Kristopher Wells (born October 7, 1971) is a Canadian politician and academic serving as a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

since 2024. He is also an associate professor at

MacEwan University Grant MacEwan University, commonly known as MacEwan University, is a public university located in Downtown Edmonton, Alberta. Originally established as a community college which was named in honor of Dr. Grant MacEwan, 9th Lieutenant Governor of ...

and the editor-in-chief of the international ''

Journal of LGBT Youth The ''Journal of LGBT Youth'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering gender studies especially as pertaining to LGBT youth. It was established in 2003 as the ''Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education'', obtaining its current ti ...

''.

Education

Wells has earned three degrees from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

: a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. or BEd) is an undergraduate academic degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. A Bachelor of Education program typically lasts three to four years and combines both coursework and practical exp ...

, a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

, and a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

Academic career

Wells was a public school teacher in St. Albert, Alberta. He then worked as a diversity consultant for

Edmonton Public Schools Edmonton Public Schools (legally Edmonton School Division) is the largest public school division in Edmonton, the second largest in Alberta, and the sixth largest in Canada. The division offers a variety of alternative and special needs programs, ...

, where he helped develop the first sexual and gender identity school board policy in Western Canada. From 2012 to 2018, he worked at the University of Alberta as an assistant professor and as the faculty director of the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services. In 2018, he was appointed MacEwan University's first Canada Research Chair and was the founding director of the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity. Wells has served on various committees in Alberta, including the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities, REACH Edmonton, the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee, the Edmonton Police Chief's Community Advisory Council, and the LGBTQ2+ National Monument Committee. He has been a critic of the Alberta government's plan to require parental consent before children under 16 can change their names or

preferred gender pronoun Preferred gender pronouns (also called personal gender pronouns, often abbreviated as PGP) are the set of pronouns (in English, third-person pronouns) that an individual wants others to use to reflect that person's own gender identity. In Eng ...

s in schools. Wells is the co-creator of pride tape, a campaign that encouraged NHL hockey players to use rainbow-patterned

hockey tape ''Hockey'' is a family of stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, and playing surface. H ...

on their sticks as a way of showing support for LGBT rights. , Wells is an associate professor in the Department of Child and Youth Care, part of the Faculty of Health and Community Studies at MacEwan University. He holds the Canada Research Chair (Tier II) for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth and serves as the founding director for the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity. His academic work specializes in sexual- and gender-minority youth, education, and culture. He is the editor-in-chief of the international ''

''.

Political career

Wells was appointed to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

on August 31, 2024. He was recommended by the

Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they compose the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the British House of Lords, with its member ...

and appointed by Governor General of Canada

Mary Simon Mary Jeannie May Simon (born August 21, 1947) is a Canadian civil servant, diplomat, and former broadcaster who has been serving as the 30th governor general of Canada since July 26, 2021. She is Inuit, Inuk on her mother's side, making her th ...

on the advice of Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

. The appointments of Wells and Daryl Fridhandler as senators from Alberta were criticized by Alberta Premier

Danielle Smith Marlaina Danielle Smith (born April 1, 1971) is a Canadian politician, former lobbyist, and former columnist and media personality who has been serving as the 19th premier of Alberta and leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) since 20 ...

for ignoring the results of the province's unofficial Senate nominee election.

Honours

Wells is a recipient of the

Alberta Centennial Medal The Alberta Centennial Medal is a commemorative medal celebrating Alberta's first 100 years as a province of Canada. History In 2005, the ''Alberta Centennial Medal Act'' established the Alberta Centennial Medal. Purpose The ''Alberta Centenni ...

, the Alberta Award for Study of Canadian Human Rights and Multiculturalism, the Alberta Teachers' Association's Public Education Award, and the

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal created in 2022 to mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal was awarded in the United Kingdom ...

. In 2015, Wells received the University of Alberta Alumni Horizon Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Kristopher Living people Canadian senators from Alberta Independent Canadian senators Academic staff of MacEwan University Canadian LGBTQ rights activists Canadian LGBTQ writers People from St. Albert, Alberta Canadian LGBTQ senators 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people University of Alberta alumni 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada 1971 births 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers