An Alberta woman is set to face the province’s human rights tribunal in a multi-day hearing after she distributed posters opposing a town project to paint a rainbow-themed crosswalk.
Benita Pedersen’s videoconference hearing with the Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is scheduled over eight days between Sept. 14 and Oct. 2. As many as 15 witnesses, including experts from both sides, are expected to testify.
The case stems from June 2023, when Pedersen learned that the Town of Westlock, northwest of Edmonton, planned to paint a rainbow crosswalk incorporating colours of the transgender pride flag, according to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which is funding her legal representation.
Pedersen, a Westlock resident, subsequently created and distributed a flyer encouraging residents to contact local elected officials and oppose the project.
Pedersen said she opposed the project because of concerns about transgender ideology and children’s well-being. She works as a DJ, children’s entertainer, event coordinator and workshop facilitator through her company, All Fired Up Event Services.
“Based on my personal experiences in interacting with parents and children, I have learned that the practice of ‘gender affirmation’ harms kids more than it helps,” she said in a JCCF news release.
The flyer discussed potential consequences of gender transition, including infertility, and encouraged residents who opposed the crosswalk to contact their elected representatives. It also urged residents to “Cancel the rainbow crosswalk.”
Westlock resident Laurie Hodge filed a complaint against Pedersen and All Fired Up Event Services on July 19, 2023, under the Alberta Human Rights Act. Hodge alleged that distributing the flyer constituted discrimination based on gender, gender expression and gender identity.
According to the AHRC, some of statements in the flyer that prompted the complaint included: “The transgender agenda is focused on engaging children in an inappropriate and insidious manner,” “The transgender agenda is part of the de-population agenda,” and references to “Chemical castration and genital mutilation.”
The commission accepted Hodge’s complaint on July 26, 2023. According to the JCCF, delivery records show Pedersen received the complaint on Aug. 3, 2023, but did not respond within 30 days.
After attempts to contact her, the commission referred the complaint to its director on Feb. 5, 2024.
The commission contacted Pedersen again on Aug. 8, 2025. Pedersen said she believed the complaint had been dismissed. The agency gave her until Sept. 5, 2025, to respond, but she did not.
On Oct. 7, 2025, the AHRC director referred the complaint to the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal for a hearing under Section 3 of the Alberta Human Rights Act.
Section 3 prohibits certain publications that indicate discrimination or an intention to discriminate, or that are likely to expose people to hatred or contempt based on protected characteristics.
“Hodge’s allegations are that the statements about transgender individuals in the flyers circulated by the Respondent are likely contrary to section 3 of the Act,” the director wrote in his decision letter.
“The flyer has aspects to it that could lead to a finding that it exposes a group of people to hatred or contempt and the intent of publishing the flyers has not been disputed by the Respondent.”
The upcoming hearing is expected to include expert testimony from both sides. The JCCF said the commission’s director is expected to call an expert witness regarding the physical and mental health of youth and marginalized populations.
Pedersen plans to present expert evidence from an endocrinologist with experience treating transgender patients and a psychiatrist who specializes in gender dysphoria, the JCCF said.
In May, the director sought to prevent most of Pedersen’s proposed witnesses from testifying, arguing that their evidence was irrelevant to the case. The tribunal rejected the motion in July.
The JCCF has argued that the case raises broader questions about freedom of expression and the role of human rights tribunals in addressing controversial political and social issues.
The organization also said political disagreements over controversial issues should ordinarily be addressed through public debate and democratic participation rather than government proceedings.
The Epoch Times contacted the AHRC for comment but did not hear back by publication time.
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