Them proposed policy does not comply with Virginia Law

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As the Chief Patron for HB145 I can confidently say that the newly proposed model policies do not meet the criteria laid out in my bill and now codified as § 22.1-23.3. Treatment of transgender students; policies.

First, the code call for policies “that address common issues regarding transgender students in accordance with evidence-based best practices”

The proposed policies cite no evidence and are contrary to best practices for the treatment of transgender students.

The code goes on to require the polices meet 8 enumerated criteria. The  model polices fail to meet these criteria in a number of ways.

They are not in compliance with applicable non-discrimination laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex. The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has issued a Notice of Interpretation explaining that it will enforce Title IX's prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex to include: (1) discrimination based on sexual orientation; and (2) discrimination based on gender identity.

The proposed policies will not maintain a safe and supportive learning environment free from discrimination and harassment for all students. In fact- the policies allow students and teachers to misgender and deadname trans students if the harassing student or teacher claims their harassment is based on their religious beliefs.

These defects also mean the proposed policies will not prevent or provide appropriate responses to bullying and harassment;

The requirement for legal documentation to update student records is not consistent with the original intent of the policy as it creates unnecessary  and burdensome barriers to updating school records

Identification of students. As noted above - exceptions to the way students are to be identified render the rule meaningless. The proposed policies on identification of students are not rooted in evidence based best practices.

The proposed policies won’t protect student privacy or confidentiality. I have been approached by parents whose main concern is that their children’s peers are not aware their child presents as a gender that is different than what they were assigned at birth. Allowing teachers to misgender and deadname such students under a religious exemption would effectively out such children against their will and the desires of their parents.

& 8. The Model policies go beyond the scope of the statute here, by emphasizing school sports when athletics are explicitly excluded by the code.

These comments do not come close to expressing all of my concerns with these cruel, inhumane, I’ll advised, slap dash revisions to the thoughtfully produced, well researched policies that were the product of months of public workshops and input.

I chose instead to focus on the very serious legal problems with the policy and hope that you will avoid costly and unnecessary litigation you will undoubtedly lose by withdrawing these revisions to the model polices.

Marcus B Simon


Transgender youth

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Do not agree with legislating moral views of any one religion. The world is not the narrow view of a few. Let freedom ring.


wow. so this is the current state of our government OPPOSE STRONGLY

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you transphobes and TERFs in the comments are acting like children are your property. their not. they are their own humans. they have their own lives. they don't have to tell you everything about them. you don't get to rule their lives. just  off.


Strongly Oppose

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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The clear lack of respect and compassion for transgender youth is appalling and shameful. </p>


PROTECT TRANS KIDS

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I strongly oppose these policies that are endangering the lives of trans and nonbinary kids. This is quite literally subjecting many trans/nonbinary youth to abuse and even condemning some of them to death. Did you know that the suicide rates of trans youth is significantly higher than that of cis youth? (The Trevor Project). Denying them human rights is not going to make those rates go down. We deserve better than this! PROTECT TRANS KIDS! TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS!


OPPOSE


Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools, version 2

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This revision of Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools is unnecessary and harmful.

It treats the condition of being transgender as though it were a form of delinquency by instructing teachers and school staff to report the student to their parents.

It places administrative burdens on parents who want their child to be treated with the same respect accorded other students. Moreover, it was written without input from those parents or the professionals whose contributions made the original Model Policy truly a model for other states.

It privileges other students’ “discomfort” with the idea of sharing a restroom with a transgender student in much the same way that a previous generation argued they were uncomfortable sharing a restroom with a person of another race.

It targets transgender students for harassment and disrespect and favors the occasional bigoted teacher over the great majority of kind and affirming teachers.

In short it is unjust and cruel. It is particularly shameful that this revision exists only to score political points. It is an embarrassment to Virginia.


STRONGLY SUPPORT NEW POLICY

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Transgender students must be protected but so must every other student. Designated bathrooms, separate but equal, is the only solution. We can’t put our girls at risk of being assaulted as there has been one publicized victim already. Preventative measures must be put in place.


Mother of students

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Thank you for addressing the harmful and legally shaky policies of 2021.

As a mother of 6 children who have all been part of the Virginia public school system I believe that parents have the right to make decisions when it comes to their children.

I also believe that no child should be harassed for any reason, including sexual orientation.

These model policies speak to both.

Teaching children that it is safe and good to lie to their parents to gain power to make life altering decisions is dangerous. Children are vulnerable and need to have the support and care of their parents. Legally parents have the right to make decisions for their children and morally they have the desire to do what is best for their child.

I am in full support of taking out the language that basically takes parents out of the picture deceptively when it comes to gender identity at school.

I believe that students and teachers should never be forced to say something is true that they know to be false and that their First Amendment rights and religion freedom laws protect them from doing so.

I believe everyone should be safe in the restroom and dressing areas of schools as well as on field trips, camps, Governor's school and the like. As the horrifying story from Loudoun County modeled, the idea that bathrooms are safe no matter who is in them is misguided.

That is why I'm glad to see, on top of the bullying policies already in place, that each school has the option to deal with bathroom / privacy issues for families on an individual basis.

Please do not take out any of the protections in these updated policies that are integral to parent involvement and children's privacy and safety.


Strongly Oppose

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While I am not from this state, I still feel it is a good idea to oppose this bill. Note that according to the beginning of this Guidance Document Change:

The Virginia Department of Education (the “Department”) recognizes that each child is a unique individual with distinctive abilities and characteristics that should be valued and respected. All students have the right to attend school in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, or bullying.

If you were to enact this bill, many students around Virginia, and possibly other states following its example, would begin to either be discriminated against for what they believe, or become aggregators against people who are at risk of being discriminated. I do not believe that it is right to treat people at all this way. While some people in other comments have said to "let things be" and to not let "woke-ness" "infect our schools", I strongly disagree with these comments. First of all, if you were to let things be, you wouldn't be arguing this bill at all - it does not affect you if you are angry at it. I do not think that this bill that is in effect right now is woke at all. I think that it is just letting people be who they want to be. If being "woke" is equivalent to "being who you want to be", then yes, I would like to let everyone around Virginia be woke. Including those who say being woke is bad. Thank you for your time.


I support the governor

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Children should never be left to themselves for life-altering decisions so God gave them parents.  Furthermore, it is devastating to think that my granddaughter would be forced to share a bathroom or locker room with a boy at school when at home and yes, at church; she is being raised to honor and respect the unique design and distinction that God has created in a man, woman, boy, and girl.


Protect Trans Youth

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Stop attacking lgbtq people. We need to protect them!


Strongly Oppose

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I feel that this policy is actively harmful and undermines student's abilities to self determine an identity as they mature. I hope very much this policy is not implemented and that more care is taken to understand the gravity of restricting an understanding of critical thought and limiting the scope of acceptability in an age where more then ever change is needed.


We want the youth, not youngkin

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We need the future to be healthy & to be themselves.


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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I am ABSOLUTELY horrified at the details outlined in the 2022 Model Policies for VA public schools.

The very premise is incorrect - not all parents are actually in the best position to work with their children to determine their names, nicknames, pronouns, social transition, or gender expression. They got to choose the child's name at birth, and were informed of their assigned sex at birth. That has nothing to do with a child's growing and evolving gender expression and identity.

Many parents are simply ill-informed about the detriments of forbidding a (transgender/nonbinary) child to socially transition as they navigate their gender identity. They are operating out of traditional beliefs that have not been thoroughly reexamined and updated based on science and research. Most religions have evolved to include an LGBT-inclusive and affirming theology/belief system. But ill-informed conservative and concerned parents hold to their beliefs even at the cost of their child's mental health, and sometimes, death.

As for schools notifying parents of the gender-related social details about their children - this is very, very dangerous for a student who is navigating their gender identity and lives under the roof of parents who will be outraged at them for exploring. Plenty of parents enforce very strict rules, that when broken, lead to unimaginable violence behind closed doors. Schools notifying parents are giving some parents the signal to abuse their children in the name of religious and conservative beliefs. Parents do not have the right to abuse their children - child abuse is illegal everywhere, and this policy stands diametrically opposed to the goal of protecting children.

And parents are not always wise and correct when it comes to what is actually good for their children. Young people with gender dysphoria and a genuine desire to navigate their personal identity and their place in the world need a safe space. For fortunate children, that safe space is home, but for many others, it is at a school that is affirming and protective of the student's whole journey.

If parents want to insist on their parental rights - they should know that they have every right to pull their children out of a public education and put them in a private institution that mirrors their conservative beliefs.  (I personally feel sorry for children who would be put in that kind of environment, and would much rather see parents learn and evolve in their understanding of gender.) Parents also have a right to move to a more traditional area in the state, rather than insist on imposing their outdated beliefs onto the whole state, including urban multicultural areas where many have evolved in their understanding of gender.

Public education policies should be based on reliable scientific data rather than the loud voices of conservative and "concerned" parents. If anything, many parents would benefit from a public forum that would educate them on the research of today, so they could learn how important it is to affirm a young person's gender identity and expression.

Bottom line - I am STRONGLY OPPOSED to the 2022 Model Policies set forth by the governor and the league of "concerned" parents.


Support parental authority!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kids deciding their own sexual identity during preteen and teen years is doing these children and society a disservice. If  they are saying that they are anything  other than what is stated on their birth certificate, this is called gender dysphasia and they should be sent for counseling. Teachers and staff should not have to refer them by any other pronoun other than the one assigned at birth.


STRONGLY SUPPORT

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Protective measures must be put in place to prevent sexual assaults such as what occurred in Loudon County.


Strongly oppose.

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I oppose to notifying parents if students identify as trans. Let's leave academics and sexual orientation separate. School is for academics only.


have some common sense pls [Oppose]

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This policy hurts trans kids. just throw it out the window and forget it ever existed pls come on you guys. who could possibly think this was ever ok


STRONGLY OPPOSED

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Children will be in danger if this bigoted policy is passed!


Trans rights are human rights, trans rights are student rights

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I stand against the VDOE’s 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools and I hope that use of this harmful legislation can be stopped. It’s inherently transphobic and says it’s alright to misgender in schools and to not use preferred pronouns, completely disregarding trans student’s rights. Though not trans, as an LGBT individual I stand by my trans peers in their fight against this legislation. These laws are going to do nothing but harm and may force trans and non-binary individuals back into the closet out of fear. I honestly thought that we were better than this and that lawmakers would stand by LGBTQ+ individuals but it’s quite apparent that it the case here in Virginia. This is moving us backwards not forwards and no one benefits from limiting trans rights so there should be no limits. Trans people are humans and are just like everyone else in Virginia and should be able to have the same unalienable rights and freedoms. I am disappointed with this legislation and at this point I’m just waiting with my hand out for Youngkin’s resignation.


The governor’s “guidance” on trans children in schools shows he is no more than a bully

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<p>The governor’s guidance seeking to reverse the model legislation on policy supporting trans children in our schools  is worse than misguided and dangerous. It is cruel. It seeks to punish the most vulnerable of his own constituents simply for expressing their feelings and wanting love and support. Imagine the trans elementary student who returned to school after the difficult years of pandemic schooling, and felt supported and recognized by teachers and staff.  Now they return to this year with the adults they know and trust insisting on using a name they no longer have, and requiring them to use the wrong bathroom. Now imagine a fragile teen experiencing this betrayal— trans kids have the highest rate of suicide. As an educator I find this directive unthinkable. It actually pits teachers and administrators  against one another and completely disregards what is best for students. As a parent of happy and healthy adult trans daughter I feel sick for what parents in school systems following the guidance must be facing. The governor has no right to use Virginia’s children as his political pawn. </p>


Don't oppose the exsistence of children.

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<p>Trans people are real and just as human as you are. Opposing the exsistence of trans kids will kill them. If you are truly pro-life you would be pro-children who are trans as well. Die in a hole, youngkin, you are advocating the deaths of children. </p>


I OPPOSE EVERYTHING THIS POLICY STANDS FOR

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This policy, is completely wrong. This isn't ok and transphobes know it. and yet here we are. don't do this. this will significantly increase trans and nonbinary suicide rates. you don't want that on your hands. you don't want that in general.


Prevent Loudon County from happening again

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We must protect our children and prevent incidents that occurred in Loudon County from happening again.


oppose

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I grew up in VA public schools from kindergarten in the 80s through graduation in '99. Came back to my hometown after a few years away, where I live now.

I heard of persistent, unaddressed bullying of trans students in an MD school. I do not want to see trans kids so targeted in the schools I still rembember with fondness.

Frankly, I believe Gov. Youngkin is using these kids as a scapegoat. There's a lot of misinfo out there, and fear and anger are powerful motivators.

I support trans youth and their families, and oppose this policy change.


Strongly oppose this abhorrent policy

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I strongly oppose this policy. It is appallingly sad that this was even put forth. It is discriminatory and absolutely abhorrent. Support our youth. This policy will lead to tragic consequences for children.


Strongly Oppose!

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I strongly oppose this policy - children have a right to privacy, and this is only being implemented to target LGBTQIA youth and discriminate in a way that takes the blame off schools. Please do not let this pass.


STRONGLY OPPOSED

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this will harm so many people!


Absolute support - concerned parent

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I think is wrong to try to push some agenda of few( but loud ones). Let our children be children . Stop trying remove family values from our children's life. Don't you see where society is going?


Opposed: Parent of trans child

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I oppose these policies. They will be harmful to trans and non binary youth. Students learn best when safe and supported.


DOE new draft regulation

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Parent against this policy. Trans rights are human rights.


Comment of the REEL Policy Clinic in Opposition to the Proposed 2022 Model Policies

The Racial Equity in Education Law & Policy Clinic

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GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

LAW CENTER

RACIAL EQUITY IN

EDUCATION LAW &

POLICY CLINIC

Commonwealth of Virginia

The Virginia Department of Education

Comment on

Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools

October 26, 2022

The Racial Equity in Education Law and Policy Clinic (the “REEL Policy Clinic”) of Georgetown University Law Center leverages legislative and policy interventions to help remedy racial inequities in public education. The Clinic’s student attorneys engage in legislative lawyering to help advance our clients goals, including challenging long-standing educational inequities that negatively impact the educational outcomes of students of color. This work necessarily includes centering the experiences of LGBTQIA students of color and addressing proposed guidance, practices, laws, and policies that have the potential of deepening entrenched forms of racial subordination and marginalization.

We oppose the Virginia Department of Education’s 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools (“2022 Model Policies”) and urge the Department to reinstate the 2021 Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools (“2021 Model Policies”). Our opposition to the 2022 Model Policies is rooted in the intersection of issues implicated by this proposed guidance, including the linked forms racial inequity, gender-based discrimination, and discrimination against sexual minorities that these policies have the potential to foster. As we acknowledge in our work, policies that are harmful to transgender youth also disproportionately impact transgender youth of color and those who experience the compounding effects of multiple forms of discrimination [1]. According to the National LGBTQ Taskforce, Black transgender and gender non-conforming people are subjected to the highest levels of discrimination of all transgender individuals [2]. A recent survey conducted by the Taskforce emphasizes the multiple forms of harm that LGBTQIA youth of color face, with nearly half of all respondents reporting being harassed at school and nearly half of all Black respondents reporting that they had attempted suicide. Thus, any analysis of policies affecting LGBTQIA youth must include a focus on their potential effects for LGBTQIA youth of color.

As written, the 2022 Model Policies have the potential to stigmatize and segregate transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse students. For this reason, we echo the sentiment of Robert N. Barnette, Jr., president of the Virginia NAACP: “[T]his policy is painful and resembles the history of segregation in restrooms and other public accommodations and history is at risk of repeating itself” [3]. The painful history that Mr. Barnette refers to includes Virginia’s infamous leadership of southern resistance to school desegregation in the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, including championing the signing of the Southern Manifesto and creating a template for legislative defiance of federal law through the passage of a slate of laws that served to cling to Jim Crow segregation [4].

If implemented, the 2022 Model Policies could have the effect of marginalizing vulnerable students. One such example of this potential harm is the Model Policies’ requirement that school personnel “deadname” students–a term that refers to the practice of using a name that a transgender individual has decided to no longer use. Such a practice can have a “stressful and traumatic” impact on the mental health of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals [5]. Moreover, the 2022 Model Policies would require that transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse students submit documentation of parental approval to be referred to by their chosen name and pronouns. This proposed policy is overly burdensome and stigmatizing, with the potential of placing an already vulnerable population of students in danger both at home and school. As the National Association of Secondary School Principles has acknowledged, the revealing of a students’ transgender status, deadname, sex assigned at birth, or other protected information to students’ parents, teachers, or classmates may also violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) [6]. Furthermore, policies that discriminate against transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse students violate federal law. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, for instance, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, which includes discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity [7][8]. As federal courts have previously ruled, school district policies that discriminate against transgender students violate both Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause [9].

Of equal importance to the potential legal concerns raised by the language of the 2022 Model Policies are the policies’ potential impact on the well-being of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse students. According to a 2022 study from the Journal of Counseling Psychology, the mere introduction of anti-transgender legislation was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms among LGBTQIA individuals, particularly for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals [10]. Additionally, a 2018 study from the Journal of Adolescent Health found that using transgender youth’s “chosen name in multiple contexts affirms their gender identity and reduces mental health risks known to be high in this group,” including “fewer depressive symptoms and less suicidal ideation and behavior” [11]. A policy that requires school personnel to refer to transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse students by their deadnames not only poses potential implications for civil rights law but also poses life-threatening harm that could jeopardize the mental health of transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse youth.

It is our Clinic’s position that the 2022 Model Policies introduce the potential for further harm to students by reinforcing sex-based binaries that perpetuate stigma and harassment against transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse students. These practices of stigmatizing and segregating students based on their sex, gender identity, and perceived or stated sexual orientation perpetuate what legal scholars have called “state-sanctioned violence” against transgender youth [12]. Data from the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education (GLSEN) Alliance’s 2019 National School Climate Survey underscores this reality, noting that 30% of LGBTQIA students in Virginia schools report experiencing discrimination while attempting to use a bathroom aligned with their gender [13]. Practices included in the 2022 Model Policies, if adopted, would codify this discrimination, undoubtedly alienating transgender youth and signaling for LGBTQIA students that a culture of harm outweighs their own safety.

In a recent report, the Center for American Progress and the Fenway Institute highlight the potential ramifications of practices like those included in the 2022 Model Policies, noting that “[b]eing able to use a public bathroom is a fundamental requirement for equal access to opportunities for education, employment, or socialization” [14]. To be clear: There is no evidence that allowing individuals to use facilities based on their gender identity affects bathroom safety for others [15]. Conversely, policies that allow transgender students to participate in activities and use facilities that align with their gender identity can promote the safety and well-being of all students [16].

For the reasons stated herein and for the harmful impact that the 2022 Model Policies would very likely have on LGBTQIA youth of color, we urge the Virginia Department of Education to reinstate the 2021 Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools. The 2022 Model Policies must be rejected outright, as they introduce the possibility of stigmatizing and segregating transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse students–an already vulnerable and marginalized student population in need of policies that prioritize, not diminish, their equitable access to meaningful educational experiences in Virginia. We implore the Virginia Department of Education to join us in fostering a public education system where students holding marginalized identities are affirmed, not punished, in their experiences and development.

Respectfully Submitted,

The Racial Equity in Education Law and Policy Clinic

Antonio Coronado, Supervising Attorney & Clinical Teaching Fellow

Nikola Nable-Juris, Supervising Attorney & Clinical Teaching Fellow

Janel George, Clinic Founder & Director

- - -

[1] Catherine Schaefer et al., Discriminatory Transgender Health Bills Have Critical Consequences for Youth, Child Trends (April 21, 2022), https://www.childtrends.org/publications/discriminatory-transgender-health-bills-have-critical-consequences-for-youth.

[2] NewsOne Staff, Virginia Student Walkout Draws Attention to ‘Devastating Levels of Discrimination’ Among Black Trans Population, NewsOne (September 27, 2022), https://newsone.com/4417532/virginia-student-walkout-black-trans-people/.

[3] Press Release, Virginia NAACP, Virginia NAACP Condemns Governor Youngkin’s Transgender Policy (Sept. 19, 2022), https://naacpva.org/virginia-naacp-condemns-governor-youngkins-transgender-policy/.

[4] Gerald N. Rosenberg, The Hollow Hope: Can Courts Bring About Social Change 72, 29 (University of Chicago Press 1991).

[5] Why Deadnaming Is Harmful, The Cleveland Clinic (Nov. 18, 2021), https://health.clevelandclinic.org/deadnaming/.

[6] NASSP, Position Statement on Transgender Students (2016), https://www.nassp.org/top-issues-in-education/position-statements/transgender-students/.

[7] Press Release, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education Confirms Title IX Protects Students from Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (June 16, 2021), https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-confirms-title-ix-protects-students-discrimination-based-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity.

[8] Bostick v. Clayton County, 140 S.Ct. 1731, 1741 (2020).

[9] Grimm v. Gloucester County Sch. Bd., 972 F.3d 586 (4th Cir. 2020).

[10] Sharon G. Horne, et al., The Stench of Bathroom Bills and Anti-Transgender Legislation: Anxiety and Depression Among Transgender, Nonbinary, And Cisgender LGBQ People During a State Referendum, 69 J. Counseling Psych. 1–13 (2022), https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-60687-001.

[11] Stephen T. Russell, et al., Chosen Name Use is Linked to Reduced Depressive Symptoms, Suicidal Ideation and Behavior among Transgender Youth, 63 J. Adolescent Health 503-505 (2018), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6165713/.

[12] Gaby Wilson, “Does God Bless Your Transsexual Heart?” Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bills as a Newer Form of State Sanctioned Violence, 3 How. Hum. & Civ. Rts. L. Rev. 105 (2019).

[13] GLSEN, 2019 State Snapshot: School Climate for LGBTQ Students in Virginia (2021), https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/Virginia-Snapshot-2019.pdf.

[14] Timothy Wang et al., Policy Brief: State Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bills Threaten Transgender People’s Health and Participation in Public Life, Center for American Progress & The Fenway Institute (2016), https://fenwayhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/COM-2485-Transgender-Bathroom-Bill-Brief_v8-pages.pdf.

[15] Amira Hasenbush, Andrew R. Flores, & Jody L. Herman, Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Laws in Public Accommodations: A Review of Evidence Regarding Safety and Privacy in Public Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Changing Rooms, 16 Sexuality Res. Soc. Pol’y 70-83 (2019), https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13178-018-0335-z.

[16] Resiner SL et al., Discrimination and Health in Massachusetts: A Statewide Survey of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Adults, The Fenway Institute (2014), https://fenwayhealth.org/documents/the-fenway-institute/policy-briefs/The-Fenway-Institute-MTPC-Project-VOICE-Report-July-2014.pdf.


Oppose the new proposed policy

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<p>The Governor’s proposed change to the state’s transgender policy would not only be detrimental to transgender and nonbinary kids, but it also sets a dangerous precedent to  require teachers and school staff to “out” children. Schools, specifically public schools, should be a safe place for children to be free from potential harm from family, friends, and others who would target these students. It’s a heartless policy and goes against scientific research that shows how important a safe, inclusive school system is and that all kids regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation deserve to feel seen, accepted, and protected - not stigmatized and potentially putting them in danger. </p>


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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Teachers should not have the burden of outing a student.  It is the parent's responsibility to have good communication with the child, not the school's responsibility to force that conversation.  Teachers' roles should be to support students' learning-- not be stuck in the middle of these culture wars.

We have many, many troubles amongst our children-- fear of school shootings, exposure to way too much media (often enabled by parents), mental health issues, and learning deficits. It is unconscionable that some people want to parade this issue to the forefront when there are more important things to address. The current policy is fine and should stand.


Student Opposing 100%

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These changes will ruin my entire social life. I started highschool last year and moved away from a school where I could never be who I am. I have had incredible positive changes in my  mental health due to the 2021 Transgender Policy and from the support I receive from my classmates and teachers. If these changes go into effect, I will not only be outed to my parents, but I will have to change my entire identity in order to comply with the changes. Even if my name was approved by the school and my parents, I wouldn't be able to use my proper pronouns, nor would I be able to ever truly feel safe in communicating my feelings to counselors or teachers. This policy will kill so many kids. So many students, not only trans students, but any student  who confides in teachers or counselors about abusive or bad household situations may be put at risk of bodily harm. This puts an immense amount of students at risk, as well as prevents the main purpose of a school counselor from being fulfilled. These changes are selfish, and only show trans students how the school board will use us as pawns in order to push their disgusting agenda against lgbtqia students in general.


OPPOSE 100% !! what kind of monster do you think I am???

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Only a literal monster would think this is ok. you are trying to ruin the lives of trans youth, just because they exist. honestly everyone commenting to support this should feel so crappy and ashamed of themselves.


Support for updated language

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Parents are responsible for their children's protection. The updated language will return protection of the children in school.   I strongly support the updated language.


DO NOT SUPPORT

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No one benefits from this policy! It only exists to make trans kids' lives even harder than they already are!


Protect Trans Kids!

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I am completely against this guidance document.  Elected leaders say want to protect the rights of all Virginians- which is the complete opposite of what this document entails.

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”  -Martin Niemöller


Strongly support this policy

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Keep social agenda out of the classroom and out of schools. Academic scores in Virginia have plummented in the past five years.  This is the same timeframe the LGBTQ+ agenda has been slowly infiltrating the school systems.  Coincidence..I think not. This is a deliberate, intentional agenda being forced on innocent juveniles. Schools are there to educate and need to focus on reading, writing, 'rithemtic and reason. Anything else is the parents responsibility.


Oppose the Proposed 2022 Model Policies

Oliver Lesher, Founder and Co-Director of the VCQC

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Virginia Department of Education

Superintendent Jillian Balow

James Monroe Bldg., 25th Floor

101 N. 14th St.

Richmond, VA 23219

Hello, my name is Oliver Lesher, and I am a transgender student who has spent his entire academic career within the public education system of the State of Virginia. I am here to voice my total and complete opposition to the Proposed 2022 Model Policies on the

Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools (the “2022 Model Policies”) and to ask for the reinstatement and enforcement of the 2021 Model Policies.

The 2022 Model Policies are going to significantly harm trans students. The 2022 Model Policies define being a trans student as “a public school student whose parent has requested in writing, due to their child’s persistent and sincere belief that his or her gender differs from his or her sex, that their child be identified while at school.” It takes the power away from trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming students from realizing their identity in their own right and instead defines it in terms of parents’ views. It also refers to gender identity as a “belief” instead of a deeply held knowledge and realization of one’s identity. This promotes a false narrative based on a lack of scientifically-based research. It also erases the identity of nonbinary and intersex people by operating on a male/female binary.

The 2022 Model Policies also remove sexual orientation and gender identity as explicitly protected classes for bullying, harassment, and discrimination. At the same time, it eliminates specific school personnel professional development for the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ students.

Outside of this, the 2022 Model Policies dangerously require misgendering and deadnaming trans students when the student’s preferred name and pronouns are not accurately reflected on student records. Some studies have shown that use of a trans student’s preferred name not only assists with social transition, but also reduces mental health risks such as depression, and suicidal ideation and attempts. https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(18)30085-5/fulltext.

Trans students are also placed in danger of being outed. The 2021 Model Policies allowed disclosure, with a legitimate educational interest, only to other school personnel. The 2022 Model Policies permit disclosure, with a legitimate educational interest or when required by law, to other school personnel and the student’s parents. Many times, students feel safer coming out to school staff instead of their own parents. I believe the choice should rest with the trans student on who they would like to come out to.

Outing can be dangerous. “28% of LGBTQ youth reported experiencing homelessness or housing instability.” https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/homelessness-and-housing-instability-among-lgbtq-youth-feb-2022/. These rates are disproportionately greater for non-white LGBTQ+ youth. Id. Further, “[h]omelessness and housing instability were reported at higher rates among transgender and nonbinary youth, including 38% of transgender girls/women, 39% of transgender boys/men, and 35% of nonbinary youth, compared to 23% of cisgender LGBQ youth.” Id. 16% of LGBTQ+ youth report running away because of fears of abuse, 14% report they were kicked out or abandoned, and 40% of those report being kicked out or abandoned because of their LGBTQ+ identity. Id. Despite making up 5-10% of the United States’ population, LGBTQ+ individuals make up 20-40% of the homeless population. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6695950/. LGBTQ+ youth, especially trans youth, are also overrepsented in the foster care system compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. https://www.childrensrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019.02.12-LGBTQ-Youth-in-Unstable-Housing-and-Foster-Care.pdf.

Trans youth face higher rates of suicidal ideation and attempts compared with their cisgender peers. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0886260520915554. This is not because of the fact that they are trans. Countless false narratives are circulating the media and the public comment section for the 2022 Model Policies that being trans or part of the LGBTQ+ community itself leads to worse mental health outcomes. Instead, many of the contributing factors to this phenomenon are attributable to the societal treatment of trans individuals such as “microaggressions, internalized self-stigma, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and protective factors: school belonging, family support, and peer support . . . ” Id. In fact, major professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics are in consensus that being trans itself is not a mental illness, but conditions caused by the societal treatment of trans individuals–such as depression, anxiety, and gender dysphoria–are preventable. See, e.g., Brief of Am. Acad. of Pediatrics et al. at 8-9, Parents for Privacy v. Barr, 949 F.3d 1210 (9th Cir. 2020) (No. 18-35708), 2019 WL 1261905. VDOE can and should do more to address the societal discrimination of trans students instead of contributing to it.

The 2022 Model Policies also require sex segregation of facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms based on “biological sex.” While the 2022 Model Policies permit school districts to modify the policies “to the extent required by federal law,” the baseline is already in conflict with federal law. First of all, these requirements conflict with federal law. See Grimm v. Gloucester Cty. Sch. Bd., 972 F.3d 586, 613-15, 616-19 (4th Cir. 2020) (the court reasoning that trans discrimination for bathroom access based on biological sex failed both the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution as well as Title IX); see also https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/t9nprm-factsheet.pdf. Second of all, lack of trans students’ access to facilities corresponding with their gender identity can result in urinary tract infections, alienation, humiliation, suicidal ideation, and hospitalization. See, e.g., Grimm v. Gloucester Cty. Sch. Bd., 972 F.3d 586, 600 (4th Cir. 2020).

Sadly, the damage from VDOE has already been done. Anti-trans legislation and policies exacerbate trans peoples’ feeling of hopelessness and contribute to lower levels of feeling like they belong. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/sgd-sgd0000481.pdf. VDOE is actively disparately impacting trans students and adults simply by the introduction of these transphobic policies. On the other hand, studies have shown that stronger LGBTQ+ protections in the law are associated with lower levels of bullying. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037687162100154X. More LGBTQ+-inclusive state policies and legislation are also tied to better results in trans students’ physical health. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/trgh.2018.0031.

Further, respecting trans students’ preferred names, as opposed to deadnaming, improves their mental health and lowers suicidal ideation and attempts. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X18300855. Trans students are nearly twice as likely to be threatened or harmed compared to other students. https://www.veanea.org/support-transgender-youth/. Outing to trans students’ parents and other school personnel will only exacerbate this.

I appreciate that VDOE has provided resources on school connectedness as some studies show that school-connectedness is associated with better mental health outcomes for trans students. https://www.veanea.org/support-transgender-youth/. However, removing explicit protections for bullying, harassment, and discrimination for LGBTQ+ students, LGBTQ+ specific annual training for school personnel, and the over sixty resources from the 2021 Model Policies undermines this principle.

Scientific evidence shows that VDOE has already harmed trans peoples’ mental health, trans students in particular. Scientific evidence also shows that the 2022 Model Policies will only worsen that trend. Many trans students are going to not just suffer worse mental health outcomes but die because of the 2022 Model Policies. I ask VDOE and the Virginia state government to think critically about if that is the right price to pay for “parental rights.”

I myself have experienced and witnessed so many of the issues presented above, and I ask the Virginia Department of Education to recognize my experiences, and the experiences of my community, during your deliberations. Decades ago, Virginia was confronted with the reality that racial segregation and discrimination in educational settings was wrong - and far too often, Virginia came to those realizations later than most. I ask you all to love Virginia as I do, and to see our State's potential here to recognize our past and its many mistakes, and to aim for a brighter future. Reject gender-based segregation and discrimination here and now, and allow our State to finally be on the right side of history - I have no doubt that your grandchildren will thank you for it. Put Virginia's children first - especially her transgender children.


Protect kids

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Protecting ALL children is paramount and all students deserve to be treated with dignity as human beings regardless of their gender or presentation. Teachers at school are often the only safe place for kids to be their authentic selves. Violence against children  who do not share their families expectations of gender presentation is unacceptable. And potentially taking away the one safe place is dangerous.


Strongly Oppose

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I strongly oppose this policy. Trans rights are human rights. The dignity and wellbeing of all people matters, including trans people. This policy is discriminatory, and Virginians will not stand for it. If we truly care about the health and wellbeing of all students, it is important that we provide them with gender-affirming healthcare, use their correct pronouns, and not stand for bullying or harassment of any kind. These kinds of measures will save lives, the ones you are proposing can end them. I urge you to be on the side of justice, and consider the ways history books will speak of you. Please use your power for good and towards greater justice and human rights for all.


Strongly Support!  Protect ALL kids!!

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<p>Stop emphasizing and sexualizing kids in school.  You are just confusing kids more in a vulnerable time of growing.  Education has been dumbed down but students sure get worked into a frenzy about "social" issues that get used to divide.  Don't fall for it!   </p>


Parents rights.

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Protect children by protecting the rights of parents. Transgender is him is not scientifically sound. This whole transition surgery nonsense is exploitation. This is all linked to human trafficking and pedophilia. Protect our children at all costs. Support parents. Shut down any legislation that is pro transgender.


I Fully Oppose this Policy and the Abuse It Endorses

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I am a transgender woman from Newport News, Virginia, and I oppose this proposed draft Model Policies for the harm which it will cause trans and gender non-conforming children. The proponents of this policy would have us understand that this policy is about parental rights, because apparently parents MUST be informed of their children expressing any gender non-conformity, almost as if high rates of abuse by parents aren't heavily documented in response to this.

In spite of being raised in a generally loving family who better understands me now, in my own childhood, I still remember the screaming of my older siblings as I was thrashed severely with a belt at the age of SIX, thereby destroying my trust in adults regarding this inherent part of myself.

Though it is what many parents still will try, transgender was not something that could be beaten out of me, but that experience at six years old was not the end of my trauma related to having a sense of no one whom I could even speak to about it.

When I was thirteen I bought clothing at a local store. I was seen by an older person involved in my scout troop, who then intimidated me with that on a camping trip, used it to silence me, and molested me.

I did not feel I could safely discuss feelings about my gender with any adults, and that was used to victimize me further.

The further social isolation this policy creates for gender non-conforming children from safe adults, like guidance counselors, for fear of being outed makes them more vulnerable to predation and grooming, not less so.

It is important to safety that children have someone whom they can actually confide in, but a lot of people obviously do not care about the safety of trans children, who they constantly imply, as young children, would take on social stigma and use feminine expression just to prey on girls. Such assertions as that are not in keeping with statistics, and yet transgender children on the other hand are regularly preyed upon all the time by an adult population which not only lacks understanding, but constantly spreads fear and hatred through regular vilification in the media.

Not everyone who says, "I've done my research," is a subject matter expert when contradicting wide consensuses, based on peer reviewed studies, from psychologists, sociologists, neurobiologists, endocrinologists, and pediatricians regarding ethical and safe policy in relation to transgender people in this country.

I oppose this draconian "Model Policy" for the trauma that I went through, and that other transgender and gender non-conforming children will even more often continue to be exposed to, for how this policy will socially isolate these children who have been sexualized with these false scenarios constantly conjured up to attack these CHILDREN just for being different.

Katelyn O'Brien

Newport News, VA


Schools - Identifying as your birth gender

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<p>I agree with Governor Youngkin that school age children school have to identify as their birth gender. I want the school system to STOP promoting, teaching, talking, speaking, about sexual identity to our children. Teachers have NO RIGHT to impress their ideologies or their personal beliefs upon innocent children especially without the consent of parents or guardians. I also believe children should behave as children. Stop allowing them to act out, example, walk outs during school hours. They are at school to learn not to participate in politically motivated acts. This should take place after school hours (I work, I cannot “walk out” if I have a political stand.) There are consequences and there should be consequences for children who walk out during school. Children should dress appropriately. Perhaps schools should consider some basic uniform. Stop distracting students who are there to learn whether it’s by appearance or behavior. </p>


Glenn Youngkin is tearing Virginia apart (Opposed)

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Keep kids safe from him


Trans rights are human rights

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<p>Let trans kids be kids let them explore their gender and feel safe doing so. Don’t take that freedom away and don’t take away that safety. </p>


Letting trans and gender variant children speak for themselves

Rhys Kuhl-Chapman, Clinical Social Worker

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I am a transgender therapist working with transgender and gender variant children living in Virginia and I OPPOSE Governor Youngkin’s “guidance”.

Governor Youngkin ran on a transphobic platform, promising his constituents that he would strip away the hard-won protections for transgender and gender variant children that were secured in 2020’s General Assembly through the passage of House Bill 145/Senate Bill 161 and, unfortunately, he was as good as his word.  That legislation was the culmination of more than a decade of work behind the scenes by trans advocates such as Equality Virginia to finally put into place a model designed by the Virginia Department of Education meant to act as a blueprint for individual school districts.  The model was informed by solid evidence-based research and compliant with guidance provided by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) regarding ethical and affirming best practices to be implemented when working with transgender and gender-variant children and adolescents.

As a transgender man who lived through decades of gatekeeping by mental health professionals under the guise of an antiquated model in which my identity was pathologized, word of Youngkin’s “guidance” was crushing.

As a father of a gender variant child and the uncle of three transgender and gender variant nephews, the news was infuriating.

As a clinical social worker who has devoted himself to making the lives of my young transgender and gender variant clients affected by this “guidance” better than my own was at their age, the news is a call to action.

I can say unequivocally that Youngkin’s misguided and uneducated “guidance” will cost lives.  It will cost the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of an already marginalized population.  In pandering to his constituents’ transphobic fears, Youngkin is ignoring the fact that children have rights independent of the wants and desires of their parents.  Everyone has the right to a free public education in a setting where they are safe, supported, and given every opportunity to succeed. Transgender children and gender variant children have the same right to those opportunities as their cisgender counterparts.

Youngkin’s “guidance” encouraging school staff to out transgender and gender variant children to their parents is the most problematic aspect of this for me.  In a perfect world every parent would be loving, compassionate, open-minded, and selflessly devoted to their children.  There would be no neglect or abuse in this world, no children coming to my office every week suffering from the visible and invisible scars of complex trauma inflicted upon them by the very people who are supposed to be there to protect and nurture them.  Unfortunately, that is not the reality of the world in which we live and I have no shortage of clients.

This naïve belief that all parents are to be trusted with children who may not live up to their expectations in any number of ways including gender variance is dangerous. If a child is closeted with their family at home and out at school, it is likely because they have legitimate fears for their safety.  There are many ways transphobic unaccepting parents can harm their children, from cruel and damaging words to threats of homelessness to physical violence.  The presence of an accepting adult in a transgender child’s life, even if that adult is not their parent, correlates with a 50% reduction in the likelihood that that child will die by suicide.  A favorite supportive teacher may be the lifeline that keeps a child alive.  It is unethical to force anyone to out a child to their parents if by so doing they may be placing that child’s life in danger.

I have struggled with what to say in this statement and have ultimately decided that children deserve to have a say in what happens to them.  Like members of all marginalized populations, children are all too often talked about rather than being able to speak for themselves.  The following are three statements by gender variant children living in the state of Virginia who are endangered by Youngkin’s harmful and misguided “guidance”.  I have removed all identification to both protect their privacy and to ensure their safety.

1.

The bill is deeply dangerous. My friend has severely transphobic parents. Telling them could cause them to be abused, sent to conversion therapy, or even lead to suicide.  Now, let’s be honest, according to statistics 53% of transgender children have seriously considered suicide.  Who’s to say that approving of the bill won’t push them over the edge?

I know that I have had my fair share of suicidal thoughts. My family told me it (being transgender) was probably a phase and that it was too much change for them. It wasn’t for my friends who supported me and used my pronouns.  (Without their support) I would have tried to commit (suicide). Imagine if my family didn’t come around. If I had to deal with that stress on top of grades, family, friends . . . (I) would crumble.

2.

I, like many other kids, grew up in a strict, unwelcoming and bigoted household.  Even saying the words “gay” or “transgender” would get me a lecture or punishment. It was made clear to me being LGBTQ is disgusting and any child of my father’s (children) who was part of (that) community was no longer a child of his. If he had ever found out about a thing so simple as my identity, he would have tried to kill me.

This policy isn’t just bigoted and ignorant, it’s murderous. It IS going to cause the death of children, from kids from households like mine to kids who lack support, to kids who are already struggling.

This guidance is self-serving and hateful. If you actually cared for today’s youth, you would do actual research.  You would see people like my friend who got beat because he was outed.

I OPPOSE the guidance.  This topic matters to me because it affects everything around me.  It affects me, my friends, my classmates, my teachers, everyone.

If my school did not have protections in place it would be detrimental to the safety and well-being of every child in Virginia. LGBTQ or not, it will bring disruption and harm to everyone.

3.

I am an assigned female at birth transmasculine person.  I am lucky to have a loving and accepting household, but not everyone else does.  I OPPOSE this bill as it is rooted in transphobic misinformation, creates unsafe household dynamics, erases trans and nonbinary people in the classroom, allows discrimination in the household, and would most likely increase the suicide rate of LGBT+ youth . . .

Many of the people supporting the law (Youngkin’s guidance) are claiming that young trans students are “confused” and “don’t suffer permanent gender dysphoria.” These claims are ignorant and I can say from experience that my gender dysphoria is permanent.  Why would I want to fake crying before going to a friend’s pool party (because of the dysphoria created by wearing a swimsuit)?  I assure you I wouldn’t.  Studies show that most trans kids by around 11-12 know that they are trans and report identifying as trans later in life.

This also creates unsafe home dynamics as it forces schools to out students to their parents, who may be unaccepting. This can create many situations where a child may be unsafe.  School staff being forced to break confidentiality could result in abuse.

This additionally erases trans and nonbinary voices from the classroom which can limit the ability to have multiple perspectives in class discussions, something which is encouraged in most AP and college classes. To remove and silence voices is to remove yet another voice from history.  Which voices are going to be removed next, until there is nothing left but voices of white, cisgender, straight men?

This bill encourages discrimination in the classroom as it allows teachers to disrespect student’s gender-affirming names and pronouns without parental permission to use them in class.

These issues would likely cause great increases in the suicide rates in LGBT+ teens.  The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that 45 % of LGBT youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year and nearly 1 in 5 attempted suicide. However, those who are socially accepted and gender affirmed at school reported lower rates of suicide attempts. If you consider yourself “pro-life,” think about protecting the lives of trans kids first.


Guidance Dicument

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<p>Totally support Gov Youngkin </p>


The 2022 policy allows trans kids to be trans, and non-trans kids to be non-trans

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<p>The policy provides protections and a safety net for all kids that need it, including non-trans girls and boys. Seems well-balanced to me. I support it! </p>


Oppose these policies

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<p>As stated by the Virginia American Academy of Pediatrics these model policies could cause irreversible damage to trans and other LGBT+ students.  These students need a school environment that respects their rights and safety.  Respecting the rights of these students is not taking anything away from non LGBT+ students or their parents. </p>


Trans Rights are Human Rights

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<p>Trans people are just people. Trans kids deserve support. Trans kids deserve to be loved and accepted and not have their exsistence denied or opposed. </p>


Strongly Oppose

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Research has found that risk of depression and suicide for transgender youth drops when they feel accepted and supported in their school. This policy jeopardizes the safety of transgender youth across the state by eliminating protections that ensured their safety and dignity. All children deserve to feel safe at school so they can learn and thrive. Transgender children deserve the same. I, Vincent strongly oppose Governer Younkin's discriminatory policy targeting transgender children across the state of Virginia.


Rescind this policy!

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These proposed model policies are contrary to state law and will be extremely harmful to transgender and nonbinary kids. Protect trans and nonbinary kids. RESCIND these model policies. All kids deserve an education free of fear and harm!!


Trans lives matter

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<p>I oppose these model policies because they are contracting evidence based life saving strategies that point to the importance of accepting and affirming trans identities. </p>


Support the change

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The 2021 Model Policy was fundamentally flawed.  It clearly placed gender ideology ahead of student safety and common sense.  Thank you for bringing our policies back in line with objective reality.


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The policy proposed to replace the Model Policies for the

Treatment of Transgender Students

in Virginia’s Public Schools is nothing short of Orwellian. Proponents of the proposed policy are riding the ridiculous wave of hatred for the 'other' to politicize children's lives and experiences.

I am a graduate of Fairfax County Public Schools and can testify to the urgent need to not only RETAIN the current policy -- which is one based upon respect and dignity -- but to continue build upon it; NOT to tear it down and replace it with politically motivated intolerance based in hate.

The proposed policy talks about parents rights and the rights of other children in relation to each individual child. If a child has gender dysphoria or desires to choose their own gender assignment, other children and other parents and school administrators are tangential and have no business in the matter.

The proposed document opens by declaring respect for parents beliefs and cultures, and their paramount importance. A lot of parents believe sincerely in child abuse, too -- physical. There are also parents who practice covert and overt sexual abuse of children. Are these -- child abuses -- to be accorded "respect" by the Commonwealth of Virginia because of parents sincere beliefs such acts are within their rights as parents? Utter nonsense. Parents give birth: they do not OWN their children as chattel.

The 2021 document is the far superior of the two. The proposed replacement is appalling. As a resident of the Commonwealth I strongly oppose the proposed replacement.


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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<p>PROTECT TRANS KIDS!!! </p>


I oppose these Policies

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These policies are so explicitly designed to target and harm trans people it would almost be laughable if it wasn't so real. I think the aspect that most plainly demonstrates how this policies purely come from a place of hatred is forcing teachers to deadname trans students unless they get specific parental approval. This does not help anyone it only hurts people. People have nicknames in school and no one objects to that yet when a trans student asked to be called a certain name you feel the need to pass actual legislation just to hurt a specific part of the student body. There is absolutely no possible justification for this.


keep virginia safe for trans people

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keep virginia safe for trans people please and thank you (opposed)vh


DON'T TREAD ON ME!

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DON’T TREAD ON ME

Like anything written by lawyers, we all know the devil is in the details. Almost everything in the model policy sounds ok– trying to strike a balance protecting the rights of students to go to school in an environment free of discrimination and the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children. And so my eyes start to glaze over with the rambling legalease and after some nodding in and out, I am on page 16, in Appendix 1, capital letter D, point 1…

(D)(1). Every effort should be made to ensure that a transgender student wishing to change his or her means of address is treated with respect, compassion, and dignity in the classroom and school environment.

OK, sounds respectful.

(D)(2). [School Division] personnel shall refer to each student using only (i) the name that appears in the student’s official record, or (ii) if the student prefers, using any nickname commonly associated with the name that appears in the student’s official record.

AND

(D)(3). [School Division] personnel shall refer to each student using only the pronouns appropriate to the sex appearing in the student’s official record - that is, male pronouns for a student whose legal sex is male, and female pronouns for a student whose legal sex is female.

OK, this ensures that the school respects my parental right to direct the upbringing of my child and how my child is raised. Here it is in the context of the gender I want to raise my child and assuming that the official school record reflects my parental preference.

AND

(D)(4). Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (2) and (3) of this section, [School Division] personnel shall refer to a student by a name other than one in the student’s official record, or by pronouns other than those appropriate to the sex appearing in the student’s official record, only if an eligible student or a student’s parent has instructed [School Division] in writing that such other name or other pronouns be used because of the student’s persistent and sincere belief that the student’s gender differs from his or her sex.

Hold on here. As a parent, I have the right to direct the upbringing of my child and how my child is raised, but now the government is qualifying my right by suggesting that my child has to meet the government’s requirement that this is a “persistent and sincere” belief. Don’t we agree that this is none of the government’s business. It’s my right to bring up my child as I see fit and choose my preference– the government has no right to decide if my child is eligible “because of the student’s persistent and sincere belief that the student’s gender differs from his or her sex.”  Hell no. I say (and I hope you will support me) you will call my child by the pronouns I tell you to call my child because I am the parent. If we accept this provision, we are letting the government interfere with our rights by putting conditions on the upbringing of our children.

NOW I’M WIDE AWAKE…AND A BIT FIRED UP...

(D)(5)Any written instruction from a parent or eligible student under paragraph (4) of this section shall be memorialized in the student’s official record and subject to the same retention, disclosure, and confidentiality requirements as the official record itself. The legal name and sex of a student shall not be changed, even upon the written instruction of a parent or eligible student, except as specified in section (C)(2).

CRAP. I AM SO CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED AND NOW YOU ARE MAKING ME GO BACK TO SECTION C, NUMBER 2.

(C)(2). [School Division] shall change the legal name or sex in a student or former student’s official record only if a parent or eligible student submits a legal document, such as a birth certificate, state- or federal-issued identification, passport, or court order substantiating the student or former student’s change of legal name or sex.

WTF! This is government overreach! And this, folks, is how the government tries to control my choice for the upbringing of my child. Every one of these hoops I have to jump through is a step in government control over my parental rights. What happened to parental rights!  This policy is an egregious abrogation of parental rights and it’s plainly revealed way down here in the Appendix, after 16 pages of giving lip service to parental rights.

Folks! Even if you are anti-trans or ambivalent about it, I think we can all agree that this is government overreach and while the “model policy” may align with your ideology this time, if we don’t all stand together against this kind of government tyranny, you and your children might be the next victim. Don’t Tread On Me!


Support Trans Children’s Autonomy

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Parents can be abusive, non-supportive, and dangerous. Do not let them wield more dominance and control over their children than the already do. School should be a safe place for students to better understand themselves as individuals. This is a dangerous and harmful proposed policy.


OPPOSE

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I can't believe any of you transphobes rn. frick off. get a life. stop hurting trans and nonbinary kids. trans and nonbinary kids deserve the rights owed to them. they never did anything to you. they face so many struggles, the least you can do is show them basic respect.


Transgender Policy

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I oppose Legislations  requiring VDOE to issue transgender policy mandates on public schools


THIS WILL HURT TRANS KIDS. OPPOSED

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This is a malicious attempt to hurt trans kids, and it will put them in dangerous circumstances! We shouldn't have to live in a country where people's very personhood is denied!


BAD POLICY (OPPOSED)


no

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i strongly oppose this policy! this is so hateful to queer students.


Guidance document

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I strongly support Gov Youngkin policy


Support 2022 revision - God does matter

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The 2022 policy says it clearly:  “All students have the right to attend school in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, or bullying.  The Department supports efforts to protect and encourage respect for all [emphasis it is “all] students.”  The 2021 policy said similar words “The Virginia Department of Education continues to be committed to working with school divisions to ensure a positive, safe, and nurturing learning environment for all students.” But then it seemed to disregard religion (however isn't religion part of equality) and instead wrote itself as a document on “Guiding Principle to Support Transgender Students.”

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees religious freedom and prohibits the government from compelling speech that is contrary to an individual’s personal or religious beliefs. By our Virginia Constitution, all men [(male and female)] are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience.  The Lord tells us to love our neighbor, so we ought to be showing love to everyone, including those with gender challenges.  But we know sin entered the world, and as a result, we find prejudice and pride, and people who hurt others.  Can we truly eliminate sin? So, we must work to protect everyone.

An over 50-year-old William & Mary Law Review article published in October 1967 titled “Discrimination: A Constitutional Dilemma” by Frank S. and Mary C. Sengstock described the conflict that results from two distinct rights running on a path of collision and said “The challenge is a dilemma.”  We cannot allow one right (transgender expression) to take away another or others (religious beliefs, parental rights).

They also discuss how as “early as 1834, Alexis de Tocqueville analyzed the factors which enabled a nation to live under a democratic government, free from oppression by a minority, and, on the other hand, from the oppression of the minorities of the nation by an all-powerful majority.”

We seem to be in an era of conflicting rights, where now a seeming minority are trying to compel the majority to accept a set of transgender beliefs and values on the majority and accepted by a minority of people’s religious rights who believe the Bible or the Torah when parts of our religion are diminished or erased by certain aspects of transgender beliefs.

The Bible tells us that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”  We can choose to disbelieve God, to reject God, but is it wise to reject the author of life, the one who breathed into the nostrils of man the breath of life, and the man became a living creature? Will this bode well for Virginia?

The Old Testament’s Ten Commandments include the command to honor one’s parents.  U. S. Supreme Court in Stone v. Graham (1980) pointed out the Ten Commandments contain arguably secular matters, such as honoring one's parents.  If God tells someone to “Train up a child in the way he should go” should our public schools be teaching our children to not obey their parents and dishonor their parents?

The 2021 Model Policies does not seem to even show equality and equity in its “acknowledgements.”  They show “she/her” 23, “he/him” 8, “he/they” 1, “they/them” 2, and no preferred pronouns 0 (no one is listed without a pronoun). That’s 68% women and 24% men when for example demographics of Fairfax County Public Schools for 2021 2022 is shown as 52% male and 48% female. And zero (0)% who didn’t state a preferred pronoun, indicating that either they were forced upon everyone to state or the policy development didn’t include a reasonable proportion of Virginians whose preference is to not use them in their names / titles.

Science has shown that most children with gender dysphoria will not remain gender dysphoric after puberty. (Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume 47, Issue 12, December 2008, Pages 1413-1423)  The science on the effects of certain gender medical treatments on children are very uncertain.  Aren't schools supposed to teach sound science?


Protect LGBTQ and trans children

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Is the state of Virginia ready to be responsible for the death of Trans and LGBTQ youth, because it will be if these rules go into effect. The data and statistics already have shown that the suicide of Trans and LGBTQ children (primarily teens) is already higher than all the other suicide data. When I read that a Trans or LGBTQ child has suicided I will accuse the state of Virginia and Gov Yongkin complicit in that death. Thank you


Strongly oppose Gov Youngkin's policy on Trans Students.

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<p>All children deserve our support. </p>


Strongly Oppose

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As a transgender, non-binary person this policy would have killed me as a child. I would have never been able to grow up to realize I wasn’t alone. I would have never been able to see the world was so much bigger than a small county that convinced me that something was wrong with me. I would have never became a successful scientist. I would have never been able to help others. This policy will kill kids. Whether it’s by suicide or the abusive homophobic guardian at home. You will have blood on all of your hands. You will have an even bigger crisis with teacher shortages than you already do. Please be on the side of history that protects trans kids so they can become adults.
sincerely,

One that somehow wasn’t a statistic.


Update Virginia policy

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Parent’s should not have their constitutionally protected rights and know every aspect the their child. Not all children accept or feel comfortable with those using a restroom that is not of their biological sex. Their rights must be protected.


Opposed

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As I understand the position of the Youngkin administration, all students deserve respect and support, unless they are trans kids.  All parents should be able to exercise their rights, unless they are the parents of trans kids. All of this tells me we have yet another state-level leader who does not care about Virginia, its people, or its students, except as they can be used to enrich private enterprise or as examples to like-minded marks in other states.


Trans kids are just kids

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Trans kids are just kids. Kids know themselves and who they are better than anybody else. Better than their parents, better than politicians, they are their own people, PROTECT THE PRIVACY AND RIGHTS OF ALL CHILDREN, RESPECT TRANS KIDS.


Strongly Oppose

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<p>This new proposed policy will only be harmful to students and schools overall. It disregards students’ rights and would create an environment where they are not able to learn. It is important for parents/guardians to be involved in their child’s education, but this proposed policy is not the way to positivity do that. If we want all students to learn and thrive in Virginia schools, we need to respect their identity and keep them as safe as possible. Schools should not be put into the position of “outing” children that they are trying to educate. Please keep the policies in place that protect these students and support them. Otherwise, we are only setting up students to face more unneeded difficulties that will only hinder their learning. </p>


Oppose: protect children first

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<p>I strongly oppose these guidelines as they prioritize adult comfort over student health and safety. The primary responsibility of schools is to keep children safe. Children cannot learn if they do not feel safe. We need policies which follow the guidance of medical professionals and data, not ideologues. Trans children are at greater risk of suicide when they are not supported at home and/or school. </p>


KEEP TRANS KIDS SAFE KEEP TRANS KIDS SAFE OPPOSED


I Support Transgender Kids

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I support all kids in Virginia and all kids includes transgender kids.


Strongly Oppose

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Trans and non-binary students should be able to make their own decisions regarding gender identity and who they wish to inform. Schools should respect students decision on this matter and allow students to determine who to tell and when. Informing parents without students’ consent could negatively affect student safety if parents are unsupportive.


Strongly support!

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Parents need the most say. Children are under attack, and the trans movement is so forceful right now. Children can’t “decide” their gender. You are born the way you are for a reason. Allowing children to make decisions that have massive medical implications that are permanent is child abuse. Protect parents rights! I strongly support this and Youngkin in his fight!


Strongly SUPPORT Policy

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I strongly support this new policy - schools MUST partner with parents in their child's education. It is time to STOP the sexualization of our children, and get back to teaching the basics of education!!


I oppose these proposed policies

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These proposed policies will harm transgender children and will enable educators to ostracize transgender students. They are dangerous and will encourage bullying.

In addition, these proposed policies will also violate the Virginia Values act which prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ people in places of public accommodation, which includes educational institutions like public schools. This means that schools must offer a safe and equal learning environment to all students, teachers, and staff, including those who are LGBTQ.

These policies will only cause some of the most vulnerable students unnecessary harm in the name of fearmongering partisan politics.

The children of Virginia deserve better than these proposed policies and rejecting them is the only logical option.


VIRGINIANS ARE OPPOSED TO THIS POLICY


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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Every child deserves to express their gender identity at school. Trans people deserve to come out on their own terms. Outing students could put them in very dangerous situations if their parents oppose their gender identity. Trans people are up to 7 times more likely to attempt suicide than their cisgender peers. This policy will kill trans kids.


Strongly Oppose

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I strongly oppose the 2022 Model Policies.


OPPOSE new guidelines; children are not property

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I oppose the new guidelines because queer youth are put in danger by any requirement for educators to inform parents of their children's gender or sexual identity. Abuse and neglect are common if parents are unsupportive and/or angry about finding out this information. There is no good outcome from taking away someone's choice to self-disclose when they feel safe to do so. School is sometimes the only safe place kids go, and they deserve to grow up with the freedom be themselves in at least part of their life if their homes are unsupportive. Schools catastrophizing someone's gender expression just raises the stakes, creates fear or despair, and helps no one.


opposed

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<p>I strong oppose this action. </p>


Strongly oppose

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<p>These proposed changes will harm children. As a parent to two children in Virginia public schools, I want to know that all children are in a safe environment at school where they can be themselves and trust that their teachers will honor who they are and respect them. These changes would erode that trust, especially for trans kids, but really for all children. </p>


Strongly Oppose

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<p>It's important that our schools are psychologically safe places for all students to learn. This policy will turn schools and teachers into the enemy and put an already vulnerable population even more at risk. The research is clear that affirming environments significantly reduce the risk of suicide for LBTGQ and Trans people.  Why would we want to enact policies that could lead to more children harming themselves? Let's rise above transphobia and focus on polices that provide balanced education and provide safe and inclusive schools. We can do MUCH better than this.  Please reject this policy and focus on efforts that create inclusive environments that help ALL students.  </p>


Horrifying. Protect trans kids, not hateful political agendas.

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It is a disgrace to allow this horrific, discriminatory policy to be put in place, not to mention the swiftness with which it will be challenged as unconstitutional (newsflash: it is).

As a lifelong Virginian, Please don't let Virginia be on the wrong side of history here.


Policy is not kind and sends wrong message.

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<p>I value tolerance, self-definition, and kindness. It is not the business of public schools to enforce private prejudices. (see Parker v. Hurley (2008).) Students learn best when they feel welcomed, understood, and supported. There is plenty of learning theory to back this. Students are better prepared for life in a diverse knowledge economy when they learn to think empathetically about others like them and not like them, and when they are encouraged in curiosity and reasoning. This policy will hurt trans and nonbinary students most, but it also hurts their straight peers who will learn intolerance and suppression. It hurts caring parents trying to support children exploring their gender identification. That process is hard. The state should not seek to make it harder. </p>


Protect trans kids

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All the research shows that when you affirm a transgender child’s identity and use their preferred pronouns, that child is feels safer and more mentally sound.

Trans kids need to be accepted and protected.

Youngkin’s proposals are cruel and will undoubtedly result in suicide and pain.


KEEP TRANS KIDS SAFE


Object/ please keep 2021 guidelines and our schools a safe place for our LBGTQ and all students

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There are many places to object here but I will keep my comments to some of the most fundamental.

This change is advertised as a change to give parents more control over their children’s education and decisions made on how to handle those controversial pieces.

But it has long been the schools job To prioritize the students. Their safety their will being, and their education.

If uneducated parents wish their children to learn falsehoods because that’s all they know, it is but the schools job to comply, but to serve those children and the greater society by teaching them correct facts, history, science, math…  do they can make the future world better.

As for safety, schools are legally obligated to protect students — even if they are protecting them from their parents. So saying that parents have the last say is disingenuous. If a teacher sees evidence of physical or psychological abuse they are obligated to report it. For transgender, or other LBGTQ students, abuse or the threat of abuse can be more common if the parents are not supportive. In this case outing a student to their parents even under the guise of trying to protect them, can be actively throwing a child into an abusive situation intensified by the school if not created by it. If abuse occurs, the school would not only be legally obligated to report said abuse, they would be a co-conspirator in it.

This is effort and the lengths it goes to is more heinous when you realize that something as simple as allowing a child the freedom, in the safe space of a classroom, to go by name that they prefer and be themselves away from their parents, is actually something that we do for most of our students in most cases already. Since my children have been in school, teachers have been asking what their preferred name is. Not all children go by their first name, not all first names are easily pronounceable, and there’ are so many other reasons a child might choose a nickname or some other name to go by. There is no reason to deny our transgender students this option or require parental consent or to make it a public ordeal. Or even tell parents what they like to be called. My son asked to be called a different random name for a year and a half when he was young. Teachers took it in stride. They could do it for our LBGTQ children too.

I’ve never seen a teacher refuse to take into account a child’s preferred method of being addressed until this. If it is a simple thing that the schools and the teachers can do for a child who may not have the Safetynet or support at home to be who they need to be. By supporting children in this small way we make them feel safe and their learning improves.

There is so much evidence that this is true that it seems incredible we are debating it.

The policies set out in 2021 benefit all our kids, as well as society, not just those who are addressed in this document. Showing all of our children that gender identity or even gender all together, is not anyone’s sole identifying trait, and that when we allow students to be who they are, and take the weight of hiding it or trying to be something they’re not, we free them to excel in all sorts of areas. We allow them to focus on school better, to make friends easier, to be more comfortable with themselves and their surroundings… and we show those kids as well as all of the others, that we are all valuable, and capable of contributing great things to society. The small act of accommodating these differences and protecting those students who need it, shows all of our kids that we care about them, that we will protect them as well regardless of gender regardless of orientation, regardless of race or religion. This is a world that we strive for or should strive for — a better one than the one in which we live.

Please, for all of our children, continue to use the more compassionate, safe path laid out in 2021. And continue to strive to connect families and encourage parental inclusion in ways that do not put our students at greater risks.


Opposed

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If this policy is passed, thousands or more teens will be in terrible situations where their right to personhood is denied. DON'T LET THIS PASS.


Strongly oppose these proposed changes

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<p>All children need to be protected and be safe to learn - and this is the opposite , a proposal that will directly  harm kids  well-being. Virginia should not embrace hate under the pseudo guise of “parental rights “ or “protections” that actually mask discrimination. Let’s concentrate on helping our educators do their jobs instead of imposing some false “morals “ that in reality are actually amoral. - A Virginia Parent </p>


Will raise kids in VA instead of MD under this policy

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We have recently been deciding whether we want to stay in Virginia where we live now to raise our future children or move to the Maryland of DC. This decision is almost entirely about schools. Because of this new, common sense policy that keeps parents involved in their kids identities, we clearly will choose to raise our kids in Virginia. Montgomery County schools have gone off the rails by teaching every kid who is a victim and who is an oppressor. Glad to see Youngkin is reversing the course as NOVA schools were very quickly following the Maryland'S direction.


Please do not adopt the 2022 Model Policies

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I oppose the 2022 Model Policies.  I am the proud father of a transgender son who graduated from high school in Virginia this year and has just started college.  He is happy and well adjusted, which I attribute in large part to the supportive environment staff were able to provide in middle school and high school.  Even before my wife or I were able to talk to him constructively about his feelings, he found support in knowledgeable school counselors and teachers who helped him understand what he was learning about himself.  As he was exploring his identity, he was free to use a name other than his legal name and pronouns other than those corresponding to his gender assigned at birth, which helped reduce the anxieties that he was facing.  And the school was free to use that name on school records and email addresses, which also reduced his anxiety.  Finally, all teachers used his preferred name which was crucial during this time.

The 2021 Model Guidelines document about how transgender students are at higher risk of adverse mental health outcomes, harassment, lower academic performance, suicidal ideation, and homelessness, and I shudder to think of what my son might have experienced if he did not have the supportive environment he had in Virginia schools.  Yet, the 2022 Guidelines would outlaw many of the supportive services that my son received.  Speaking from experience, it can take time for even a loving  parent to accept the reality of their transgender child’s identity, and it could be unhealthy to force a child to seek parental written permission to use a preferred name and pronouns at school.  And because a child’s safety is at issue, given the rate of suicides among transgender children, I do not believe a public school teacher has a First Amendment right to decline to use the child’s preferred name or pronouns.

Further, as a lawyer, I do not think that VDOE is using the proper procedures to adopt the 2022 Model Policies.  Because all Virginia school boards must set policies that are consistent with them, they set legally binding requirements and are not a guidance document but rather a regulation.  Therefore, the expedited process that VDOE is using for guidance documents under Virginia Code § 2.2-4002.1 is not appropriate.  Instead, VDOE must follow the more robust notice and comment requirements of the Virginia Administrative Process Act for regulations.

In addition, the 2022 Model Policies do not follow the requirements of Virginia Code § 22.1-23.3.  That statute empowers VDOE to adopt “model policies concerning the treatment of transgender students in public elementary and secondary schools that address common issues regarding transgender students in accordance with evidence-based best practices.”  However, some of the provisions in the 2022 Model Policies (such as the nondiscrimination and anti-bullying provisions) do not specifically address transgender students at all, and VDOE provides no evidence to show that any of the provisions in the 2022 Model Policies are best practices for the treatment for transgender students.  Moreover, VDOE does not refute or even address the substantial evidence cited by VDOE in support of the 2021 Model Policies.

For these reasons, as a parent and a lawyer, I ask that VDOE change its course and not adopt the 2022 Model Policies.


Fully support 2022 Model Policies

2022 MODEL POLICIESON THE PRIVACY, DIGNITY, AND RESPECT FOR ALL STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN VIRGINIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
VA DEPT OF EDUCATION

1) I fully support  proposed 2022 Model Policies - common sense
2) If children are struggling with gender dysphoria, they need guidance and emotional support from parents. Under the new policies, school officials must keep parents fully informed, and require schools to enforce laws, regulations and policies that prohibit and deter bullying or harassment.
3) Far more girls will be victims of sexual assault and endure daily fear/humiliation than the minuscule number of young people “helped” if boys are allowed in girls restrooms and locker rooms. Students should use the bathrooms that correspond to their sex. Single-user bathrooms and facilities should be made available in accessible areas and provided with appropriate signage, indicating accessibility for all students.

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2022 MODEL POLICIES
ON THE PRIVACY, DIGNITY, AND RESPECT FOR ALL STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN VIRGINIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS

VA DEPT OF EDUCATION

1) I fully support  proposed 2022 Model Policies - common sense

2) If children are struggling with gender dysphoria, they need guidance and emotional support from parents. Under the new policies, school officials must keep parents fully informed, and require schools to enforce laws, regulations and policies that prohibit and deter bullying or harassment.

3) Far more girls will be victims of sexual assault and endure daily fear/humiliation than the minuscule number of young people “helped” if boys are allowed in girls restrooms and locker rooms. Students should use the bathrooms that correspond to their sex. Single-user bathrooms and facilities should be made available in accessible areas and provided with appropriate signage, indicating accessibility for all students.


Strongly Oppose

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I strongly oppose the adoption of this policy. There is no reason to require parents to be involved in personal decisions of a child that do not harm another person. School should be a safe space for children to make decisions. If a child requests of their teacher and their peers that they prefer a different name and set of pronouns, I should hope that the school system is teaching children how to respect one another.


Protect kids, trans and cis both.

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<p>I oppose because this will harm children. Trans children deserve to learn without being discriminated against. Protect all the children. </p>


STRONGLY OPPOSED

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<p>This policy will enable a crazy amount of mental harm to trans students and will do absolutely nothing to "protect" the rest of the students which is what you claim to do. Schools should be a place where kids feel safe and accepted REGARDLESS of what their home environment is like. Keep the 2021 policy and work to make it even better so EVERYONE can be accepted by their peers and administrators </p>


Support Youngkin's new policies

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I applaud Youngkin for taking action against the flawed policies of the previous administration - policies that lack sound research.


In Support of the 2021 Model Policy

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I find the pre-existing Model Policy from 2021 more equitable than the proposed substitutions of 2022. I stand in opposition, therefore, to the 2022 Model Policy.


Strongly Oppose

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I oppose these DOE regulations that would actively harm the safety and education of transgender students throughout the state.


OPPOSED


Fiercely opposed To this horrific bill.

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This bill is tantamount to the government staking claim to children, stripping them of what few rights they have to bodily autonomy. It is no secret that trans-identifying youth are far more likely to attempt suicide. This number grows exponentially when these youth are not allowed to openly be themselves, frightened by powerful figures that treat them like they shouldn’t exist. This is a strong example of a specific group attempting to force its worldview on individuals who should be protected from religious persecution. Religious beliefs should have nothing to do with the establishment of laws, but the government should have no right to establish laws controlling the bodies of individuals.


Rescind Model Policy

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<p>I strongly oppose this policy </p>


Strongly Oppose changes to protections for Trans youth

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<p>Research has found that the risk of depression and suicide for transgender youth drops when they feel accepted and supported in their home and in their school. Governor Youngkin's policy jeopardizes the safety of transgender youth across the State by eliminating protections the ensured their safety and dignity. All children deserve to feel safe at school so they can learn and thrive. Transgender children deserve the same! I OPPOSE Gov. Youngkin's DISCRIMINATORY policy targeting transgender youth across Virginia. </p>


It is a grave mistake to pass this.

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It is a grave mistake to pass this.


Oppose

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I oppose the guidelines


Please oppose this harmful policy

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Trans and non-binary kids are just like any kid. They want to be respected and safe. This policy will harm them. It doesn't protect anyone, it hurts children.


Difficult being a teenager

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As a high school counselor, one of my responsibilities is to support students when they feel they do not have an adult who accepts them for who they are. Too often I have had students tell me their parents have said they are “going to hell” because they desire to come out as transgender. It is tragic that parents think these students are “doing it to go along with their friends” or “going through a phase.” The suicide rates for transgender students are frightening. I am not trying to usurp parental authority; I am trying to keep your child alive.


Strongly Oppose

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<p>I know that this will push children to end their own lives because they weren't supported by the people who are responsible for supporting them the most. It will make children kill themselves. I oppose. We cannot let this happen to children. </p>