Homosexuality
    ✔ Legal
    Gay Marriage
    ✔ Legal
    Censorship
    ✔ No censorship
    Changing Gender
    ✔ Legal, no restrictions
    Gender-Affirming Care
    ✔ Legal
    Non-Binary Gender Recognition
    ✔ Recognized
    Discrimination
    ✔ Illegal
    Employment Discrimination
    ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
    Housing Discrimination
    ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
    Adoption
    ✔ Legal
    Intersex Infant Surgery
    ✖ Not banned
    Military
    ✔ Legal
    Donating Blood
    ✔ Legal
    Conversion Therapy
    ✔ Banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal
💬 Join Equaldex's LGBTQ+ Discord to discuss LGBT rights and chat!

Surveys in Alberta have shown mixed views towards LGBTQ+ rights and issues.

Survey

(Fondation , 2020)
of Albertans would be okay with a family member marrying someone of the same-sex

Support for same-sex parents

(Fondation , 2014)
Believe same-sex parents are as good as opposite-sex parents

Perception of LGBTQ+ People

Survey results from 8 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited Alberta.

Overall

Overall

Perceived Safety*

Feel safe being open
Absence of verbal harassment
Absence of threats and violence
*Survey results represent personal perceptions of safety and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.

Equal Treatment

Treatment by peers
Treatment by family
Treatment at work
Treatment at school
Treatment by general public
Treatment by businesses
Treatment by law enforcement
Treatment by religious groups

Visibility & Representation

Inclusion in education
Representation in entertainment
Representation in news
Political support
Out public figures

Culture

Pride/events
Nightlife
Dating life
Interest groups and clubs

Services

Health and wellness
Gender-affirming care
Support and social services
Advocacy and legal

History

Homosexual activity in Alberta

?

Homosexual activity in Alberta is legal.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 1969
Legal
under the criminal law amendment act.
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Same-sex marriage in Alberta

?

Same-sex marriage in Alberta is legal.

Current status
Since Jul 20, 2005
Legal
The Civil Marriage Act was passed at a federal level, overriding provincial marriage law.
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Until Jul 19, 2005
Unrecognized
There was no recognition of same-sex marriage in Alberta before the federal ruling.
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Censorship of LGBT issues in Alberta

?

Censorship of LGBT issues in Alberta is no censorship.

Current status
No censorship
In Alberta, there are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics.
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Right to change legal gender in Alberta

?

Right to change legal gender in Alberta is legal, no restrictions.

Current status
Since Apr 23, 2014
Legal, no restrictions
Application requires a letter from a psychiatrist, a commissioned for oaths letter from the applicant, and $20. The Vital Statistics Act's surgical requirement was defeated in court.
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Gender-affirming care in Alberta

?

Gender-affirming care in Alberta is legal.

Current status
Since 2000
Legal
Alberta covers the following procedures:
-Phalloplasty
-Metoidioplasty
-Vaginoplasty
-Hysterectomy and ovary removal
-Breast augmentation and mastectomy (patient must get pre-approval)
-Voice therapy

Hormones are covered under the Alberta Drug Benefit List.

To be eligible, patients must be diagnosed with gender dysphoria by two physicians licensed in Alberta.
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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Alberta

?

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Alberta is recognized.

Current status
Since Jun 8, 2018
Recognized
Residents of Alberta can ask for an X gender marker on their IDs and birth certificates.
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Until Jun 7, 2018
Not legally recognized
Before June 8th, 2018, non-binary identities were not legally recognized in Alberta.
Sources:
No sources, see current status for when it got legalized.
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LGBT discrimination in Alberta

?

LGBT discrimination in Alberta is illegal.

Current status
Since Mar 10, 2015
Illegal
In Bill 10, a bill ensuring the right of students to form gay-straight alliances in Alberta schools, amendments were added before it was passed adding protection of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to the Alberta Bill of Rights. Bill 10 goes into effect on June 1, 2015.

The Alberta Human Rights Act has not yet been explicitly modified to include gender identity and gender expression, though they continue to be read in implicitly by the Alberta Human Rights Commission.
Oct 1, 2009–Mar 10, 2015
Illegal in some contexts
There remains no explicit protection of transgender people under the Act, though the Alberta Human Rights Commission reads in transgender rights under "gender".
Apr 2, 1998–Oct 1, 2009
Illegal in some contexts
Sexual orientation had been read-in as a protected ground in spite of no explicit mention in the law during this span. Reading-in of transgender under "gender" is a more recent development.

LGBT employment discrimination in Alberta

?

LGBT employment discrimination in Alberta is sexual orientation and gender identity.

Current status
Since Oct 1, 2017
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Since June 1, 2015. Also under Bill C-16. As well there is a hate crime unit investigating complaints.
Oct 1, 2009–Jan 1, 2017
Sexual orientation only
Sexual orientation has been explicitly protected since 2009 in the Alberta Human Rights Act. Gender identity is read-in by the Alberta Human Rights Commission under "gender" though it is not explicit in the Act, however a lengthy tribunal process makes this implicit protection inaccessible to many Albertans.
Apr 2, 1998–Oct 1, 2009
Sexual orientation only
Sexual orientation was not included in the Alberta Human Rights act until 2009 but was "read in" by the Alberta Human Rights Commission since 1998.
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LGBT housing discrimination in Alberta

?

LGBT housing discrimination in Alberta is sexual orientation and gender identity.

Current status
Since Oct 1, 2017
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Under the Bill 7 of Alberta legislature. As well under Bill C-16.
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Oct 1, 2009–Jan 1, 2017
Sexual orientation only
Sexual orientation is officially a protected group. While not explicit in the law, the Alberta Human Rights Commission reads in transgender rights under "gender", but lengthy tribunal process makes this implicit protection inaccessible to many Albertans.

Same-sex adoption in Alberta

?

Same-sex adoption in Alberta is legal.

Current status
Legal
under the albert human rights code.
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Intersex infant surgery in Alberta

?

Intersex infant surgery in Alberta is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
Currently there are no laws banning or monitoring genital surgeries on intersex infants in Alberta.
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Serving openly in military in Alberta

?

Serving openly in military in Alberta is legal.

Current status
Since Oct 10, 1992
Legal
Under federal jurisdiction.

Blood donations by MSMs in Alberta

?

Blood donations by MSMs in Alberta is legal.

Current status
Since Sep 30, 2022
Legal
Following Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
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Jun 3, 2019–Sep 30, 2022
Banned (less than 6-month deferral)
Following the Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
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Jun 20, 2016–Jun 3, 2019
Banned (1-year deferral)
Following Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
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May 22, 2013–Jun 20, 2016
Banned (5-year deferral)
Following Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
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1977–May 22, 2013
Banned (indefinite deferral)
Following Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
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Conversion therapy in Alberta

?

Conversion therapy in Alberta is banned.

Current status
Since Jan 7, 2022
Banned
Banned federally.
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Jul 8, 2019–Jan 7, 2022
Varies by Region
Some municipalities in Alberta, including Calgary, banned the practice, but not the province as a whole.

St. Albert became the first municipality to ban it in 2019.
Until Jul 8, 2019
Not banned
Before 2019, there were no conversion therapy bans in place in Alberta.
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Equal age of consent in Alberta

?

Equal age of consent in Alberta is equal.

Current status
Since Jun 21, 2019
Equal
Under federal legislation.
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Until Jun 20, 2019
Unequal
Under federal jurisdiction.
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