Alyson Fair, a spokesperson for Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden, argues that using sports "to discriminate against the trans community is wrong and to the detriment of an already vulnerable, excluded, and marginalized community."
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls these measures, which also include mandatory parental disclosure for school pronoun changes and a ban on medical transitions for children under 16, the "most anti-LGBT policies" anywhere in Canada.
Brian Rushfeldt is not surprised that the Liberal government is reportedly "monitoring" the new law that simply requires all female athletes aged 12 and up to submit a form proving they were born female.
"The liberals love the transgenders, the homosexuals, and every other perverted ideology because that's what liberalism is – perverted ideology," Rushfeldt tells American Family News. "It's not much wonder they support that kind of stuff."
He expects there will be legal challenges, but he does not think the Liberals in Ottawa will prevail against the Conservatives in Alberta.
"Politically, Alberta has the right to do exactly what they're doing," he explains. "Education is a provincial issue, it's not federal, and I don't think that even a court is going to stop the provincial government."
According to Vanessa Gomez, a spokesperson for Alberta's Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the law includes robust safeguards against "false and malicious challenges."
"(B)oards of in-scope entities may impose reasonable sanctions against any person who, in the opinion of the board, challenges the eligibility of an athlete in bad faith," she detailed in an email. "Such sanctions may include, but are not limited to, written warnings, code of conduct violations, or any existing policies and procedures that an in-scope entity may have in place."
Internationally, several Olympic sports have instituted strict eligibility rules for athletes.
In the U.S., at least 27 states have laws or regulations that keep males from participating in female sports, primarily at the K-12 and collegiate levels.
Some have been upheld by federal courts, but other have been deemed violations of federal anti-discrimination statutes. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing two cases to determine if these bans violate Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause. A final decision is expected in 2026.
The Biden administration aimed to expand Title IX protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity, but a federal court struck that down just before President Trump's inauguration in January.
He soon took executive action to keep men out of women's sports.
