A Saskatchewan Human Rights Commissioner Heather Kuttai resigned over Premier Scott Moe’s Parents’ Bill of Rights Act, commonly referred to as the pronoun bill.Kuttai wrote a letter to Moe saying the pronoun bill, which says kids under 16 need their parents' permission to change their names or pronouns at school, is unfair to kids and an attack on transgender and gender-diverse youth.Kuttai has a transgender son.Children’s rights must take precedence over parental obligations, wrote Kuttai.“This decision did not come lightly,” said Kuttai in her letter. “Removing a child’s rights, in the name of ‘parental rights’ is fundamentally anti-trans and harmful.”With the provincial government using the notwithstanding clause to pass the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act, only some children will belong in Saskatchewan, according to Kuttai.“This is something I cannot be a part of, and I will not be associated with a provincial government that takes away the rights of children, especially vulnerable children,” said Kuttai.According to Kuttai, research revealed that sexual minority youth have a higher risk of abuse, violence, and mental health issues. It’s harmful to children to misgender them and out them to their parents before they are ready.“I can’t understand why you and your government would want to be responsible for a system that brings harm to children,” said Kuttai.Kuttai resigned immediately late Monday afternoon and is one of six human rights commissioners for Saskatchewan.Bronwyn Eyre, minister of justice, said she’s sorry that Kuttai is leaving and does not agree with thousands of parents who support the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act.“We have heard from thousands of parents who are in support of the policy,” said Eyre. “Not everyone will agree with that, and I am sorry to hear that she doesn’t.”Jeremy Cockrill, minister of education, said the main reason for the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act is to ensure parents are involved in their children’s education.“We fundamentally believe that parents have an important role to play in those conversations, and so when they’re excluded explicitly or implicitly (from those conversations), that’s something that we need to correct and make sure is consistent across all 27 school divisions,” said Cockrill.Sask NDP leader Carla Beck said it’s the first time in 25 years that a human rights commissioner quit over a bill and called it a “time for reflection for the government.”
