girls’ sports

The pair went on to say the journey towards equality and acceptance adds meaning to their lives and careers.

“We are so grateful, we love being gay — so gay,” they said.

In a statement to CityNews, Smith’s press secretary Sam Blackett didn’t directly address the comments made by Tegan and Sara, instead highlighting the hallmarks of the proposed legislation.

“The government is introducing these policies across several ministries to preserve the choices children and youth have before potentially making life-altering and often irreversible adult decisions,” he said. “To reaffirm our support for the transgender community, we are also providing additional supports to assist transgender adults to secure the health care they need like bringing medical professionals who specialize in transgender care to Alberta.

“We’re also developing a private registry of medical professionals who specialize in this field to make it easier for transgender Albertans to access needed medical treatment and care. Additionally, we’re developing a counselling pilot project to help youth identifying as transgender and their families work through often difficult and complex issues and discussions.”