October 26, 2022

Virginia Department of Education

Superintendent Jillian Balow

James Monroe Bldg., 25th Floor

101 N. 14th St.

Richmond, VA 23219

RE: ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) Comment in STRONG OPPOSITION to the Proposed 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity and Respect for All Students in Virginia’s Public Schools

ADL Washington, D.C. respectfully submits this comment in strong 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”).  At their core, the 2022 Model Policies are contrary to state law and will inflict serious harm on transgender and nonbinary students across the Commonwealth.

As a leading anti-hate organization with decades of experience providing anti-bias education and programming in K-12 schools, we know that inclusive school policies reduce the amount of harassment that LGBTQ+ students face, result in improvements in academic performance, and ultimately improve students’ sense of belonging to the school community. This helps create safer and more inclusive learning environments for all students.

Far from promoting “dignity” or “respect” in Virginia’s K-12 schools, the 2022 Model Policies directly undermine inclusive school policies already in place in Virginia.  Indeed, many school districts in Virginia have already enacted policies that prohibit discrimination against students based on their gender identity or expression. And there is no question that LGBTQ+ youth feel demonstrably safer and more comfortable in schools with “nondiscrimination and anti-bullying policies that enumerate or specifically include . . . gender identity or expression.”  Yet if adopted, the 2022 Model Policies would prohibit school boards from maintaining these non-discrimination policies, unraveling years of progress and directly undermining the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth in school.

First and foremost, the 2022 Model Polices are not evidence-based, nor do they reflect best practices for ensuring that transgender students have equitable access to educational opportunities, free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying – contrary to the requirements of Virginia Code § 22.1-23.  By way of example only, the 2022 Model Policies would prohibit teachers from using students’ affirming names and pronouns, unless the student legally changes their name and gender marker or their parents instruct school personnel to do so.  This is dangerous.  Transgender and nonbinary youth who have pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives report attempting suicide at half the rate of those who do not have their pronouns respected.

Moreover, the 2022 Model Policies would require schools to delineate bathroom and locker room usage based on “sex” – defined as “biological sex” – and to only accommodate transgender and nonbinary students to the extent required by federal law.  Yet by imposing a litmus test on these students vis-à-vis their identities, the 2022 Model Policies will inevitably lead to discrimination in violation of clear law – causing grave harm to transgender and nonbinary students in the process.  A 2020 peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project’s researchers, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that transgender and nonbinary youth who experienced bathroom discrimination had more than 1.5 times the odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not experience bathroom discrimination.? The study also found that, among transgender and nonbinary youth who reported experiencing bathroom discrimination, 85% reported depressive mood and 60% seriously considered suicide.

Finally, the 2022 Model Policies will require school personnel to “out” students to their parents in certain circumstances – such as when students are seeking counseling – a practice that will not only prevent teachers and counselors from being trustworthy adults for students, but may also result in grave harm to students outside of school.  According to a poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of The Trevor Project, when asked about proposed legislation that would require schools to tell a student’s parent or guardian if they request to use a different name/pronoun or if they identify as LGBTQ+ at school, 56% of LGBTQ+ youth said it made them feel angry, 47% felt nervous, 45% felt stress, and more than 1 in 3 felt sad.

No student should feel unsafe, unwelcome, or fearful in Virginia’s public schools.  We accordingly request that the Virginia Department of Education swiftly rescind the 2022 Model Policies and leave the existing 2021 Model Policies in place.

Sincerely,

c92nJLGJWFyj3N/YsEZYADYAlJraGHGj8jO4UQopYkHT8P3KO8VUspA3hjPZOgPjZ9uh/sY7Eoii6tOFmnFJuVwIbpD5uK94xSuaY5kwtgVmkrKmRky8Mj1AA4cGIW1FbAdBGuk973lPXeGD4f3SCny2/w8I0pR561EYtxxHWieqkC666KLaMiHYSivGZEsl2XARVU4lTXYRECLM2LZ7BZmTvKEA447CvFwJAsn7Qr7uwgsv7NHInqGeOVeIlZ82CrhHqQiUJI7Sp/kJ9QjlRyWe9rSnjRTsm1c0Pi7TNx6KcQ1g3i8ZkgQ5jrFJQvXGcRxZeGUynukX51XK5J0jJb70pS810isTLWSjdgZGbvtiwlQht1gyF79zWKRYAj6bedJrueCeNqE5y83m8pmslJwfzURjKQiZDDBVWaRfkg0HMVfBfIOYpO1cvsZcCMbk59HoUlJhRQiE5Yq8DFVhXIa4lplsy+hMB96Jwhvvjlg7g8ZyqmjSQSRvDC4pqVIltGRQTAjmBOWMpaShqXLdKebO2ss+zIx4vl/pgfLDdHkRiPQG1MAq+mDSKjMD98j3a0O/8/laQaTcB6RqqU3j5usIs5zjFISzGDOYVWXAyO6dNqaNdyfsaLJhyO8kypm1XEnmOvbdzivyuwNhn818Jq9ikmyyq5gzvpCvBbUE+XqChTDkQxJcPkwoCES4Z4EDYi1SjONMvcS9y36W8H45kkwwR1ZmutAwrpKsflu9StIxMPHlOeZZflH5XBolzkvKB3I7QqAM3oT08m/Sl58ImDYXnzNjM4YNNLS1iWNtjPvud7974DWgHjVfY1tXuZvFwor9q0E0as6pBsW7E05hlg5DPCcXkGThF0QzTtX18Kx4Hs2YfVOkEgxyTtZayMwV12POHGehwVSvCfDxmbNAx9y0XKRZuCORQ/W9q/hyaD+oOzj44IPrwFo2Z6MvoyC3jeIjZKx98WMy95oX1Kayh/CJFEnwUQ1aqP42MhHAl83HXVMW42O2YDL+HalZglbO5ZZI3jLyYkhFEeFCWOScMVKqF8gDJkJLUiumcB1TdZTdSHLM+f6oNNMD8TyL6C1veUvPNbvuuutcWrrUyiVZlKqvcjpo1BxrRvmlkUx80HF8eSSu9Y5loYfgFQa1rqIcFvH92rbmiRzTxtGOlSbNWFpgQY9//OOb2mVaPZ+TJ+8H5jzlEVFv8ZO2kk25aNqeZufT9xun/EECpEY9Pg4xlbEdhsbHBS9lcRvErCVRltqxtxAT5jZMOtIsI9fKCkzZNF6Cz5Pvw8Q0wdn8sI9URLMtryzsnsEXJZH1R3CLAPBsAyytUn51wwDnQfZZk3x//ci7nNpwwQUX9LgNxqttE4VUSVvhfZCCBh+cD8FJSEXqZNSFwFUxXuW9kX4RMJNdVIPaM3FzzbNnhLAxLtlkt6sou1Lg76y1vDsGiHx3pliHhJv1oF+xvzjIdsB+IDjLACAtHZrX2rGzyzrj0nBj/HKVIjYTY6Ft7jdSOIKHphs9jJtR1szGgPmNwnDmY26DAbOGIany5ntBp9I8MxjZRPZNIgu33KfK/CnLEINKxsW0efdKSfqRpWK5KPMeUuSdB5XcWXhlwYZ3ajPZcqFLSTSTPDChFcfUhE/Wb2NVZPMUxfz5kMGwD5KbQ5sgVDBFumcQ4yoyyL6pqHH4oAR1dmtyjXXckzCLQCghGX0tKY4TZqEAuBClMB8UgbeDK4RMfg5rU7/4q21uC6Ll85x+9atfnWsLH0tDBmG60cq4XiCXtaF4SQsyvg3EDI0JY9KUDjnfI1fQ8KFj0gK5CF4wzEKNjd7IczGS8rj8CZZMmXGZTeXXBkWI9TMH20q/mPQ899xzay1pg0W+3kQOCjYwo7NZjyxe3+/KYE6LTud2QeIGPjSgwCGbjHmzxiDmgTivr3kMM5kDkW1aqo2Y2O9617tqU9V7a98vCxDPI6BZXzIMAkpZMDBDI0JvLktXST63/HCcdpmpMmFsCiL8W2mpMko/iHH5tjljEM8xzmIUg4pkWAICY0Db52xJ0Ixj3CCftgmtSbLLP/JFmBehbWNCy4BFfFguwDzJNal84FJTYkrPi8+ktFGUWGK+/FVAjCoX7csMvvyQGdfCDNBygmqEjz5kDYEIjCgCKJnHO+Si+yB57hL87LaFQWpHwX0u/KBZRt13C9E3cYbsZkyV5OrbUI4FQRUMFSDUglGMbXzsLSDHH8/R58zkcTyTqrS8Z5lgcN/cZhDjqg+IsckCQsAwW5nWoeAiCqFsXfhfF8C6zwIgaL4yLse8H+Py/0qtWSIm1IbruM5gkfQZvuIXjNq20Jh1dtowSfIgYcDMhLHhAQNmTYM5mbh8nlID8ZGgrUoK5Ull3mUTP96PP+8DArktojEj/xhtBWTyd6lze4uR0GFV5PJR/xZEEiFm/tOGfhHtSFgSKKXPKBob98/PmRcSJGNeKrckjIaZ2SVosZg7v/FxBnDfLMgwYPif+p3XhGt9ITSXfVqn5ZdHUcm4MQcUDQFetm8jfi9zP38zC+NKm8rNM5sdK8eZEOdigOfGs8eNSTGuQY3v0I6CnL8jtfKmaQs1b74PivYYTUBIjjZ/7AzRsPze+BvjgTxeSEeMjfHbJsqG/siLCvyUZi7KfcEIbcJK6WZbexHy8msNmC9HiqO9IGBMtKBfLHLn+X20fb4uk8i7wIl3jAIN41pWTIn4ql4SrOPfiyPYpG4+M7GOjI34grYKOCzcqJ/WN67MZLbYGd8Qsq7nCgBzPgsp5wiw+Jig948xYnkQ8mWxjfWk33GPILGQNjCTy4xEGxnvsHQE8kKAOK6Crwz8ZUVCEHHXYLqYFibFuPxCGmoUCBrkAAl/KZs4/N9+Piu/2KRYIPmrkEjgygKPYAamo9khf2nSYJdanHZ3b9rQAicYoji8pFg0Jiu+XJhho3fJ8HENHzEH6XzCpt8Gef95GtBM2beNe41KmFE0E5PlyjO+vUCcsWfWEyiYhiVTkuMCYdpoGzXMmC0/i9U1KviEsaiNv3l1//IriKLNrIvoezAuV6rte02+GJo/bZOprX/ch/wFFm5RWVMdRFHYzkrYZUYnzKy9LEgJQJZURMCtOXM6nUwLfX3cWGixgAx+fKp1lE4xaTJTmABBDELBIhFejwkNYioJVNCyIpWleeu/bLSw8nd9DJhcseeR2Ll9JoEF/i+fi/ajFTH/MAbRJn87yjv40kFoxkxxL+cDTGwxgLIt0nfviqn6lTtOhpjQFmj20S22yUalS4ikKnAwXyydqFQbBRg3UlsEHYYohSWtqT5d6ij3HaMLTBofQShzzDWQrmwLDAVJqRECNB/TnKtU5s4xpY0d+ViQ/pZxDseUY+Y0qfHg/gmw5ViNtaEIQ92BPiNtcqp0qozdw7hxM8wVHYzF6MNmWWMOA38t152SjjScFFIZ9Q1i+hl0jFm2YQGEmZUjswbUYrJAc0oiKLSuwSTNSchSYAwi0hWj8+0sLHnp8MuD5GXjnsbLZFpoNJgP5mXNn3OT/CGamUbP78s6kcsm3EQ7EfOMj2ex+WUOEwgEHYZgduojRon7IBbLOD74zfrhV2PaURZdtGEqx/v7LU1VVkZsKywr1ghy88qfNP+Uid+2/C4y9p4Rv0FlO8do3Kw5h5H1E+sreIKrF1ZJdguDCCQMjWhxyoLgyv9jw7yilXFp3Mx0GCMHFUaBj89FjbIXJQj6Meww8uJ8rUD+aPsw8uygtvODKK4TnMCc2ZQNIvkFjcJstij4gY6XRSyEjLYqqkQr41tEIrG0Jf8IAzo+qktCmrM4wu8stw+KCKsAmlf0Y9JRmBdo0hyPyKRgJfujfP2y9n0YmRvuU65e6kexBuZlLZRE6OaPIapJH3VdErxT3RzTaiqDnKZv4tJ+uQJo1Amjbcqa3JJG0Xw0T1npVBZ+ZMI4pUZsI5rXQJf1tZMhvg3TTXS3TbKXZCyjMKGcOMyrfG6yUdsStsHlZ0Z991RQzrm/R10H2kmdlKWLTNfIiQYImPw/+w0ja0MEWTzF3vG2uMx0EOHatrmfJrU7rCzKKEnBSFlhOFn0ZVwYdXLaYEGX/69MEM0igCMHJ2pHItPGpCYidfmzyubK6CwITMjHacN8ouGYz77RK2erMF2in5lK81kkBtu/STtb6Aw8rSa3qlKJeSqRr19M47aPrAVhehVQUWAh0JYDQiUxD71nuVNoOiD6Gs8lwMq86fyAdBWhZMxE4v0/QRFJL4EJjT+XhBtgfsNEFvOQl1eAQVPnLZPWqvwps5s5yoIxFp4lmlxWV1lvrErrwVoi8ASrBgl965J7MiiqTiCL8Hu2tSRAG+/hmcx+EWtjMhX+Gsi48wod4ifL02EKi5qNj8EEbmjziLoK9ghWSc+YTGQCMsO2vaD7ayM95Tc0WYY2mFx+V4DGvx0rIRLLz8SAcZ7vIn8sOBIVRfouYqn/0S765hiz1LtaZFIqFhrrQKAtzFXtpzJhw4BBIuIuCxA+2GyDqD/f3PwiATLz6GuKJUYZT2vE3LFAMI75KnPg1oeAFqHASkACW35dS9jnecxo6wOXU3BS2ah3UIFmjcUzp7IOpo1x45f5YAJ0nj+WMUrH29oMu26U+04G7teWx3U8P8ukek+BOdRWHFFeM24wuX27iqbVh5mKcYxDXB/3mur9RkXbcybbh8m0bcO0MO5sw1QGsEOH+YGOcTt0mIXoGLdDh1mIjnE7dJiF6Bi3Q4dZiI5xO3SYhegYt0OHWYeq+j/CzOMKoa3+CAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==" />

Meredith R. Weisel

Regional Director
ADL Washington, D.C. Regional Office

<!DOCTYPE html>

October 26, 2022

Virginia Department of Education

Superintendent Jillian Balow

James Monroe Bldg., 25th Floor

101 N. 14th St.

Richmond, VA 23219

RE: ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) Comment in STRONG OPPOSITION to the Proposed 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity and Respect for All Students in Virginia’s Public Schools

ADL Washington, D.C. respectfully submits this comment in strong 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”).  At their core, the 2022 Model Policies are contrary to state law and will inflict serious harm on transgender and nonbinary students across the Commonwealth.

As a leading anti-hate organization with decades of experience providing anti-bias education and programming in K-12 schools, we know that inclusive school policies reduce the amount of harassment that LGBTQ+ students face, result in improvements in academic performance, and ultimately improve students’ sense of belonging to the school community. This helps create safer and more inclusive learning environments for all students.

Far from promoting “dignity” or “respect” in Virginia’s K-12 schools, the 2022 Model Policies directly undermine inclusive school policies already in place in Virginia.  Indeed, many school districts in Virginia have already enacted policies that prohibit discrimination against students based on their gender identity or expression. And there is no question that LGBTQ+ youth feel demonstrably safer and more comfortable in schools with “nondiscrimination and anti-bullying policies that enumerate or specifically include . . . gender identity or expression.”  Yet if adopted, the 2022 Model Policies would prohibit school boards from maintaining these non-discrimination policies, unraveling years of progress and directly undermining the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth in school.

First and foremost, the 2022 Model Polices are not evidence-based, nor do they reflect best practices for ensuring that transgender students have equitable access to educational opportunities, free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying – contrary to the requirements of Virginia Code § 22.1-23.  By way of example only, the 2022 Model Policies would prohibit teachers from using students’ affirming names and pronouns, unless the student legally changes their name and gender marker or their parents instruct school personnel to do so.  This is dangerous.  Transgender and nonbinary youth who have pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives report attempting suicide at half the rate of those who do not have their pronouns respected.

Moreover, the 2022 Model Policies would require schools to delineate bathroom and locker room usage based on “sex” – defined as “biological sex” – and to only accommodate transgender and nonbinary students to the extent required by federal law.  Yet by imposing a litmus test on these students vis-à-vis their identities, the 2022 Model Policies will inevitably lead to discrimination in violation of clear law – causing grave harm to transgender and nonbinary students in the process.  A 2020 peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project’s researchers, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that transgender and nonbinary youth who experienced bathroom discrimination had more than 1.5 times the odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not experience bathroom discrimination.? The study also found that, among transgender and nonbinary youth who reported experiencing bathroom discrimination, 85% reported depressive mood and 60% seriously considered suicide.

Finally, the 2022 Model Policies will require school personnel to “out” students to their parents in certain circumstances – such as when students are seeking counseling – a practice that will not only prevent teachers and counselors from being trustworthy adults for students, but may also result in grave harm to students outside of school.  According to a poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of The Trevor Project, when asked about proposed legislation that would require schools to tell a student’s parent or guardian if they request to use a different name/pronoun or if they identify as LGBTQ+ at school, 56% of LGBTQ+ youth said it made them feel angry, 47% felt nervous, 45% felt stress, and more than 1 in 3 felt sad.

No student should feel unsafe, unwelcome, or fearful in Virginia’s public schools.  We accordingly request that the Virginia Department of Education swiftly rescind the 2022 Model Policies and leave the existing 2021 Model Policies in place.

Sincerely,

<img ..="" alt="black box" src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAO4AAAA4CAYAAAD6icQQAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAARnQU1BAACxjwv8YQUAAAAJcEhZcwAADsMAAA7DAcdvqGQAABpdSURBVHhe7d0JuG9T+QdwCVGSSKRo0JxMRWVIpTKkNKqQZGggms2aJ0QoQxpVqIgMKRqIytycEiUaaTTP9v/57Hve3ftbd/+Gc8/v/O857O/zvM/vnr3X3nvttdY7v2vfBaoOHTrMOnSM26HDLETHuB06zEJ0jNuhwyxEx7gdOsxCdIzbocMsRMe4HTrMQgxk3LvuuquHAvnfGbldv2vysUDbsQ6zGzH/eW7LvzvMO4Zq3KkMtGvvvPPObrLugejmfnoxVOMG/v73v1ff/e53q7PPPrv65z//OXH0f7jllluqv/zlL9WNN95Y/+3aoIB///rXv65+/OMfV7/85S+r22+/feJM77M63P1w/fXXVzfddNPEXx2mipF83O9973vVM5/5zGqBBRaoFlpooWrLLbdsGPTWW2+tTjzxxOqtb31r9YxnPKN64xvfWP3sZz+rz0Ew5D/+8Y/qQx/6UPXABz6wvs8yyyxTfeYzn6mv73D3xW9/+9vqoIMOql772tdWO+20U3XyySd3QnoMGMi4TJ1jjz22evCDH1wzW9B97nOfWvvSmB/5yEeq+973vj3nX/SiF03cYQ7+9a9/Vdtss01PG/TIRz6y1sDQTebdAzGPtOunPvWpatVVV+2Z84c+9KHVz3/+87rNMMS9yrXRrZWCccsBMcAGOg88ute97lVr1k984hNzMS1accUVeyZn9913r68p2yHavMPdC7RsKahj/llsNHCAxXXMMcdUBx54YO2OlWhj2qB7MuZi3BgQpvBGG23UM+iZll566cbsLWnJJZesNTUceeSR1eKLL97aDp1xxhl1u3v6RNxdcP7551drr732XPMca2jhhReuPvrRj9Ztr7vuumq33Xar7n//+9fntttuu1Y/+Jprrqkuvvji6m9/+9vEkQ59Ne5nP/vZnoF/3OMeV62wwgo9xzLRvKSpf2NcvgwzeKWVVmra3Pve966WW2655m90+umnTzyxw7jRTxhmAQ0/+tGPag259dZbV7/4xS8mjg4XpuX5r33ta9UTnvCEnvnlVj3oQQ9q1gYmPemkk+r2++23X70moq21cdlll9XnAgKhL37xi6tHPOIR1cYbb1xr83Fj2HvORLQyLp905ZVXbgaUlBRI2nzzzeu/Sc8FF1ywkaJ82le96lXVIossUv+97LLLVp/73OeqN7zhDc090CabbFLttddePcdC43YYP2I+Rfy/+c1vVl/5yld6GINVJWBovmI+nv3sZ1e/+93v6vOjLmixkMMPP7y2wvLcCkAedthh9ZxbL46Jl/zmN7+pvvWtb1VLLbVUT3vPvuGGGybuOgcstszcH/7whyfOjBezjXlbg1Mf+9jHamaNwSLxbr755oZxUTAtTfv973+/2n///Ztjyy+/fG1m53tEIMpCiWMoNO5slHqzBRb/EkssUTPAZpttVqdmjPcHP/jBatFFF+2ZD3+fcsop9XWjzgmBgEnzfZ74xCdWxx13XH3+ne98Z3P8YQ97WHX88cdX66yzTk97a+Xoo4+u2weY0pRCbqfPU8XVV19dK5ZPfvKT1SWXXFIfm/WM++9//7taffXVm4EKsxde8pKX9AwiRt1xxx3rc+9///t7jud2iMYWhX7b297WHFtsscWqc845p76+wxyMewG53/Of//xmzJ/0pCdVf/7zn2uNF8xmvmLOMK703qg477zzqic/+cnNffw+5znPqX3SwFZbbVUfR7R77k9c4x5//etfJ66Y02++cBYs+htm9lTGKa/VEGTTAe9jnP/whz9MHBkf5mLcMlL8spe9rMm1vvzlL6+PxWA/9rGPrS699NL63J577tlcU5KJIj2ZVG9+85ub46usskpz/UxELA6/mcYJwZivf/3r1aGHHlr96U9/mjg6PgjorLbaas2YW6i0zNOf/vTmWCbC9Bvf+EZ9bfmu5RiIAkd+P4i5e/nll9fnQVGOY/n+2fQNYrFZHwHPeOELX1ifi/XGfy594HnBa17zmua5XMI//vGPE2fGh5/+9Ke11clFIMjGvc57GNfAvfSlL21einnFrAlkjSvYICIYyOZQJn5P+LEmGrPGuXXXXbe68sor63PlIpnf6NefcfbTeAsCRlRVkQIzbpzgT3JTYsxZSMxN/8YQwRRB97vf/apTTz114ur+IHB23nnn5j5+H/WoR9VRZYhxcq8HPOABTbvyeUj/2vzq973vfU3cBK2//vrVtddeW5+byjywIAmBRz/60bVbKAYwTtCw+prfkZYfJ3oY91e/+lVPUIrJHBVSShT5LXHuMY95TI+GyJo0k2qZ0NgkfZ64bbfddq5gxExALApMxAcXaQ1tME7GNcE56i5qn6O648APfvCD6iEPeUh9f5aUACFz2d/BSHlO1lhjjZrZoXzX/Pdpp53WY5mJHEcKMEPONtqUzwqyqNvKX/nm2VQW9R4HzKVxVuEndgPjmldCIJRYvCv/XQR9nOhhXM56hO2ZM3vsscfEmap673vf20QG0VOf+tSJM3MgBxfnosMPf/jD61RD4NOf/nTTBok4zlRgWiYVv4om6Vcokifc4jOGG2ywQXXCCScMXQxf+MIXesYDExOQ/XDbbbfVpaPymqMutI9//OON1jK3mdmQYpms1d70pjf1mKxt+M9//lObf3GN+d57773n6hOtnNdFbh9rxNhGiazr8z24X9GO1hYEg1HffX7grLPOaiyMIFZM9H1caBjXojNp8TAT/J3vfKc+x2dZc801ezpDMme0RZzf/va3N4Ps/q9//eubNoJeMzkVJH0iBxn9lefEOCXyIuIbhuCjPQcxIcm84YYb1m1jvIxxLjIQNOF/MT9FaJnSzEpW0Ze//OWJVoOhai3eoSSaWGVc+JzmfJT7HnLIIT1j84IXvKBm5hI2k+RUU1C8L8KcMYZ5LFl64eMi7z0O/3Y6oc95jQcZ5yuuuGKi1XiwQAwWH2OttdZqHqbgIszYL37xiz2DjUrGlTJyPNrRtiKOAYvQsbjehoTpiLaNC6U2fOUrX9m6ISIvNrW5+RoLtx8wZJSTxpjxGZWKMkNpyi222KI2QfnA5fivt9561R133DFxt/7o58KwnlhNOfcqiBg+ZD9YEznYpHou0j4lSgsrKN6Ftv/hD3840bpX46qFl1aMa5773OeO9L7zE8zvssAo+t4m9KeChnFp17yZgP/pHB9g++237+kI4v9miD47blLQDjvsMHFmDmiNbEJYUDMZRx11VNNX9OpXv7qvxo0xpBFE3mlEmu6///1vfbwNFrsIq3vHQibMxA7yc/sRQTLMpIWyCCaIC0AThLZlKcixD4NgYo51CFi2CTQCQB+jXRvRTsGMeRyB4Iq+ETLjyN9OJ8yFeuvyHc2tAOS40TCuPGt+GF8NhLXbpAizLsDnogHiHE0iKJIh3RG+lN+4/0xFHg/Uj3FLSHuRvG2LOYMwDIbtR84H+ZvmpSUFP/LWyUFo25WFEcxpRLORPOrvf//7iav6Q+CKNRbX2c4ZyIzH2ij96Uye3c8spywEoqItITPq+84vqDZ8ylOeUvc3zxmLaTpSno2Pe8QRRzQDRdKJMINoWBzPtOmmm9bngSnNAY9zmLo0a5RERnCL3yMxPVNBeu6zzz7N+6BRGXcY3MN4mdC4d57o8liMmfbmaDKLgBBhpuX7IvNLeMa9aVvBx1HAlJdGiXvtsssuE2f+x7jmPhc5tJE1ctVVV9XtS/zkJz+pawSiLQum7eMNMwksyrCgYlwRARTpptKqmAoaxpUzi4eZWIlzku95z3teczxTNnXDlI7FJ1hRIqeZmISqd2YqvDdTP/qLJsu4bRN05pln1qal/Lh7BnPGuNlFJc5AyJU7qjBL5LxhlEUgXUdD5/sExTMRbZvvPQjSY9kCk+4LRH9E5MVAok0bMZP7gYDK/bM2R3EL5if0Mfc56Nvf/nZ9fpT5mgxqxmXW5YhyMC7pnlMF+XwUe6s/zkyp87kwA5S/5X29gi7zinG+fD8IwLzuda9r+otGZVy7V6SRVCblrz1IJ7W5HEHPetazavNSwI7gM8b5PM1pTiYDpYtR1pgpLzDP+fznPz9xxfDxFTTK92zT1IouIurctpgJrrIuOSCImceeFvO5pJkMGlUKUH+9b7yz3UzTZSnUjCuUb2HGYGFWTKv8MY5lklA+4IAD6hvIxfY7FxCIicAUM0LObxhIWFpAP0pNM90QVCJc8nuNwrj6nNMvfJ6ohMquSBu94x3vqNvZZdPmG+67776TfvcP<img src=" style="border-width: initial; border-image-width: initial; width: 237px; height: 56px;"/>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" />

Meredith R. Weisel

Regional Director

ADL Washington, D.C. Regional Office


Support Parental Rights

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>Parents have the right to raise their children.  Schools do not have the right to keep this information from parents.  </p>


Agree-Support 2022 Model for Safety of ALL Kids

<!DOCTYPE html>

Support the new 2022 model policies 100%

This is a competing safety rights issue and NOT anything to do with religion or religious rights. The right for all kids to be SAFE in bathrooms and locker rooms at school is the compelling right in this situation. We have already witnessed 2 teen girls being violently sexually abused in Loudon County schools last year because a teen boy abused this policy by dressing in a skirt (transgender or not) and attacking a girl in the bathroom. That is a fact that we must consider in regards to this policy. We should not risk our young girls nor our young transgender biological girls by putting them with biological boys in privacy areas, like bathrooms & locker-rooms. We risk safety of all kids and potential false accusations of law suits accusing the other biological sex of abuse. This also endangers our teen boys. Do not throw out 1000’s of years of common sense that separating biological genders is wise and the right thing to do when it comes to rooms of privacy in public places.  If parents of transgender kids want a different situation for them, then a unisex single bathroom should be provided to these minors.

In our FCPS high school, the 2021 model policies have had a larger negative impact on the children and smaller positive results. 4 classes of about 20 kids each share the boys locker room for my son’s sophomore gym class. His 20 person class has 3 biological girls identifying as transgender and 2 others from the class come from the other 3 classes. So, there’s a total of 5 biological girls out of about 40 during this gym class that change in the boys locker room.

So what happens when the teachers are not around to observe? The 35 boys refuse to change and use the lockers just to store their stuff in lockers and somehow the 5 transgender (girls to boys) students are clumping together in the boys locker room and getting changed. How does this make sense? The minority is taking over the original purpose of the locker room so it is no longer used for its intended purpose.  We have instructed our son to continue to stay away from the biological girls in the boys locker room or bathrooms and not change (just like he & the majority were doing on their own accord) because this is a dangerous safety issue for all the kids there, and there is a risk of false accusations at any moment. This is a terrible policy that makes absolutely no sense.

Transgender advocates or parents appear to want their child to be treated exactly the same as biological kids of the opposite sex because they hope that will make them feel more comfortable, but it seems in reality, these kids are merely hanging around other trans kids and not actually assimilating into the other gender in privacy rooms because in reality, their bodies are more like their biological sex peers than the opposite gender. Contrary to transgender advocates views, the 2021 model in action is actually more dangerous and more discriminatory to kids than the 2022 policies which put the Safety of ALL kids first. Please enforce the 2022 Model Policies in Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia as soon as possible. Our kids need adults to do the right thing by protecting them! Thank you


Strongly Oppose

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>While I understand that desire to be inclusive and supportive of children suffering from gender dysphoria, it should not be done at the expense of other children.  Especially in the most sensitive of places.  My daughter should not feel uncomfortable in a bathroom or changing rooming because boys are allowed in there too.  Why not offer a third bathroom or changing room that is open and those that suffering from gender dysphoria can use.  You could also allow anyone to use it.  But keep male specific and female specific bathrooms and changing rooms.  </p>


Strongly oppose. Protect trans kids!

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>As a parent, I recognize the importance of protecting trans kids as basic human decency. School should be a safe space for students, why are you proposing these policies that would make it openly hostile to already vulnerable kids? </p>


Protect the children. Support the Governor.

<!DOCTYPE html>

Protect our children! I support the Governor!


Governor, please defund not complying school districts and forcefully remove school board members.

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>Enough of this woke mob. Finally there is an adult in the room. </p>


The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children.

<!DOCTYPE html>

Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. 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.

Student participation in sex-specific athletics, school activities and events should be determined by sex, e.g., for overnight travel accommodations 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.

The new policies protect the fundamental religious liberty interests of personnel and students.


Strongly support the 2022 Guidance

<!DOCTYPE html>

I strongly support the 2022 Guidance. I wish this did not have to be so political.


Strongly oppose.


This new policy will increase child suicide rates

<!DOCTYPE html>

Dear Governor Youngkin,

The new proposed policy changes, effectively forcibly outing children at school and to their families, has been repeatedly shown to be dangerous to queer children.  We live in a world where family notoriously do not support their queer children, resulting in increased suicides and mental illnesses.  This is an unnecessary law and an overreach in government- can children not even explore their own identity without government meddling?  It’s also been shown to NOT reduce risks of sexual assault- and to increase risk of assault (sexual or otherwise) against queer children.

I hope you take time to consider the loss of life consequences of your actions-  so many politicians have proposed deadly laws for the sake of getting publicity by playing into the so-called “trans controversy”.  I urge you not to be one of them.

A. Lamancusa


Transgender policies

<!DOCTYPE html>

Teachers/admin. spend a very limited time with each individual minor.  Many don't have children themselves.  When it comes to the mental health of minors it would be more than irresponsible to put teachers/admin. in charge.  Parents are responsible from birth on for their own children.  Anyone who feels they should play a major part in a minors life, that they will only know for a few years, and try to exclude the minors parents can only have an selfish motive.  There will always be some bad parents just like there will always be some bad teachers.  To make the assumption that a teacher knows what's better for child than the parent on a massive scale is unfathomable. Every teacher/admin. is not perfect, great or even good.  To give public school staff the power to allow children to disregard what their parent approve of is insane.  Let's not forget their are teachers in jail for abusing students.


I oppose the changes

<!DOCTYPE html>

These changes make an end run around the proper process, pretending to include the required mandates to protect trans children while doing everything it can to hurt them. We need to be better than this. Forcibly outing children to potentially hateful parents can and has gotten children killed before, and it will continue to do so if forced on our teachers. For that matter, while the new regulations claim to protect parental rights and choice, it does exactly the opposite for supportive parents of trans kids. Additionally, this completely ignores the precedent set by Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, with regards to allowing trans children the right to use the proper bathroom for their identity.


Transgender youth

<!DOCTYPE html>

Positive youth development, supported by decades of research, should guide parents, policy makers, and educators when formulating an environment in which all youth can thrive. Flawed and cruel policy based on fear, bias, misguided assumptions, and political pandering damages all of us, especially vulnerable youth.  Credible research and mindset of equality tempered with compassion benefits everyone.


Strongly Oppose

This policy will kill children. LGBTQ+ youth are already at an increased risk of suicide, and outing them to their peers and families, as well as cutting off access to mental health professionals will only increase the number of suicides we see. My trans and non-binary friends and family are not trans and non-binary because they learned it. It is who they are and who they would be no matter what. However, having access to mental health professionals, a supportive community of educators and friends is the reason they are still alive.
For many kids, school is a safe place for them to learn and be themselves, when it may not be safe for them to do so at home. The governor’s guidance will strip children of this safety, making them feel more alone and isolated. This will lead to increasingly high rates of mental health issues and suicides throughout the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other marginalized communities.As someone who has dealt with serious depression and mental health issues, my teachers and professors were often the people I turned to for help. When I didn’t feel like I could talk to my parents, these educators were there to listen to me, guide me, and make me feel like I wasn’t alone. I also started therapy in high school and have continued it for over a decade. If I was not able to speak to my teachers, or reach out to mental health professionals for fear that anything I said would be repeated to my parents, I would not still be alive today. Affirming, supportive teachers/professors, mental health professionals, and inpatient facilities are the majority of the reason I am still alive.
The governors policies are rooted in homophobia, transphobia, and hate. But the repercussions of this guidance will be felt by children everywhere, and suicide rates will rise for all students.

<!DOCTYPE html>

This policy will kill children. LGBTQ+ youth are already at an increased risk of suicide, and outing them to their peers and families, as well as cutting off access to mental health professionals will only increase the number of suicides we see. My trans and non-binary friends and family are not trans and non-binary because they learned it. It is who they are and who they would be no matter what. However, having access to mental health professionals, a supportive community of educators and friends is the reason they are still alive.

For many kids, school is a safe place for them to learn and be themselves, when it may not be safe for them to do so at home. The governor’s guidance will strip children of this safety, making them feel more alone and isolated. This will lead to increasingly high rates of mental health issues and suicides throughout the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other marginalized communities.

As someone who has dealt with serious depression and mental health issues, my teachers and professors were often the people I turned to for help. When I didn’t feel like I could talk to my parents, these educators were there to listen to me, guide me, and make me feel like I wasn’t alone. I also started therapy in high school and have continued it for over a decade. If I was not able to speak to my teachers, or reach out to mental health professionals for fear that anything I said would be repeated to my parents, I would not still be alive today. Affirming, supportive teachers/professors, mental health professionals, and inpatient facilities are the majority of the reason I am still alive.

The governors policies are rooted in homophobia, transphobia, and hate. But the repercussions of this guidance will be felt by children everywhere, and suicide rates will rise for all students.


Support Gov. Youngkins policy

<!DOCTYPE html>

I support this common sense proposal to protect parents', students' and staff rights.


Revised Va State department of education policy reaffirming Parental rights

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>I am in complete support of all parents rights to be involved in the education if their children </p>


We stand against these policies

Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, VA Omega Rho (Virginia Commonwealth University)

<!DOCTYPE html>

To Governor Youngkin:

Pi Lambda Phi is an international fraternity that shapes men into people who lead courageously toward a world where all are equal and free from prejudice. We have dedicated our lives to the elimination of prejudice around the world, but our chapter’s focus is on the Commonwealth of Virginia specifically. We have transgender brothers and family members and must stand against the proposed 2022 Model Policies on Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools.

It is imperative for children’s gender identity to be affirmed at school and at home. While the government may not be able to ensure that children have safe spaces to experience their identity at home, it should make school a safe space for all children to be able to experience their identity as they see fit, not as their parents see fit. Forcing school officials to disclose a student’s nonconforming identity to their parents could also add to an already hostile environment in the home.

While parents may be in charge of the care of a child, they are not the determinant factor in their identity. In your proposed model policies for the Virginia education system, you completely disregard the rights of children to be able to express themselves in a way that feels most natural to them. According to the Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health; 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, fewer than 1/3 of transgender and nonbinary youth found their home to be gender-affirming, and 14% of LGBTQ youth attempted suicide in the past year. These policies will only cause these statistics to increase.

If a child cannot express themselves at school or at home because of the threat of violence, or punishment, or judgement by a family member that they know will not accept them, then where can they turn? Other children who know just about as much as they do? NO. They should be able to turn to professionals at their school who are trained and know how to deal with these kinds of situations, but they will not be able to under these new proposed policies. They will be made to feel like a castaway on an island in the middle of an ocean with no help in sight. Children need shelter, guidance, and provision from their parents; however, it is not a parent’s place to determine who a child gets to be professionally, relationally, or personally.

From:

The Brothers of Pi Lambda Phi

VA Omega Rho


Children are vulnerable - protect them!

<!DOCTYPE html>

Our children's brains are developing.  They need to be protected.  Car insurance companies charge young males a higher rate because they are more at risk to have accidents because their brains aren't fully developed.  And we want to allow young males to change their gender before their brains are fully developed?!  AND to give them unfettered access to propaganda like Tik-Tok that is hurting massive amounts of kids with the latest "Ghost Pepper" challenge!! Kids are doing these harmful challenges BECAUSE other kids are doing them.  Kids are now wanting to gender change BECAUSE other kids are doing it.  They are not committing suicide because they can't change their gender or because they are not accepted when they have changed their gender.

Some kids want to be a pirate when they are young.  Do you put them on an operating table and cut off their leg and give them a peg leg and remove an eye so they can wear a patch?

Parents need to be able to protect kids while they are young and can't make life altering decisions with informed consent.  Kids can't even go to an R rated movie without a parent but we propose to give them medically life altering drugs and surgeries.


Fully support-Protect children, parents and families

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>Thank you Governor! Please continue to protect our children, parents, families and society! </p>


Do not do this.


Opposition to Governor Youngkin’s reversing guidelines to protect and respect transgender youth

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>I strongly condemn and oppose the recent policy directive of Governor Youngkin’s Department of Education to reverse guidelines to protect and respect transgender youth. The new mandatory policy is designed to interfere with family dynamics, further harass, intimidate and undermine teachers and staff, and to place some of our most vulnerable children at greater risk. It is anti-family, anti-children, and anti-public school. </p>


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

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>We strongly oppose the proposed guidance on the treatment of transgender students in Virginia public schools.  Transgender children are often alone in developing their identities and are vulnerable to emotional and even physical abuse from all sides.  Sadly, for some, rejection comes even from their own families.  Schools must be places of safety and support for all students, especially those facing the unique challenges of being transgender.  The proposed policies would turn schools into one more place of sadness and harm for these already struggling children.  Please vote against adoption of the proposed guidance. </p>
<p> </p>


Please go forward with this policy change.

<!DOCTYPE html>

The newly proposed policy change is necessary to restore parental rights. They are the primary caregivers and should not be excluded by the State in this very sensitive  matter.  Also, the religious freedom of teachers and staff who cannot in good conscience support the old policy ought to be be protected .

Thank you

John Engelstad


A statement in support

<!DOCTYPE html>

As a parent, I understand the want to protect our children and provide them with all the opportunities that life can offer.  However, labeling a policy that puts the onus of shepherding children through such a complex social issue as gender identity back onto parents as "discriminatory" (as some have expressed) is irresponsible.

Social issues are certainly topics for study and discussion.  They should be handled with deliberate care and children should be encouraged to look at all sides of these issues in order to understand the merits of arguments surrounding these topics.  But that does not mean that educators and public learning institutions should be required to fall on one side of a topic or the other.  A policy which is based on the empirical biological sex of an individual at birth is not discriminatory; it is scientific.  The school's focus should not be on taking a social stance but to promote common sense, civility, compassion, respect for others (including those with opposing views and/or lifestyles, and academic betterment.

I understand that not all children have a support system at home that will allow them to be free to explore all of their thoughts, feelings, desires or emotions and that is heartbreaking.  But that does not mean that teachers and schools must assume that role.  Teachers should be encouraged to work with parents, to inform them when they identify needs in a child's life, but the responsibility should ultimately fall on the parents.  The same way that a teacher or coach may share that a child seems to have a passion for drama but is only participating in sport, or passion for science but has not yet taken advantage of clubs offered at the school is the same way that they should inform the parent that a child may be struggling with their identity or confidence.  But that should not mean that the educator should be held responsible for promoting or facilitating a change in that child's everyday life.


Protect Trans Youth

<!DOCTYPE html>

It is well documented that transgender and non-binary youth experience anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide at a much higher rate than cisgender youth (Source: Columbia University). Transgender youth also are subject to a higher risk of violent victimization per the CDC. These students do not need additional barriers to their mental and physical well-being with the proposed policies from the Department of Education. The most vulnerable in our community need protection from harmful discrimination.


Protect our children!

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>The new policies give parents their God-given rights to protect their children from being manipulated into society's ideas as opposed to forming their own ideas in a healthy way. We must allow parents the right to protect their children against those who wish to indoctrinate them into believing perverse thoughts about their identity and self based on society's dangerous agenda. It's a war against children's safety and we must fight to keep them safe and allow them to have childhoods free of these evil ideas that rob them of their childhoods by forcing them to grow up too early.  </p>


Parents have the right to educate their children.  Also, there is no such thing as "Transgender"

<!DOCTYPE html>

Parents have the right to educate their children

And there is no such thing as "Transgender" - do not cede the language on this.


Thank you Gov. Youngkin

<!DOCTYPE html>

My wife and I are are expecting our first child this coming Friday. He will be born, by the grace of God, in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Preparing for his arrival has been a wonderful but stressful process as we gather all of the things we need and plan for all the changes the future has in store. Since learning of our new arrival, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the world he is going to grow up in, and how different it will be for him than it was for my wife and I. Chief among the concerns I have for him are about the way parents seem to be getting pushed out of conversations about education.

The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics and other activities. Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. 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. Student participation in sex-specific athletics, school activities and events should be determined by sex, e.g., for overnight travel accommodations 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. Finally, the new policies protect the fundamental religious liberty interests of personnel and students. Thank you Gov. Youngkin.


"Trans" is a lie and a cult. Keep it out of our schools!

<!DOCTYPE html>

Sex change is impossible, period. Both girls and boys need and deserve single-sex spaces.

This is so basic that it should go without saying or controversy. It doesn't matter what you feel like or how you want to dress. The best remedy for adolescent body-centered angst is TO COMPLETE NATURAL PUBERTY. (As was literally just announced by Britain's NHS, finally!)

To teach young, gullible children who still believe in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus that it is possible to be "born in the wrong body" and that this "wrong" can be righted with a name change, haircut, clothes, pronouns and a trip to the doctor is nothing short of ABUSIVE.

"Jazz" Jennings was a little boy who loved tutus who would have very likely grown up to be a happy gay man — and instead his parents pumped his tiny body full of the same drugs used to castrate sex offenders and then had his genitals removed when he was 17. He didn't know he couldn't actually become a girl or a woman because he'd been lied to since he was 4 years old. Any child who is exposed to this nightmare-revised-as-gender-fairytale is just as vulnerable.

In short, to allow schools to encourage children and adolescents — without the knowledge or involvement of their parents, no less — to adopt these trendy identities that lead to unnecessary medicalization and surgeries should be CRIMINAL.

If this ideology is not taken out of schools, the public school system will cease to exist because no sane parent will be willing to let their children near its teachers. And without quality free education, our country will fall to pieces. That is why this is so tragic.

I am a born-and-bred liberal, life-long Democrat, and gold star atheist. If anyone thinks this is a "right wing" issue they have been living in their Twitter bubble for too long. The tiny minority of people pushing these lies and abuse must simply be told to SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP.

This is not a controversial issue; it just looks that way because the costs of speaking out have been made clear: you can lose your friends, your job, your community. Anyone who nonetheless dares to disagree publicly risks de-platforming by captured Big Tech (Twitter, Paypal, Etsy, Eventbrite). Not to mention that if you are on the left and oppose this crap because of its impact on women and lesbians, even the vocal opposition from the right ignores you.

But many, many, many people on the left oppose this cult and see its dangers. Not only are the Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools the correct policies, I predict that Virginia will never have another governor who cannot say what a woman is or who intends to protect this anti-family, anti-reality CULT.

Purple Virginia elected Glenn Youngkin because parents would not accept having no say in the education of their children. Good for them. I myself am never going to vote for a Governor (or President) who indulges or promotes these vicious, misogynist lies.

A woman is an adult human female. Trans women ARE MEN.

Enough is enough.


Catholics for Parental Rights!

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>I support Governor Youngkin's proposition to restore Parental Rights and First amendment protections! Keep political agendas OUT of our schools! Transgender issues are irrelevant to education and should rather be addressed at home. My conservative raised children should not be mandated to sit in classrooms where LGBTQ and pronoun discussions are held, specially without my ability to be physically present during the teacher's message delivery in the classroom to possibly counter, object, clarify, or interfere. This is irrelevant for my family and most families in RED state Virginia. God bless you, to whomever reads this, and may He be with you, as you protect our children. </p>


I support parental rights to protect children!!

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p style="text-align: left;">I am the coach of the boys tennis team at a No. Virginia public high school and believe firmly that parents should guide their children through adolescence and into adulthood. Statistics and research show that children grow into healthier adults when the parents know their child's state of mind. Secrets should not be kept from the parents by school teachers. Please support Gov. Youngkin's proposal!! </p>


I fully oppose this.


Dept of Ed proposed policies

<!DOCTYPE html>

I support the proposed policies by the Virginia Dept of Education regarding Transgender students.  Keep all students free from harrassement and bullying.


Trans rights are Human Rights

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>I absolutely am sickened by this attack on transgender community. What have we become as a community where we are afraid of one another? This is the epitome of bullying. And if we as as society cannot fix our hatred or dislike of something that is foreign to us or we dont believe in, we will not make it. Stop this hatred and stop judging. We should be writing policy that creates a place of love and acceptance and learning. Learn from each other, not ban something because we are afraid of it/each other. I will be teaching my children how to love and accept all that are different than us. How dare you Governor Youngkin putting this hatred in the world. </p>
<p> </p>


Strongly Opposing Policy Change

<!DOCTYPE html>

Trans and non-binary kids deserve to feel supported and safe in their schools; this policy would lead to kids feeling unsafe and unable to participate fully within their own school communities unless they agree to be someone other than themselves. In addition, mandatory reporting of students who are gender non-conforming (to possibly non-supportive guardians) would lead to a degradation of a necessary trust between staff and students.

The arguments, mostly rooted in slippery slope fallacies, that I've heard in support of this proposed change are irrelevant at best; the people who will be affected by this policy are kids who deserve thoughtful consideration and support, whether or not you know any kids who'd be excluded by this policy.

As a parent with students in our public schools, I strongly oppose the proposed policy and believe it will be harmful to youth in our communities and will have a lasting negative impact in trans and non-binary kids' lives. As a lifelong Virginian, I know we can do better than this discriminatory, dangerous policy.


Governor's pro parent policy

<!DOCTYPE html>

Support our Governor's pro parent policy, it's common sense!


Model 2022 Policies for Education - Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>Strongly support the Governor's proposal.  We cannot lie to children about the reality of their biology and then expect their mental health to improve.  The lie eventually catches up to them and they will resent the authority figures, teachers, doctors and parents who fed the lie.  If children 'feel' different than their biology, then we need to loving help them to deal with the reality of their biology.  Biology cannot be changed via hormone therapy, preferred pronouns, or body mutilation.  It is unloving and cowardly to allow children to bang their heads against reality.  Parents have the responsibility for raising their children.  Girls should not have to deal with biological males in bathrooms and locker rooms.  Girls should not have to compete against biological males in sports. </p>


Full support!!

<!DOCTYPE html>

Our children, not the government’s children. This is wrong is so many ways. Cutting out parents from their children is a sure way to destroy our country. Parents have rights too. Real parents love their children unconditionally. Punish those that hurt children not thise that want to be a part of their children.


Support of parental rights

<!DOCTYPE html>

I am writing in support of the Governor’s proposal for support of parents’ rights. Sexual orientation and transgender decisions should not be what is covered in schools. While our systems focus on these non-educational issues, children in other countries are far exceeding the education levels in the subjects that will matter most in the future of our country. We are setting our children up to become puppets that are confused and malleable for other country’s propaganda. Our school systems should be designed for teaching the subjects in science, mathematics, English, and history to help our children move forward in the future as leaders of the free world! Not trying to figure out their gender. These are subjects that should best be left to parents and medical professionals, not teachers.


But why tho?

I say I am a "normal guy" because in general I don't support things that harm children which is a very normal thing to do. This bill harms children. It does not protect students in anyway nor is it "pro-parent" The change is:Rooted in transphobia and seeks to further harm trans and nonbinary kids.Erases trans and nonbinary youth from the classroom and creates a hostile & potentially dangerous school environment.Requires teachers and school staff to forcibly “out” students to their parents against their will in some circumstances, such as where a student seeks counseling. Prohibits teachers and school staff from supporting trans & nonbinary students, such as using a student’s affirming name & pronouns. Creates bathroom and sports policies that prohibit access and/or participation in activities consistent with their gender identity.
Just give the kids a break. Jeez. I want the VDOE to OPPOSE this change.

<!DOCTYPE html>

I say I am a "normal guy" because in general I don't support things that harm children which is a very normal thing to do. This bill harms children. It does not protect students in anyway nor is it "pro-parent" The change is:

Rooted in transphobia and seeks to further harm trans and nonbinary kids.

Erases trans and nonbinary youth from the classroom and creates a hostile & potentially dangerous school environment.

Requires teachers and school staff to forcibly “out” students to their parents against their will in some circumstances, such as where a student seeks counseling.

Prohibits teachers and school staff from supporting trans & nonbinary students, such as using a student’s affirming name & pronouns.

Creates bathroom and sports policies that prohibit access and/or participation in activities consistent with their gender identity.

Just give the kids a break. Jeez. I want the VDOE to OPPOSE this change.


Opposed- please reject!

<!DOCTYPE html>

I am a Virginia resident and urge the Board of Education to reject the 2022 model policy regarding the treatment of transgender students.

The policy is premised upon the idea of 'parental rights,' but it rolls back protections for trans kids that were fought for BY PARENTS.

If this new policy were really about parental rights, it would allow parents to request that the school accommodate and support their child regardless of gender.

If this new policy were really about parental rights, it would allow parents to support their child's identity without the undue burden of filing paperwork over nicknames and pronouns.

And most importantly, if this policy were really about supporting students, it would be based on the extensive research on gender identity and how to reduce depression, suicide and discrimination. Instead, the policy ignores research.

This policy is invasive and unnecessary and I urge the board to reject it.


Comment on NPRM

<!DOCTYPE html>

I oppose these proposed rules.


Oppose

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>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. </p>


Support parental notification rights in education

<!DOCTYPE html>

We support the parents to be fully involved in student education and less emphasis of the school board. Also much more emphasis on teaching the three rs which has failed our Va. students.


Support new pro-parent policies proposed

<!DOCTYPE html>

Parents know theirs children needs better than everyone.

Parents need to stay informed and involved in all the aspects of the life of their children.

Parents are partners in the education of their children.


Support these common sense rules

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>Requiring parents to be involved with decisions as monumental as a child socially transitioning to a different sex is just common sense.  Those who believe that this is somehow removing rights from children just don't understand the proposal or don't want to acknowledge the inherit rights that parents have to be involved in their children's lives and make decisions in their best interest.  Nobody knows a child's needs better than their parents. </p>


I support the Governor’s pro-parent policy

<!DOCTYPE html>

The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics and other activities.

Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. 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.

Student participation in sex-specific athletics, school activities and events should be determined by sex, e.g., for overnight travel accommodations 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.

The new policies protect the fundamental religious liberty interests of personnel and students


I support Gov Youngkin

<!DOCTYPE html>

I support parents and parental rights; thus, I support the Governor. One cannot support parental rights while at the same time withhold a child's confusion from his/her parents and claim that is in the child's best interests. That is a contradiction and violates "The Principle of Non-Contradiction," further undermining family relationships.


Please Protect Parental Rights

<!DOCTYPE html>

Please protect parental rights.


Support for Parental rights

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>Thank you for this effort to protect parental rights for the sake of the proper bringing up of children. Parental rights are from God and therefore are not simply a gift from the state to be given or taken away at will. Our laws and policies should reflect this truth. Promoting and supporting transgenderism in children, especially without parental knowledge and consent, is child abuse. This must be stopped immediately. </p>


I support the new pro-parent policies

<!DOCTYPE html>

I support the new pro-parent policies


Pro-Life


Approve Governor’s Parental Rights

<!DOCTYPE html>

The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics and other activities.

Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. 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.

Student participation in sex-specific athletics, school activities and events should be determined by sex, e.g., for overnight travel accommodations 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.

The new policies protect the fundamental religious liberty interests of personnel and students.


This is a flawed and damaging policy

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 107%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Since you have taken every opportunity to bring your faith into your actions as Governor, I would like to ask how your faith guided you in generating the transgender student policy.   Does your faith believe that there are some people who warrant less consideration than others?  Or should everyone be treated equally?  If they are, why have you singled out a particular segment of the population to stigmatize and try to separate them from their peers?  As evidenced with the numerous student walkouts all over the Commonwealth, a large number of the student population recognizes the right of all individuals to express themselves as they see fit.  And if the students don't care, why do you?  Have they harmed you or others by their existence?  I personally think that you have gone above (and against) the law when you dictate what people are permitted to say.  Have you ever heard of the Constitution?  One of our most important rights as citizens is free speech which allows everyone to voice their thoughts and feelings with having to worry about the thought thought police.  I would suggest that you completely consider the ramifications of your dictums before you inflict your prejudices on others. </p>


OPPOSED!

<!DOCTYPE html>

What types of parent supports harming other parents children in the name of "religion?" What are they so afraid of? ALL parents should have the right to raise their kids without government intervention and in this case suppression. Your church doesn't dictate how other families raise their children. It's called democracy. Not theocracy.

EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW

OPPOSE this unconstitutional policy.


Support Parental Rights

<!DOCTYPE html>

I strongly support the Governor's new policy!  Parents are ultimately responsible for their children.  It is deeply wrong to keep and hide serious things with children from their parents.  May Governor Youngkin be rewarded for encouraging parental rights.


Oppose - Why not ask the children actually attending school

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>I oppose this change for a number of reasons, but my main reason is the fact that this policy was created and is to be imposed on students which did not have input into this decision. Anti-trans sentiment has been used by Gov. Youngkin and a number of those in the conservative camp to demonize a group of people for political gain. If you ask the students in these schools, a majority of the students have no issue what so ever about trans peers and their choice of bathrooms, sports, etc. It seems to be parents, and in most cases, parents completely ignorant of their child's school experiences, who are fighting over this issue. The children of today have RESPECT for their peers and acknowledging the HUMANITY of their fellow students. Policies forcing students to hide their true selves or to be publicly outed by someone else's draconian rules are not only wrong, they are inhuman. Teachers refusing to acknowledge a child's identity and continuing to dead-name them for their own personal political views or sick delight is shameful and makes me question if that teacher should be around anyone, let alone a vulnerable child, trying their best to figure out themselves. STOP DEMONIZING THIS MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY, GOV YOUNGKIN, AND STANDUP FOR POLICIES TO MAKE ALL VIRGINIAN'S LIVES BETTER! Some ideas: make higher education more affordable, or better yet, free to Virginians; focus on bringing affordable, healthy food to those in food deserts; focus on creating a roadway that is fast and available to all, not just those who can afford outrageous tolls for special lanes in northern Virginia....just a few ideas instead of trying to win hollow bonus points by treating some Virginians, those your swore an oath to serve, as something less than human. </p>


Support for New Proposed Policies on Transgender Students

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>Thank you for addressing the concerns of parents by allowing us to remain involved in our children's wellbeing.  Repealing the prior policies, which promote secrecy and distrust between parents and their children and which have the potential to drive children towards a lifetime of unecessary medicalization, is the right thing to do.  Above all, thank you for providing our girls and young women with the continued opportunity to use single-sex changing and restroom facilities.  I hope that schools can move towards making available single-user restrooms for those who feel more comfortable in them for whatever reason.  </p>


Opposed - Support Trans Kids to Reduce Suicide

<!DOCTYPE html>

The math is pretty simple in my mind. When there is more support for trans and other LGBT kids in school, their suicide rate, which is already higher than their straight peers, goes down. When support is removed, the suicide rate goes up.

Governor Youngkin knows this; he has access to the statistics. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that he wants more kids to die by suicide. Glenn Youngkin wants kids to die. That's sick, bigoted, and un-American.


Support the he governor’s initiative. Parent of 4.I

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>I support the governors initiative. </p>


parents are the primary educators of their children

<!DOCTYPE html>

I am writing to express my support for the Virginia Department of Education efforts to acknowledge parental rights in regards to the education and formation of their children.

The new policies honor the sacred role of parents in the care of their children during school, athletics and other activities.

Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. 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.

Student participation in sex-specific athletics, school activities and events should be determined by sex, e.g., for overnight travel accommodations 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.

The new policies protect the fundamental religious liberty interests of personnel and students.


Not all of us want to live by your “Christianity”!!!!!!!! Trans rights are human rights!!

<!DOCTYPE html>

From WAPO:

Contrary to statements that suggest otherwise, the 2022 model policies do impose a specific ideology. Christian nationalism is not relegated to churches, extremist groups or religious-political leaders; it exerts control and fosters political violence through public policies and institutions that seek to exterminate non-White, non-Christian, and non-heteropatriarchal thought from the nation.


This is a terrible policy decision.

<!DOCTYPE html>

This is a terrible policy decision.


Parental Rights

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>I support this initiative by our Governor.  </p>


Protect Our Children

<!DOCTYPE html>

Please protect our children from these policies that rob them of their innocence, mutilate their bodies without informed consent and is clearly a product of intense peer pressure supported and encouraged by adults.  The Head of the Boston Children's Hospital gender clinic stated that cases and diagnoses of gender dysphoria have "skyrocketed" in recent years.  A pediatric endocrinologist admitted that so-called treatments such as hormone therapy can negatively impact fertility.

The mutilation of our children's bodies must stop! The adverse effects that they are left to deal with for a lifetime is criminal.  Children are vulnerable and must be protected from the harmful permanent life altering drugs that are killing their minds, bodies and souls.  Making money off this industry is despicable.  Read the stories of children who are coming out now about how they regret their transitioning and the utter abandonment they felt from those who were supposed to protect them.

Stop this madness now!


Oppose

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>I'm writing in opposition of the proposal. There is limited data that allowing students to use the restroom of their choice and other gender affirming policies have negative impacts on other children. However, there is significant data on suicide rates and mental health issues among trans and non-binary kids in unsupportive households. Children should have the opportunity to choose who they want to be out to. Please do not support this proposal. </p>


Support

<!DOCTYPE html>

I support our governor.


I Support the Governor

<!DOCTYPE html>

I am glad to see a man to stand behind his decisions. It is incumbent upon us to let our voices be heard. Parents are called parents for a reason. Parents should call the shots for the children they are responsible for, by law. Why should kids make decisions that parents will not be involved in? This is backwards and perverse.

Proverbs 22:6 Tells parents to do the work.


Strongly Oppose! Support Trans and Nonbinary Human Rights Rights.

<!DOCTYPE html>

To whom it may concern,

Personally and as a graduate student in a Clinical Mental Health Counseling Masters program, I strongly oppose The 2022 Model Policies that will clearly harm transgender and nonbinary youth. The 2022 Model Policies would stop teachers from using students’ affirming names and pronouns, which is a human right that this population has. Additionally, these policies would provide harm to students since it would lead to student's identities and pronouns being outed in a potentially unaccepting and unsafe home environment. As someone who identifies with nonbinary and lesbian identities, it is vital to speak up against the harm that these policies would cause to transgender, nonbinary, and LGBTQIA+ youth.

If the 2022 Model Policies are passed, then schools in Virginia would increasingly become un-affirming environments for students of this population. For example, a Trevor Project research brief study shows "that LGBTQ-affirming schools are associated with significantly lower odds of a past-year suicide attempt" (Trevor Project, 2021b). Not only would these policies increase the risk of suicide concerns in this population, it may also lead to greater mental health concerns, potential homelessness, and bullying concerns. Potential homelessness concerns would be at an increased risk since if students are outed to un-affirming parents they may be kicked out of their homes. To this point, LGBTQIA+ youth who had experienced parental rejection had a greater chance of experiencing homelessness concerns (Rhoades et al., 2018). The Trevor Project also stated that through research nonbinary youth "report that respecting their pronouns is the best way to help them feel supported and affirmed in their gender, and our data show that respecting a nonbinary young person’s pronouns decreases their risk of attempting suicide" (Trevor Project, 2021a). In relation, schools that are affirming show a decrease in bullying concerns among this population (Trevor Project, 2021a). With these policies passed, LGBTQIA+ youth already tend to be more likely to have concerns of depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidality and these policies would increase these risks (Greene-Rooks et al., 2021).

Please Governor Youngkin, consider the harmful effects that the 2022 Model Policies would have on trans and nonbinary students and create school environments that are not affirming to LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Greene-Rooks, J. H., Schuermann, H., Pearce, J., Khan, S., & Dunlap, C. (2021). LGBTQ Clients and Adverse Laws: Mental Health Concerns and Advocacy Suggestions. Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling, 15(3), 329-349. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2021.1914276

Rhoades, H., Rusow, J. A., Bond, D., Lanteigne, A., Fulginiti, A., & Goldbach, J. T. (2018). Homelessness, mental health and suicidality among LGBTQ youth accessing crisis services.

Trevor Project (July11, 2021b). Diversity of Nonbinary Youth. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/diversity-of-nonbinary-youth/

Trevor Project (October 14, 2021c). Bullying and Suicide Risk among LGBTQ Youth. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/bullying-and-suicide-risk-among-lgbtq-youth/

Best regards,

Allison de Blois

Graduate Student in Counseling

She/They


Support the new model policy 100%

<!DOCTYPE html>

Thank you Governor Youngkin for the new updated policies concerning our schools, children, parents and sexual matters. Parents should never be kept in the dark (i.e. lied to) in regards to anything concerning their children, especially anything regarding sexuality or gender. In Virginia parents have primacy when it comes to their children by law. Thank you for making that clear in this policy. I am also happy that teachers and students can't be forced into using language that violates their First Amendment rights. I urge that these model policies be adopted without any changes that would water down these and the other policies in it.


The health and well being of ALL students matter

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>The title- 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students says it all.  These policies do not seek to harm students who identify as transgender.  I am a liberal VA mom of a transgender identified teen and appreciate that the policy recommends that students, parents, and school administrators work together to insure that all students including my child are treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve.  Most children come from loving and safe homes and most parents love and support their children.  The narrative that all transgender identifying teens will be rejected by their families and society is untrue in the case of my family- and I am responsible for the health and safety of my child.  Parents have the right to be informed about what their children are learning in school.  It is wrong for school administrators to undermine the parent/child relationship and the family dynamic by encouraging children to adopt a trans identity in school and to hide that from their parents and families who know them and love them.  The 2022 policy seeks to keep parents informed as is their responsibility and right.    I strongly support the new model policies for schools and appreciate that Governor Youngkin has recognized the importance of keeping the lines of communication open between school administrators, counselors, and parents.  </p>


Rescind this Ill-conceived proposal

<!DOCTYPE html>

I've seen enough in these comments to see, plainly and obviously, that this DOE proposal and its very irregular and ill-conceived "process" of being proposed requires that it be rescinded and re-thought. There is strong and substantive comment that requires fuller consideration and vetting by the DOE. This was not ever the political "one and done" the DOE has attempted. Put this proposal through a reasonable process that gives citizens the opportunity to testify, present evidence, and participate in their governance. This is not a political issue, this is an issue of child welfare. I am appalled by the prevalence of political praising of the governor, who did not have the courage himself to propose this or publicly support it btw, as some kind of validation of its correctness. This is the impression that the DOE has created by its irregular process-"we won, we get to do what we want to by any means we chose". You don't have that authority and your asserting it, through your irregular process,  is inimical to the principle of consent of the governed.


Protect Emotionally Vulnerable Children and Parental Rights!

Dear Virginia Dept of Education,

Schools should never secretly socially transition students and keep the child's new name, pronouns and gender identities from parents. I am pleased and relieved that the Virginia Department of Education's revised model policies support parental rights and ensure that school employees don't cut parents out of critical decisions for their children.

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) issued "model policies" in 2021 that encouraged every school district in Virginia to hide a child's new gender identity from parents who choose to affirm the child's biological sex. Under Governor Youngkin's leadership, the VDOE's revised policies make it clear that all children should be valued and parents' rights and beliefs should be respected. The 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia's Public Schools keep parents involved in major decisions in their children's lives.

The 2021 VDOE "model policies" encouraged schools to create "a plan (that) may include addressing the student at school with their name and pronoun consistent with their gender identity while using the legal name and pronoun associated with the sex assigned at birth when communicating with parents or guardians."

I strongly support the revised policies that end this practice. Virginia schools should not drive a wedge between parents and their emotionally vulnerable children. Virginia school districts, including those who have already communicated their plans to ignore the 2022 revised model policies, should put an end to secret Gender Support Plans now.

Sincerely,
Deborah Hurd
314 W 5th St
Wilton, IA 52778

<!DOCTYPE html>

Dear Virginia Dept of Education,<br /><br />Schools should never secretly socially transition students and keep the child's new name, pronouns and gender identities from parents. I am pleased and relieved that the Virginia Department of Education's revised model policies support parental rights and ensure that school employees don't cut parents out of critical decisions for their children. <br /><br />The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) issued "model policies" in 2021 that encouraged every school district in Virginia to hide a child's new gender identity from parents who choose to affirm the child's biological sex. Under Governor Youngkin's leadership, the VDOE's revised policies make it clear that all children should be valued and parents' rights and beliefs should be respected. The 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia's Public Schools keep parents involved in major decisions in their children's lives.<br /><br />The 2021 VDOE "model policies" encouraged schools to create "a plan (that) may include addressing the student at school with their name and pronoun consistent with their gender identity while using the legal name and pronoun associated with the sex assigned at birth when communicating with parents or guardians." <br /><br />I strongly support the revised policies that end this practice. Virginia schools should not drive a wedge between parents and their emotionally vulnerable children. Virginia school districts, including those who have already communicated their plans to ignore the 2022 revised model policies, should put an end to secret Gender Support Plans now.<br /><br />Sincerely,
<br />Deborah Hurd
<br />314 W 5th St<br />Wilton, IA 52778<br /><img src="http://admin.phone2action.com/email/open/leg/657523/148760045" width="1" height="1" />


SUPPORT

<!DOCTYPE html>

I SUPPORT Gov. Youngkin's withdrawl of the 2021 Model Policies. It was an atrocious piece that disregarded Virginia parent's rights in schools. Thank you, Governor, for fulfilling your promise to Virginians and working to restore common sense.


I support the governor

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>This is common sense legislation. </p>


Strongly support!

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>I believe in rights for all people. However, we cannot ignore moral obligation and safety. This new legislation makes sense and protects everyone. Children are too young to make such life altering decisions. The rights of the parents to love and protect their children have to be defended. You wouldn’t let your little child cross the street by themselves why would we let them make life altering decisions. Thank you for protecting little ones and parental rights. </p>


Support Youngkin's Transgender Policies

<!DOCTYPE html>

I support Glenn Youngkin's policy on transgender issues in public schools.  I am a teacher in a high school and I believe I must be honest with the parents of my students on all matters. If a student were struggling with their identity I am compelled by my beliefs to communicate that knowledge to the parents.  I also believe that a gender is assigned at birth and that a change in that feeling is not reason to change the bathroom/locker that is used to fit the current gender feeling.


Empowering to speak due to raising mentally healthy kids

<!DOCTYPE html>

Trans kids are usually a product of attention starved parents. The rate of suicide among these kids is through the roof.


Stop Confusing our Kids

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>Stop putting your agenda for this country on the backs of our children. Kids have enough to deal with these days, having to use a bathroom or participate in a sport with someone of a different sex should not be one of them. You’re pushing parents out and bringing government in, it was never meant to be this way. This will end poorly. </p>


Transgender rights for all

<!DOCTYPE html>

I think it is important to allow all children to be themselves. School is supposed to be a safe place where children can express themselves. We need to teach our children that it is okay to be different and that people don't come from a cookie cutter. We need to teach them not to judge others based on and not limited to race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. All humans deserve the same rights as long as they are not imposing harm on others.


Oppose: have some compassion

<!DOCTYPE html>

40% of trans people have attempted suicide (source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32345113/). That's almost half. That's a huge problem, and policies like this only exacerbate the issue.

I don't care what your political opinions are--if you see a group of children trying to kill themselves at absurdly high rates, and you choose to further ostracize them, you are on the wrong side of history. No religion nor framework of morality teaches us to treat people this way.


Please Calm Down

<!DOCTYPE html>

This is mean, a waste of time, a stunt, and embarrassing.  Y'all need to relax and get out more.  The world is neither as scary or as unlovable as you think it is.


I am completely opposed.

<!DOCTYPE html>

I am completely opposed.


Opposed to policies that negatively impact vulnerable youth

<!DOCTYPE html>

ALL students deserve to be treated with respect including transgender youth who are already disproportionally at risk for bullying and mental health crisis as a result.  A student should be able to decide how they are referred to and called regardless of documentation.  Forcing a child to be addressed against their wishes harms the child as has been proven in multiple studies on the matter.  Accommodating a child's restroom preference, sports team, or pronouns/name does not harm anyone and is basic human decency and respect.

This agenda is being pushed through based on false reports of an assault in our state that occurred in a female restroom that was NOT committed by a transgender individual.

This type of rhetoric is dangerous to all personal freedoms and should be strongly opposed.  Transgender and all non-binary youth deserve respect!


Support

<!DOCTYPE html>

I support parental rights.


My new pronouns are king and handsome- I demand libs use them immediately.

<!DOCTYPE html>

If you don’t use my new pronouns you are a bigot.


Support keeping girls safe at school. Thank you governor.

<!DOCTYPE html>

Boys should not be allowed in girls rooms. Period


Governor Youngkin for President!

<!DOCTYPE html>

Thank you for restoring sanity!


Using our furry pronouns would be purrrrrfect.

<!DOCTYPE html>

Furries have rights too!


Strongly Oppose, and disgusted that legislators still ignore Science.

<!DOCTYPE html>

Withdrawing the 2021 Model Policies does not protect anyone. It only serves to harm, ostracize, and further marginalize transgender students. This state does not have any right to hide it's bigotry in a cloak of "religious freedom". This state does not have any right to actively put children in harms way by outing them involuntarily. This state does not have any right to ignore the EXTENSIVE peer-reviewed research (including the recommendations by the American Medical Association, The American Association of Pediatrics, and The Endocrine Society) proving that supporting transgender children and affirming their gender protects and promotes their mental health far more than any other measure (You want to get into a battle of what science really says? Try us.) Trans students, like all students, like all children, deserve to be protected. Be better.


OPPOSE

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>This policy will harm kids, and is another chapter in the culture war christian nationalist racist americans are trying to run the country. </p>


Ultra woke parents would sacrifice their own kids to score woke points with their lib friends.

<!DOCTYPE html>

What a wonderful day it will be when you can come out on Facebook s a trans mom to all of your super woke friends. This will be such an exciting day for you. I feel so bad for your children!


I SUPPORT the governor!

<!DOCTYPE html>

I SUPPORT the governor!


Mom who opposes inhumane treatment of schoolchildren

Governor Youngkin, Do you realize your immoral policy is rooted in transphobia and seeks to further my nonbinary 12 year old child?Do you understand that your misguided policies seek to erase my nonbinary youth from the classroom and create a hostile & potentially dangerous school environment?Are you aware that your policy requires teachers and school staff to forcibly “out” trans and non binary students to their parents against their will in some circumstances, such as where a student seeks counseling?Have you pondered that your erroneous policy creates bathroom and sports policies that prohibit access and/or participation in activities consistent with their gender identity?I will do everything in my power to protect my child from your hateful policies based on fear, ignorance, and immortality. I suggest you take the time to meet families and parents with trans children before you legislate them to death, which is what your policy does. Come visit our home and learn what it means to be a loving parent. You have a lot to learn.

<!DOCTYPE html>

<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Governor Youngkin, \n\nDo you realize your immoral policy is rooted in transphobia and seeks to further my nonbinary 12 year old child?\nDo you understand that your misguided policies seek to erase my nonbinary youth from the classroom and create a hostile & potentially dangerous school environment?\nAre you aware that your policy requires teachers and school staff to forcibly “out” trans and non binary students to their parents against their will in some circumstances, such as where a student seeks counseling?\nHave you pondered that your erroneous policy creates bathroom and sports policies that prohibit access and/or participation in activities consistent with their gender identity?\n\nI will do everything in my power to protect my child from your hateful policies based on fear, ignorance, and immortality.  I suggest you take the time to meet families and parents with trans children before you legislate them to death, which is what your policy does.  Come visit our home and learn what it means to be a loving parent.  You have a lot to learn. \n\n\n\n"}'>Governor Youngkin,

Do you realize your immoral policy is rooted in transphobia and seeks to further my nonbinary 12 year old child?
Do you understand that your misguided policies seek to erase my nonbinary youth from the classroom and create a hostile & potentially dangerous school environment?
Are you aware that your policy requires teachers and school staff to forcibly “out” trans and non binary students to their parents against their will in some circumstances, such as where a student seeks counseling?
Have you pondered that your erroneous policy creates bathroom and sports policies that prohibit access and/or participation in activities consistent with their gender identity?

I will do everything in my power to protect my child from your hateful policies based on fear, ignorance, and immortality. I suggest you take the time to meet families and parents with trans children before you legislate them to death, which is what your policy does. Come visit our home and learn what it means to be a loving parent. You have a lot to learn.


Oppose

<!DOCTYPE html>

I oppose the proposed changes. The proposed changes in part declare that they are supporting the 1st Amendment in these changes, but the 1st Amendment itself is concerned with the separation of Church and State. The argument is that by acknowledging trans students, this is running contrary to an individual's religious freedom. However, the 1st Amendment states that the government should remain neutral to all religions and religious thought, not exclude a vulnerable minority in order to please the feelings of a majority. In addition, no where in the Bible does it address the subject of trans or transgender people in such a manner. Saying you are adopting these policies in order to respect religious rights is a shallow argument with no factual evidence in the religion's own primary text. Trans rights should not be viewed in the context of religion at all, as the argument has no grounding. For more information, please the following article: https://www.hrc.org/resources/what-does-the-bible-say-about-transgender-people


Co-President Pride at Work Virginia chapter

I strongly Oppose this blatant attack students that go to public schools in Virginia. An injury and attack to the LGBTQIA+ students is an injury and attack to ALL.We must Oppose this harmful message and treatment of our youth.

<!DOCTYPE html>

I strongly Oppose this blatant attack students that go to public schools in Virginia. An injury and attack to the LGBTQIA+ students is an injury and attack to ALL.
We must Oppose this harmful message and treatment of our youth.


NO TO DISCRIMINATION


Furries wear tails, leashes and collars to school but dress code prevents my son from wearing a hat

<!DOCTYPE html>

<p>Schools have been overtaken by the woke mob. Please help Governor </p>


<!DOCTYPE html>

<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"I am a parent who modestly identifies as transgender with a trans-identifying child. Until recently, I never felt the need to state such personal details when communicating with strangers. \n\nI was a notable voice in the early SEL and anti-bullying programs - focused on making transgender youth visible and safe, because VDOE is legally obliged to protect all students from abuse. \n\nI don't support the use of shaming, polarizing and triggering PR campaigns to push an ideology on those who believe otherwise. I don't believe that the definitions or moral conclusions or your organization hold a monopoly on what it means to identify as transgender. \n\nWe wanted the kids safe and secure, and instead you've created a nightmare for them, and mass confusion for countless other kids, by pushing the cultural minority against the majority inequitably. Guess what - some of us don't need to broadcast our sexual deviations from the norm. Adults and kids, everywhere, who don't force everyone to bow to their choices, tend to be happier and more self-advocating. \n\nYou turned what could have become a normal component of society into something that can't be normalized. You made kids who simply don't match up, psychologically, with their gender into complete freaks that are forced to be part of a \"movement\" they have no interest in. You've slaughtered something even more precious... their privacy. \n\nYou've created the most dangerous and deceitful outcomes, against your own visioning, by turning this into a conservative v liberal fight. Well guess what, some of us card carrying liberals, including those who advocate for transgender communities, fully disagree with the depth and extent of your garbage campaigns. As long as you continue to send me paranoia campaigns after I've unsubscribed, I'll take each piece of that email and commit the reverse action. I don't support you, I don't believe in you, and I will continue to protect transgender youth FROM YOU and your peer organizations. "}">I am a parent who modestly identifies as transgender with a trans-identifying child. Until recently, I never felt the need to state such personal details when communicating with strangers.

I was a notable voice in the early SEL and anti-bullying programs - focused on making transgender youth visible and safe, because VDOE is legally obliged to protect all students from abuse.

I don't support the use of shaming, polarizing and triggering PR campaigns to push an ideology on those who believe otherwise. I don't believe that the definitions or moral conclusions or your organization hold a monopoly on what it means to identify as transgender.

We wanted the kids safe and secure, and instead you've created a nightmare for them, and mass confusion for countless other kids, by pushing the cultural minority against the majority inequitably. Guess what - some of us don't need to broadcast our sexual deviations from the norm. Adults and kids, everywhere, who don't force everyone to bow to their choices, tend to be happier and more self-advocating.

You turned what could have become a normal component of society into something that can't be normalized. You made kids who simply don't match up, psychologically, with their gender into complete freaks that are forced to be part of a "movement" they have no interest in. You've slaughtered something even more precious... their privacy.

You've created the most dangerous and deceitful outcomes, against your own visioning, by turning this into a conservative v liberal fight. Well guess what, some of us card carrying liberals, including those who advocate for transgender communities, fully disagree with the depth and extent of your garbage campaigns. As long as you continue to send me paranoia campaigns after I've unsubscribed, I'll take each piece of that email and commit the reverse action. I don't support you, I don't believe in you, and I will continue to protect transgender youth FROM YOU and your peer organizations.


Trust children

<!DOCTYPE html>

Trust the children to know who they are. Do you believe that children choose something that can lead to ostracization and hostility toward themselves?


I OPPOSE the guidance


i oppose

<!DOCTYPE html>

I oppose this action against trans youth. I have recently fled Texas to escape inhumane treatment of trans youth and the attack on women’s healthcare. Please do not take Virginia away as a safe haven.


Support

<!DOCTYPE html>

We agree with the Govenor's common sense support of parent's rights to raise their children.