An Alberta woman will face an eight-day human rights hearing over a flyer she distributed opposing a rainbow crosswalk and raising concerns about transgender ideology.
The Alberta Human Rights Tribunal hearing against Westlock resident Benita Pedersen begins Monday.
Pedersen distributed the two-sided flyer in June 2023 after learning that the Town of Westlock planned to paint a rainbow crosswalk incorporating colours from the transgender pride flag.
The front urged residents to “Say NO to the rainbow crosswalk in Westlock” and provided instructions for contacting municipal officials and attending a council meeting.
The reverse side contained stronger language about transgender ideology, children and medical transitions. It described certain treatments as “chemical castration and genital mutilation” and claimed that children could be left “infertile and unable to reproduce.”
The flyer alleged that “the transgender agenda is part of the de-population agenda, which is part of Agenda 2030.”
Pedersen said those statements were some of the passages used to argue she was inciting hatred.
Councillor Laurie Hodge filed a complaint against Pedersen in June 2023, alleging that the flyer violated the Alberta Human Rights Act for gender expression and gender identity discrimination.
This allegation has not yet been decided by the tribunal.
In October 2025, the director of the Alberta Human Rights Commission referred the complaint to the Tribunal under the section restricting certain public communications that indicate discrimination or are likely to expose people to hatred or contempt based on a protected characteristic.
Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms will represent Pedersen. According to the Justice Centre, the hearing could involve as many as 15 witnesses and competing expert evidence about gender dysphoria, medical transition, and the health of youth and marginalized populations.
The Commission previously sought to exclude most of Pedersen’s proposed witnesses on the grounds that their evidence was irrelevant. The Tribunal rejected that request in July, according to the Justice Centre.
Pedersen has previously helped develop a UCP policy resolution calling on Alberta’s human rights bodies to apply fair and proportionate procedures while giving freedom of expression the widest possible interpretation.
Multiple UCP constituency associations are sponsoring the resolution, according to Pedersen. Party members are expected to begin ranking policy proposals on Sept. 18, with the highest-ranked resolutions advancing to the party’s November convention.
Juno News contacted the Alberta Human Rights Commission and Hodge for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Why is there even a "Tribunal"? This sounds like something you would find in a Communist Country where they suppress speech, and only allow what the comrades permit. We suspect that these things are highly prejudicial and political. If something is illegal it should be dealt with by the courts, and not some feel good political kangaroo court.
Provided all information is factually accurate anyone should be able to speak their mind. Hurting someone’s feelings shouldn’t matter. Remember the old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me”.