Skate Canada’s move as the first sports federation to announce it will no longer hold national- and international-level events in Alberta due to the province’s legislation on transgender people’s participation in sports did not come as a surprise to some who know the organization well. 

“Skate Canada’s been working for years to shorten and make the gap smaller between these groups of people that don’t feel welcome,” said two-time Olympic ice dancer Kaitlyn Weaver, who identifies as queer. 

It’s a sentiment shared by Kurt Weaver (no relation), executive director of You Can Play, a group that advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion in sports.