Strongly opposed

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I strongly oppose this intrusion into students privacy and private matters. Out of curiosity, will you ask a parent’s permission if a William wants to be called Will or Bill? What about if a Suzanna Helen wants to go by their second name? If those situations do not require a parental approval then neither should any other students name change. Outing trans and LGBTQ+ students put them at risk if they live in abusive and non-understand households, they would be the best persons to understand and know this. This is about protecting their lives and rights. As a parent I’d much rather have my child alive with a different name than dead with their birth name.


What is this…

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What benefits do these policies even have. It will only make kids despise the US and the Virginia Commonwealth even more than they already do. Literally all that trans people want to do is live without being a political toy.


Support Policy and also criminalize persons who push Trans agenda on children

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<p>Thank you Governor for removing perverse Trans policies and criminalize pushers of Trans agenda on children. </p>


VEHEMENTLY OPPOSE: this policy will kill children.

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<p>NIH: 82% of trans people have considered suicide. 40% have attempted. (Austin, 2022) This number has been proven to go down when trans people’s pronouns are respected. Given the mental health crisis among today’s youth, this hateful policy will directly exacerbate it. Trans children with no support or hope will turn to suicide. Outed trans children in transphobic or abusive households may be beaten, kicked out, or killed. It is obvious this policy was not created with trans advocates. If this policy passes, trans children are out in danger. All this policy is doing is ensuring the “parental rights” to punish children for exploring their identity. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT. DO NOT CENSOR TRANS CHILDREN  </p>


Support for new bill

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I support the new bill regarding how school systems should respond to Transgenders.  I think transgenders can very easily be allowed to utilize a gender-neutral bathroom / locker room if asked for and available.  Additionally, I do not believe teachers should have to address kids by their identified gender but by their actual gender.


THIS WILL NOT HELP OUR CHILDREN

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<p>Not only would this bill invade the privacy of many children and families,  it puts children who do not fit into the antiquated gender identity boxes at severe risk. Children should feel included and safe to be who they are at school, and this only enforces that anything outside of the aforementioned box is “wrong” and thus creating a false illusion of our society as a whole. Please keep this bill out of Virginia schools, and leave children to BE CHILDREN, not voting tools. </p>


Parental Right to guide their own children

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<p>I support Gov. Youngkin's policy to support the parental roll in teaching their children about sexual issues.  </p>


Protect trans kids. Oppose Youngkin.

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<p>Protect trans kids. Do not require schools to out students. Do not require schools to require parental approval for a student to go by a chosen name or preferred pronouns or use a bathroom.   I oppose this move by Youngkin’s administration. I am a non-binary teacher. I know how threatening this bill is to lgbtq+ children. If you really care about protecting girls and reducing sexual harassment in schools teach consent and feminism!!  </p>


Extremely Opposed - Policy Will HARM Children

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There is ample evidence that policies that discriminate against trans students result in high rates of depression, suicide, and self-harm. It is not only harmful, but a direct and clear violation of federal law. Sadly, many of the people screaming about parental rights seem as though they would rather a child commit suicide than live as transgender. While those individuals are despicable, the fact that this policy would be directed by and enforced by the state may open the door to civil liability, and certainly moral responsibility, for those suicides. The state could, and should, be held responsible for any harm caused by this monstrous villain of human rights.


Parents Rights to know everything about their children

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I am the legal guardian of my children and have the right to know how teachers address my kid.  Gender determinations until my child is his/her/there legal age is a parent issue to address not a school.


No Transphobia

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<p>I say NO to transphobia. We need stop conspiring those in the LGBT+ community. </p>


Are your rights

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Stop giving away your rights to a government who cares nothing for you! Every single issue is for money and votes, no matter what side of the aisle you sit! This is a non issue! Take care of you and yours at home!


Protect Emotionally Vulnerable Children and Parental Rights!

Dear Virginia Dept of Education,

I am the producer of IWF's Identity Crisis series, which exposes the harms the gender ideology movement is causing in children. This is something I take very seriously as a journalist, policy analyst and Virginia mom.
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,
Kelsey Bolar
11312 Stonehouse Pl
Sterling, VA 20165

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Dear Virginia Dept of Education,<br /><br />I am the producer of IWF's Identity Crisis series, which exposes the harms the gender ideology movement is causing in children. This is something I take very seriously as a journalist, policy analyst and Virginia mom. <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 />Kelsey Bolar
<br />11312 Stonehouse Pl<br />Sterling, VA 20165<br /><img src="http://admin.phone2action.com/email/open/leg/657523/148809760" width="1" height="1" />


Support 2022 proposed model policies on treatment of students in public schools

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We are writing to express our strong support for the proposed 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools, which were released by the Virginia Department of Education on Sept. 26 and address requirements for schools in relation to students who identify as transgender. We commend the Department for taking a thoughtful, common-sense approach in the revised policy that protects and supports all students in Virginia public schools, including students who suffer from gender dysphoria or identify as transgender. In addition, the revised policies correct serious flaws in the Department’s prior (2021) policy. We urge you to finalize these 2022 model policies as soon as possible, and ensure they are adhered to by public school systems across Virginia.

As described in more detail below, we support Virginia’s new model policies because they:

Affirm the importance of protecting the rights of all students, including those who identify as transgender, to attend school in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, or bullying

Restore the rights of parents in public K-12 schools and align with current statute that affirms parents’ primary role in raising their children

Recognize basic protections that prohibit the government from requiring individuals to adhere to or adopt a particular ideological belief

Align with current science and best available evidence

Ensure sports fairness for young women and girls

Affirm civic virtue and good citizenship

We address each of these points in more detail below.

The 2022 model policies will protect all students, including but not limited to those with gender dysphoria or who identify as transgender.

We support the Department for stating in the new model policies that “all students have the right to attend school in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, or bullying,” and for affirming the “collective responsibility to address topics such as the treatment of transgender students with necessary compassion and respect for all students.”

We also support provisions of the new policy requiring that “every effort should be made to ensure that a transgender student wanting to change his or her means of address is treated with respect, compassion, and dignity in the classroom and school environment.”

The new policy takes a balanced, common-sense approach that supports transgender students, while also recognizing the need to support students in school facilities who may feel unsafe if they are required to share locker rooms, bathrooms, or overnight accommodations with individuals of the opposite biological sex. The Department should maintain provisions of the 2022 model policies stating that “students shall use bathrooms that correspond to his or her sex,” and that “single-user bathrooms and facilities should be made available in accessible areas and provided with appropriate signage, indicating accessibility for all students.” We also support language stating that “overnight travel accommodations, locker rooms, and other intimate spaces used for school-related activities and events shall be based on sex.”

Evidence indicates that use of mixed-sex changing rooms or locker rooms creates an increased risk of sexual harassment. Many students who do not identify as transgender may desire accommodations to protect themselves from these risks and maintain their personal sense of security at school.  The 2022 model policies make an important and much-needed change from the 2021 policy, which failed to adequately protect many students and created learning environments in which they felt unsafe or unwelcomed.

The 2022 model policies restore the role of parents as having primary responsibility and authority in raising their children, and the role of K-12 educators as supporting parents.

We strongly support the model policies’ affirmation of parents’ primary role in the upbringing of their children, particularly regarding the parents’ values and beliefs. The states’ recognition and support for the role of parents is vital to the health of children, families and society at large. As stated in the model policy, it is also consistent with existing statute and jurisprudence. We deeply appreciate the Department’s support for parents’ role in their children’s education and upbringing, stating “parents have the right to make decisions with respect to their children,” and “schools shall respect parents’ values and beliefs.”

The 2021 model policies were fatally flawed in this regard. Schools cannot partner with parents while at the same time establishing policies that adopt a specific ideology on transgenderism and discourage parents from expressing or raising children based on different values or beliefs. In one particularly concerning example, the prior policy would have withheld information from parents who were deemed “unsupportive,” and accorded these parents a lesser status with reduced rights. The revised policy corrects this serious flaw, recognizing that schools have a responsibility to partner with all parents, regardless of values and beliefs, and must not penalize parents or children who have different beliefs or come to different conclusions based on available evidence.

Further, the revised policy corrects flaws in the prior policy to ensure that school systems will comply with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, which gives parents the right to view their child’s school records. We strongly support language in the new policy stating that “schools may not abrogate parental rights granted by FERPA.”

The model policies recognize basic protections that prohibit the government from requiring individuals to adhere to or adopt a particular ideological belief

We support language in the revised policy that recognizes existing laws that protect the rights of individuals to express and exercise a wide range of different views and beliefs. This stands in stark contrast to the prior policy, which required adherence to a specific ideological viewpoint and prevented the expression or exercise of views or beliefs that did not comply with those espoused in the policy.

We strongly support the new policy’s statement that government actors may not “require individuals to adhere to or adopt any particular ideological beliefs. Practices such as compelling others to use preferred pronouns is premised on the ideological belief that gender is a matter of personal choice or subjective experience.” The revised policy rightly notes that “many Virginians reject this belief,” and further acknowledges that the “First Amendment guarantees religious freedom and prohibits compelling others to affirm ideas that may be contrary to their personal religious beliefs.”

Unfortunately, the Department’s prior model policies promoted and enforced a rigid ideology of transgenderism, and as a result encouraged discrimination, harassment, and bullying against those who do not agree with this ideology. This concern is not hypothetical. Many of us have experienced -- or personally know students, parents and staff who have experienced -- discrimination and harassment in a school setting because of views that do not align with those in the 2021 policy. The 2022 model policy marks a welcome and desperately needed departure from the restrictive requirements of the prior policy.

Further, many of us live is counties in which school officials have asserted that they will not abide by the new policies and instead maintain policies guided by the 2021 guidelines.  These prior guidelines conflicted with the U.S. Constitution, federal law, Virginia state law, and common sense; undermined the primary role of parents in raising their children; and imposed on parents, students and school staff a set of narrow, unscientific ideological beliefs. We are very concerned that some localities may cling to prior guidelines, rejecting the even-handed, well-grounded revisions made in the Department’s revised policy. We ask that you help us ensure that policies based on the prior state model policies are withdrawn from school systems, and that these new policies are applied throughout the Commonwealth, as required by the Code of Virginia.

The 2022 model policies recognize current science and available evidence, which is clear regarding sexual dimorphism and unclear (at best) on the risks and harms of so-called gender-affirming care.

We support the 2022 model policies as reflecting biological reality – that our sex is not “assigned at birth” but is determined at the point of conception, and that individuals with male chromosomes (one X and one Y) will be biologically male at the physical, sexual, and cellular level, and those with female chromosomes (two X chromosomes) will be biologically female.

We further support the policy as recognizing that children who have gender dysphoria or who identify as transgender must be appropriately and compassionately cared for by a team of individuals led by the child’s parents, and that current clinical research is unsettled at best regarding the proper care for such individuals. The new policy corrects a serious flaw in the prior policy, which would enforce a rigid care pathway, regardless of the parents’ views and in the absence of compelling clinical evidence.

For example, research on the best course of care for gender dysphoria and transgenderism in pre-pubescent children is incomplete and mixed. Government and health officials around the world are increasingly recognizing that evidence on the best care for children with gender dysphoria is mixed and evolving, and that enforcing a single, aggressive pathway for so-called gender-affirming care can cause significant harm to many children. For example, the U.K. National Health Service earlier this year announced plans to close its Tavistock Gender Identity Clinic after serious concerns were raised regarding it’s care protocols for adolescents, and the U.K attorney general clarified that schools must maintain single-sex restrooms. In addition, earlier this year Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare pulled back its policy on care for children with gender dysphoria, recommending that puberty blockers and hormone therapy be used only in “exceptional” cases.

The importance of restraint in caring for children with gender dysphoria was underscored in an April 19, 2022 commentary in The Washington Post by Corinna Cohn, who underwent gender transition surgery at the age of 19 and then regretted the decision to do so.  “From the day of my surgery, I became a medical patient and will remain one for the rest of my life,” Cohn said in the article.

By refraining from imposing policies grounded in rigid definitions of “gender-affirming care” that are far more aggressive than those in many other localities, the Virginia Department of Education policy appropriately reflects the variation and uncertainty in best care for minors with gender dysphoria. We support the 2022 policy because it allows students, parents and educators to consider the full range of evidence on biological sex and gender, gender dysphoria and potential risks and benefits of gender-affirming care and come to individual decisions about the best course of care for themselves and their children.

The 2022 model policies protect sports fairness for girls

We support the new model policies’ requirement that “for any athletic program or activity that is separated by sex, the appropriate participation of students shall be determined by sex.” The new policy reflects the biological reality that boys and girls are physically different in ways that can put girls at a disadvantage in many sports. As a result, the new policy is supportive of girls and young women in a way that the prior policy was not, ensuring that girls and young women who work and train hard to excel in a sport will not have that hard work erased because they must compete against a biological male who identifies as female.

Virginia’s prior 2021 policy was harmful to female athletes by permitting biological males who identify as female to participate in women’s sports. The harm done by such policies has been illustrated in many specific cases, such as the lawsuit filed by four female high school athletes in Connecticut. As stated by one of the young women, policy that permitted biological males who are transgender to compete in women’s sports meant that “I knew I had no chance of winning despite the hours of training and knowing my personal bests in each event. I was defeated before stepping onto the track.”

The 2022 model policies restore fairness for female athletes and support the intent of Title IX federal statute. We support the Department’s new policy because it gives female athletes the chance they deserve to compete and win on a fair playing field.

Further, this position is not an outlier. In fact, policies that do not permit biological males to compete against female athletes are supported by a majority of Americans, according to recent polls released by the Washington Post and National Public Radio/Ipsos. Similarly, a Gallup poll released in 2021 found that  62 percent of respondents said “they felt transgender people should have to compete on teams with athletes of their ‘birth gender.’”

The 2022 model policies support good civics and citizenship

Finally, we support the 2022 model policies because they support civic virtue and respect for the rule of law in ways that were profoundly lacking in the prior policy. Unlike the prior policy, the new guidelines promote a safe, supportive educational environment based on common civic virtues (recognition of the inherent worth and dignity of all people, the unique and primary role of parents in raising their children, the importance of providing all children a safe and supportive learning environment, and the need to protect freedom of speech, conscience and religion) that permit and encourage a wide range of individual ideological and religious beliefs.

The new policy supports good citizenship by ensuring schools will recognize and protect students, parents and educators who have different views on a complex, evolving topic like transgender identity. Educating children to articulate different views in ways that are well-reasoned and respectful, and to consider different viewpoints, is a foundation of good citizenship that the new model policies promote. In contrast, the prior policy discouraged this, foreclosing opportunity for dialogue and instead forcing all students and parents to agree to a single, rigid viewpoint.

Further, we appreciate that the 2022 model policies affirm a respect for the rule of law in ways that the prior policy did not. In particular, we support the new policies’ clear and accurate references to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, the Virginia Constitution, the Code of Virginia, and the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

In conclusion, we strongly support the 2022 model policy and urge the Department to ensure they are fully, consistently implemented throughout the state. The new policy represents a common sense, science-based approach that protects all students, affirms the role and authority of parents, and ensures fairness in girls’ sports.

Sincerely,

Randy and Jennifer Burkholder

Wendell Brown

Burton and Kathleen Burkholder

Tatiana D’Emidio

Geoff and Sherri Fosdick

Mary Hazzard

Mary Keffler

Anne Quinn

Beth Sedmak

L. Leonard Wolner

Norma Zarrate


This policy will increase suicide

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I write in opposition to this barbaric policy.

The American Academy of Pediatrics(1) has found alarming levels of suicidality in transgendered adolescents. Family rejection, bullying, and feelings of being unsafe all contribute to suicidal thoughts and actions. This policy will directly contribute to those risk factors by denying the autonomy of children by forcing them to use names that do not comport with their identity and by exposing them to physical danger and ridicule from their peers.(2) Teachers should create safe and positive environment for all students, not merely the ones who fit a certain category. Children in vulnerable populations deserve to thrive just as much as any other child.

Children deserve freedom, safety, and autonomy to make their own way just as adults do. We have been entrusted with ensuring those things for them. Do not abdicate our responsibility by enacting this policy.

Thank you for your attention.

Emily Peterson-Cassin

Fairfax Public Schools Parent

Vienna, VA

(1)https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/4/e20174218/76767/Transgender-Adolescent-Suicide-Behavior?autologincheck=redirected?nfToken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000

(2) https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/suicide-risk-factors/


Protect trans kids!

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The proposed changes will harm trans kids. As a concerned parent, I ask that this dangerous approach be abandoned. Enacting this new policy would have deadly consequences for so many beautiful trans children.


strongly support Governor Youngkin's policy

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Thanks for your support of parents' rights.


Youngkin should be ashamed.

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This policy restricts children exploring their identities at all, (God forbid!) putting them in danger of harassment by their peers and school staff that will be socially encouraged, AND restricts the parental rights of families who support their transgender children. This policy aims not to strengthen the rights of parents and to "let kids be kids", this will only cause undue suffering on transgender youth, an already vulnerable population. All to distract the masses away from actual issues in this country, these evil s should be ashamed of themselves!


100% Support

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I support all students regardless of how they identify. All public schools, school boards, staff, and other employees should be as well.


Strongly opposed

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<p>I am strongly opposed to these policies. They are against virginia code, and they will actively harm transgender and nonbinary students. </p>


STRONGLY SUPPORT

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Once you start allowing CHILDREN to do things behind their parent(s) backs, you open a huge can of problems for everyone around.  This does include anything to do with them.  I'm not naive enough to think it doesn't happen (hell, I did things my parents didn't know about), but to have our guiding forces (teachers, staff, County, State, Country) start condoning children to lie to their parents...things are only going to get much much worse.


In support of parental involvement

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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.


I oppose this fully.


Strongly oppose - please support Virginia's trans youth

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I strongly oppose this policy.  Whether intentional or not, it emphasizes a right to discriminate against, harass, and cruelly disrespect transgender children.  The policy grants this through stating that people have a right to mistreat transgender students if their personal or religious beliefs justify that mistreatment, harassment, or cruel disrespect.  No individual should be given the right in a policy like this to treat others so.

Also, the policy fails to acknowledge the inherent rights of students to be treated as human beings.  The policy ignores children's perspectives and only considers those of parents.  Given the purpose of the educational system is for children to develop to their full potential and become successful members of society, the environment should be supportive of them and allow them to define how they are addressed and treated.  It absurd that for a child's gender to be properly recognized by the school that the child's parent should need to write a letter.  Whether intentional or not, the model policy fails to list gender identity as one of the areas that are protected under Code (2.2-3900).  That code does not specify that discrimination against children at school is lawful in the absence of a letter from their parent.

Trans children are still highly vulnerable members of our society and they deserve our support and protection.  This policy is antithetical to that.  It is not the responsibility of the school to "out" transgender children as A.4 would suggest.  This should be struck if the draft policy is not withdrawn.  Referring to a child by the pronoun not associated with their gender identity (as determined by that child) is not consistent with creating a supportive environment where that child can reach their full potential.  Instead it is disrespectful, legitimizes and perpetuates an unnecessary and unfair environment of cruelty that has been shown to contribute to higher rates of suicide.  D.7 fails to recognize that sometimes parents can be abusive and that information dissemination regarding factors that a child fears may perpetuate or lead to physical or emotional abuse from parents should be treated differently.

There are many other problematic statements in the proposed policy that I also believe justify retracting it in its entirety e.g., dress code, bathrooms, sports teams.   Please, please, please recognize that treating trans children respectfully by recognizing their gender as described by them and using the name they identify with hurts nobody and can save their lives.


Trans policies

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I oppose these policies!


I Oppose the Governor's model policies on the treatment of transgender (trans) and non-b

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As a voting Virginia resident, an open-minded individual, and the mother of 2 young adults, I strongly oppose the Governor's proposed model policies on the treatment of transgender (trans) and non-binary youth in schools. I want the VDOE to reject the proposed model policies.

The model policies are narrow and separatist, and take our Commonwealth back in time to the era when I grew up. Virginia must move forward and embrace social changes, not stay stuck in the mindset of the 1960s!

My daughters were lucky to be raised in an inclusive, tolerant community where teens were allowed to openly express questions about their sexuality and identity without ridicule. It is essential that today's children have that same advantage. I have witnessed pre-teens and teens struggle with identity questions. I have known pre-teens and teens who have harmed themselves and threatened suicide out of fear that "coming out" would end relationships with families and friends. We MUST NOT put today's pre-teens and teens in the position to have the same fears. That type of alienation and isolation can lead to mental health issues which plague individuals for years.

In fact, a 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half (53%) of transgender and nonbinary youth. Nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth attempted suicide. However, LGBTQ youth who had access to an LGBTQ-affirming school reported lower rates of attempting suicide than those who did not. Additionally, learning about LGBTQ people or issues was associated with significantly lower odds (23%) of a past-year suicide attempt in LGBTQ students.

I think of my daughter's friends "Matt" and "Ameila" who learned to comfortably discuss their LGBTQ identities. I also think of my co-worker whose daughter in 6th grade now identifies nonbinary and prefers to be addressed as "they," changing their name to a gender neutral derivative of her given name. Implementation of this policy would devastate those youth. Most importantly, I think of a friend's 7th grade grandson who recently asked to be referred to as "she," changing her name completely. The sad story my friend shared is that the Pennsylvania school this youth attends will not allow it, and so she is forced to change schools. Moreover, she has an uncle who now refuses to speak with her. I put forward that the uncle's poor behavior stems from an inability to properly articulate his feelings on this change of identity in his family.

Recently, I had the occasion to reconnect with high school classmates at our 40th reunion. I grew up in a time when the conversation was not open regarding sexuality and gender identity. They were not discussed - ever. In reconnecting with so many of my friends from high school, I was comforted by how confident many of these friends are in their current identities. The whole experience of reconnecting made me wonder whether these old friends would have had a different teenage experience had then been able to question and discuss openly their trans and non-binary identities. How uncomfortable were they being forced into gender roles that they did not identify with? Did they have the ability to articulate that they did not identify? I imagine not, since we were not given the tools and language to respectfully discuss such emotions and physical feelings.

This last point is essential. Our schools should not shut down conversations of ideas outside of traditional values. It is in the schools that we can teach our youth to thoughtfully and articulately discuss concepts and actions that exist outside of every student's current viewpoint. As young adults, our students likely have not experienced as broad a variety of ideas and beliefs as many mature adults. Invalidating student's feelings and stunting their conversation becomes a failure of our education system. It leads to inability to rationally discuss or express anything that appears "different."

I live in the America where speech is still free, choices are valued and individuality is what makes us strong. For these reasons I strongly oppose the Governor's proposed model policies on the treatment of transgender (trans) and non-binary youth in schools. I want the VDOE to reject the proposed model policies.


Directly Against State and Federal Law - Opposed

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The Department of Education's proposed policy regarding trans students directly violates title 9, federal law. Additionally, it directly violates pre existing state law. The institution of such a policy will inevitably be challenged federally, and would dissolve any security the citizens of Virginia feel in their state legislature. The proposed policy is in fact one that would put students in physical danger. When a child comes out to their parents (whether you 'agree' with their identity or not aside-) they're often likely to be put out onto the streets, abused, and sometimes killed. The institution of this policy would kill children. Period, no matter where you stand on trans rights. Although I understand the want for a say in their children's lives and education from the parental side of things, the Department of Education's priority first and foremost needs to be protecting children. Thank you.


Parent in support

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As a parent I fully support this policy. To be honest there needs to be more done to prevent the grooming of children. Anyone who supports the participation of children “transitioning” is utterly insane. Children are easily manipulated and influenced to believe anything they hear is “cool” and as such they are not mature enough to make a decision that could affect their lives and the lives of those around them. Children are now allowed to cry and scream to get their way in every aspect and it needs to stop. Social media has bombarded kids with the LGBTQ propaganda, tv stations and child targeted programs have followed suit. It is absurd for kids to be brainwashed into thinking this is how most people live. It’s simply untrue the numbers are minuscule.

Teenagers are built for rebellion so yes, parents need to know what is going on emotionally with their own children especially when suicide rates have gone up in teens since 2020. Parents need to be informed and involved in their children’s lives it would cause more harm than good to keep their struggles away from parents. It is not the public schools place to decide what is best for our children. Children do not belong to the state. Gender dysphoria is real and parents have the right to determine how it is handled.

Kids are being sexually assaulted in bathrooms, girls have been severely injured by “trans girls” in sports. This has gone too far. Children don’t need to know what a trans person is in elementary school, the majority shouldn’t know what sex is let alone think they can change their gender. I have had to discuss this with my elementary aged children and I find it absolutely disgusting that it’s becoming such an issue.


I oppose these policies

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I live in Virginia and strongly oppose these policies for the safety and respect of my peers. Children in Virginia deserve the right to go to a safe and affirming school, and these programs target queer children and strips them of that right. We need to do better.


Trans Rights are human rights

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<p>Please protect the rights of these young people.  </p>


support trans and non-binary students

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<p>The proposed policy is small-minded and seeks to exclude human beings from a safe environment. Using a student's preferred name and pronouns is not difficult, does not impede on anyone's rights or livelihood and yet has deeply positive impacts on the mental health and well-being of the student. Seems like a win-win to me. I am not in support of any policy that makes it ok for a school staffer to essentially cause harm by using a name or pronoun that is hurtful to the student. There is no reason not to protect all children. This proposed policy is codified hate for no reason, creating a problem where one does not exist, and can have dangerous consequences to children. </p>


I oppose these proposed 2022 Model Policies as a parent of a trans child

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I am writing as a parent of a transgender child in Northern Virginia. She transitioned socially before kindergarten and has continued through school as the girl she is. She is generally happy at school and in our community and has a great group of friends. She is busy with school, Girl Scouts, soccer, and other activities typical of girls her age.

The proposed 2022 Model Policies will harm her and other trans students if they go into effect. Trans students might be challenged in the bathroom or in PE, and they might be called by their dead name by any teacher who is curious enough to look through their school records and who believes their religion gives them permission to decide what names or pronouns to use with a child, regardless of what the child tells them. Trans students would be subject to harassment by classmates and school employees. School would no longer be a safe place to learn.

The proposed 2022 model policies claim to support parental rights, but they do not do so. Instead they reject the rights of parents of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive students who want their children to learn in a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment. The proposed 2022 model policies reject the rights of parents who want their children to know and appreciate a learning environment that affirms LGBTQ+ students and adults.

Trans-affirming schools save lives. These proposed 2022 model policies will harm students in the name of preserving the religious values of a minority of Virginia residents who reject inclusivity and diversity. The proposed 2022 model policies will leave many transgender students in Virginia without a safe space and without a safe adult.

Furthermore, the Virginia Human Rights Act provides protection against discrimination based on gender identity. Other federal laws and court cases have affirmed the rights of transgender individuals to use bathrooms that match their gender identity. These proposed 2022 model policies violate these laws.

Rescind these proposed 2022 model policies and reinstate the evidence-based trans-affirming model policies of 2021.


Trans Rights are Human Rights

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Protect our children by protecting ALL of our children. Trans kids deserve to feel safe everywhere.


Strongly support the new pro-parent policies by the VA Dept. of Education!

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I strongly support the new pro-parent policies by the Virginia Department of Education. Long, long overdue!


Strongly oppose these dangerous policies

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These policies will cause harm to students and will benefit no one.  The fear mongering about cis gender students being put in danger by trans students is baseless. In fact, trans students are much more likely to be harmed by cis students who are being told by their parents and governor that trans students are bad and scary.

As the parent of a non-binary teenager, I want what every parent wants: for my child to be happy. If changing their name and pronouns is what makes them happy, so be it.  I am so grateful that they feel safe at home to be who they are and not have to hide their identity from me. It breaks my heart to know that my kid has friends who do not have this safety at home and could be negatively impacted, abused, kicked out, or disowned if these policies are approved.

If a parent wants to know what is going on with their kid, it is on them as a parent to create a relationship where their kid feels safe to be who they are. Putting kids who are trans in harm's way for the sake of so-called "parental rights" is unconscionable.


Opposed - 2022 Model Policy appears to be a knee jerk reaction to politics

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Section D on page 16 is a heavy handed way of providing unequal treatment on children that identify themselves perhaps differently than other children. These children need our support and understanding not a forced judgement of gender. Their identity and feelings are not a choice. We must trust our teachers to use their experience and compassion to ensure all children feel welcome and can learn.


Transphobia? Why?

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I hope u fall down a hole you dumb skank of a man.


Just educate.

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Reading, writing, math, science, civics, health and physical fitness are all things we expect schools teach to our children.  If our child refuses to do the lessons, tell the parents.  If the child signals that they may desire to do harm, report it to administrators AND parents.  If a child expresses an interest in jumping off the roof in an attempt to fly, prevent it, and tell the parents.  If a child is exhibiting any psychotic behavior, including the thought that cutting off a portion of their body or preventing physical development, report it to their parents.  PUTTING those thoughts into their heads, in short, is a crime of which you should be prosecuted.  TEACH, or find your correct vocation.


Ruining the future

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I think it is disgusting you are trying to take away human right from people that just want to be happy. Do better for the American people.


Children and their live and livelihoods, should not be political pawns. Strongly oppose

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I am writing in strong opposition of the governor’s proposed anti-trans policies. I support the existing 2021 model policies our state developed through involved input from a diverse group of seasoned educators, care professions-including experienced medical providers, and representatives of the community these policies would most directly impact.

I am a parent and longtime child advocate. My work has included training mandated reports of child abuse and neglect. The governor’s proposed discriminatory policies will, without question, substantially impact the mental and physical health of transgender and non-binary youth across our state. Unnecessarily forcing increased anxiety, depression, self-harm, peer abuse & discrimination, long term risk factors like homelessness, and most disturbingly inhuman risk suicidal ideations and attempts. I believe there is no question that the proposed policies are both discriminatory and abusive. These are children, children with published policies and care guidelines from by American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Endocrine Society, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and American Psychiatric Association. It would be horrifying for our state public school system to bypass such recommendations on best practice in pursuit of political agenda at the cost of their lives an livelihood.


Model policies for transgender students

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I support the Governor's parental rights initiative.  James


Protect Trans Kids

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Protect trans kids at all costa


STRONGLY OPPOSE this policy!!!

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<p>Stop targeting our youth for political theatre! This policy is harmful to students and our queer youth. As a queer adult I know how harmful it is growing up in a society, culture and environment that does not accept who you are. This blatant hate and transphobia has lasting impacts on queer youth that will shape how they see themselves. Please stop targeting our queer youth and instead invest in resources and education to support them. </p>


Oppose this regulation

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This regulation must change. It does not promote a supportive school environment and has the potential to harm those students who may need support the most. While saying it’s important that the school environment be free from harassment and bullying, this policy does so in a way that decreases the likelihood that students who are gender non-conforming will come forward and thus they will be denied the support they need to thrive at school.

Students whose parents/guardians are already supportive of their identity will more than likely already talk and discuss this with them, and have protective factors already on their side.

Students whose parents are not supportive and who may in fact disown, or otherwise negatively impact the student’s mental or physical health, will not get the support of their identity safely at school (because they will not want their guardian/parents informed) or at home. As a society, we already recognize not all parents/guardians have children’s best interests in mind.

Section V. Bullet B and C. This regulation takes away a person’s efficacy for an issue that affects them and harms no one and places their decision in the hands of another where it can cause emotional harm. This law does exactly what it says, it serves to “control” and harm children in the false name of “parental empowerment.”

Calling a student another name (as educators have been doing with nicknames for years) should not be a parental decision. Choosing & using pronouns should fall into the same category of personal choice and be respected by educators and peers in this public environment.

This law is based on a specific belief that is not backed by science. Just because you choose not to believe something, does not mean you are correct. You are privileging control and bias without considering the harm that may be caused to an actual child. Read any of the scientific research done in this area.

Equipping schools with the personnel, time, funding, and training to be able talk with a students about identity, their support network, and yes, safety, then helping students to find ways to talk with parents/guardians is a better use of regulatory power than this over-reach.


ALL CHILDREN ARE HUMANS

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<p>Being transgender does NOT make a child an automatic predator. They are in higher danger of being bullied for their choices than they are of being the perpetrators. Children want to fit in badly with their peers, so the decision to become transgender is already a tough one. Some children do not feel comfortable coming out to their parents, so school is the only place they can truly be themselves. If we take that away from students, we are hindering their emotional AND academic progress by creating an environment where not all students feel safe.  </p>


Strongly Opposes

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<p>A teacher who strongly opposes </p>


Support trans youth

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<p>I am against this policy. As an educator and someone who wants to support students, trans students need to have these conversations. They need support, love, and affirmation and used as political pawns. This is not about parent rights - this is about the kids. Let the kids be themselves. </p>
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STRONGLY OPPOSE! PROTECT TRANSYOUTH!

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I oppose Youngkin's bigoted attack on transyouth and the LGBT community. Targeting people for their own personal beliefs that BOTHER NO ONE is horrifying and makes you a BULLY. Their LIVES are at stake. Transyouth and LGBT youth have been targeted and bullied into taking their own lives for years. Not to mention the senseless murders of these sweet souls by hatemongers like Youngkin. STOP THE HATE!!


Guidance removes teacher capabilities

This would create a mandate effectively eliminating the teacher and child's freedom in the manner. The GOP has consistently been a party about sustaining individual rights and avoiding overarching government insertion. Yet this guidance document is effectively that.This should not be decided by the governor, and instead by the teachers that we have entrusted with the correct upbringing of our children. Teachers have long been given the latitude to decide that a parent should be involved, or a child should be protected, in many other matters.
Similar to how in right-wing politics there is a fear that children are being "forced by a woke mob to change genders". This guidance is just the same fear in the opposite direction, by eliminating the teacher's capacity to perform a judgement from the child's questions to them.We don't want robots teaching the future, but thinking and compassionate humans.

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This would create a mandate effectively eliminating the teacher and child's freedom in the manner. The GOP has consistently been a party about sustaining individual rights and avoiding overarching government insertion. Yet this guidance document is effectively that.

This should not be decided by the governor, and instead by the teachers that we have entrusted with the correct upbringing of our children. Teachers have long been given the latitude to decide that a parent should be involved, or a child should be protected, in many other matters.

Similar to how in right-wing politics there is a fear that children are being "forced by a woke mob to change genders". This guidance is just the same fear in the opposite direction, by eliminating the teacher's capacity to perform a judgement from the child's questions to them.

We don't want robots teaching the future, but thinking and compassionate humans.


Protect trans kids!

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I do not support these new proposals at all. Protect trans kids! Listen to the medical establishment, not cynical politicians trying to score political points with the far right.


Support Trans kids and all other LGBTQ youth

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Policies like the one proposed in Virginia would have pushed me further into the closet, further into self harm, and further towards suicidal behavior. Life is hard enough as a young LGBTQ person finding your authentic self, not to mention learning how to present yourself authentically in the world, combatting parental and community rejection, and coping with bullying from kids in school. At best, this Virginia policy could be the only thing telling a trans Virginian child that what they feel is wrong and that they don’t deserve to exist authentically. At worst, this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back – pushing the trans youth suicide rate even higher in the Commonwealth. Virginia deserves better. Our children deserve better. Republicans should be ashamed of themselves for using children – especially a subset of children with high rates of self harm and suicide – as a political pawn in a made-up culture war.

Trans rights are human rights. LGBTQ rights are human rights. The Commonwealth should respect the dignity of trans people to live as their authentic selves. Reject hatred, reject petty politics, and reject this proposal. Trans kids deserve better than this.


Unacceptable to permit minors and students to define their own pronouns

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While I encourage students and minors to explore what makes them happy - it is unacceptable that a minor can define how a school calls them either by legal name or pronouns. Children, those less than 18yrs old, need be guided by logical principles and no one should confuse a person's birth sex which is determined by biology until they reach legal adult age. Further, SEXUAL education is not necessary in any school as the primary focus of a free society is to educate its citizen in reading, writing, math, and the physical sciences. Community and parents can address sexual education as time permits during the 18yrs of growth and their legal responsibility for this new adult. I fully support policies like that of Gov. Younkin to keep all forms of sexual identity out of a school enviroment.

Merci beaucoup,

R


I oppose

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<p>Virginia please do the right thing. This policy is transphobic. I strongly oppose it and call upon fellow Virginians to stand with and for the rights of non binary kids and oppose this policy. There’s no place in Virginia for transphobia and hatred. </p>


Strongly Oppose Youngkin policy and Support Transgender youth and families

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We should strive for inclusion and an understanding of intrinsic human value and dignity.

I am astounded that many statements from our politicians, and leaders have stated that this policy "simply require[s] the involvement of parents in important decisions about the lives of their children" or current policy "allows teachers and school administrators to keep parents in the dark about important information about their own children" or "we should not accommodate your mental illness" and many more. At the same time these same people espouse to the notion of "pro life".

Let's take a step back and think about the value of All human life and the dignity of ALL human life. I am a parent of a large family in current standards. Our children who have gone through Virginia Public Schools and we value ALL life no matter where that person is in their life journey. When you look at ALL people with dignity and respect, you cannot dismiss them so easily or demean them or discount their struggles because you do not understand or it is not convenient for you or socially acceptable for you to engage with them.

Our children are our future and our present. We should protect, educate, guide, love, and cherish them for who they are and all they have the potential to become. In doing so, we are charged with working with our community, neighbors, teachers, and others to raise the next generation of citizens to be their best people they can. Not all families are this supportive and therefore the community must take up the slack and help. Transgender children who have supportive parents will have no issue working with the tribe around their child but those who do not have supportive parents need that tribe to protect them and work to help those parents understand and work with their child. The proposed policy does not provide support for the youth who have no support to start with. The rates of self harm, bullying, harassment, violence, and suicide for these youth are astounding. This policy would make things worse and these numbers will only rise.

The schools are not keeping parents in the dark, they are not denying parents to be involved in their children's lives and this is not a mental illness problem. The schools are providing the safe environment they have tried to be for centuries to children. Let's focus on educating parents how to speak with their children and allowing children to have a voice. Children need to have a safe environment to be true to themselves and that space SHOULD be at home and at school! Do not take one of these away as they may only have one space to begin with. None of this is easy but let's not make it harder.

I am an LGBTQ+ ally as I believe in the dignity of ALL human life. Therefore, I cannot support the Youngkin proposed policy and hope our leaders do not as well.


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The guidance in this policy demeans people. It dehumanizes them for the sake of... nothing? There is nothing to be gained by denying people their right to self identity. There is much to be lost. To be 100% clear, I OPPOSE the draft policy and want the VDOE to reject it. I am an educator in the state. I know first hand what harm actions like those proposed in this policy will have. I know that young people need to feel supported and heard, particularly when then are expressing vulnerable emotions. There is nothing in this policy that is supported by the current findings of multiple medical organizations into the health and well-being of our children. The American Academy of Pediatrics, "an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults," has made their official position on such overtly harmful policies as this one quite clear when they write:  "Our organizations strongly oppose any legislation or regulation that would discriminate against gender-diverse individuals, including children and adolescents, or limit access to comprehensive evidence-based care which includes the provision of gender-affirming care. Any discrimination based on gender identity or expression is damaging to the socioemotional health of children and families as evidenced by increased risk of suicide in this population." We are the role models for our children. When you pass this measure, you say to your children, children who may come to you one day with these same concerns or similar ones, that they are not acceptable as they are. That you do not, in fact, love them "unconditionally." Because, truth be told, all true love is unconditional, is it not? Everything else is just acceptance. I love my children just as they are, and to deny them that love, to show them, through either my words or my actions that some innate part of them is "less than," is to take away something that isn't mine to take away. I gave them my heart years ago. You, no doubt, have children in your lives that you have loved with all your heart. Would you take that love away because of who your child is, or grows to be? Would you wish that on yourself, should you be in that same child shoes? If so, shame on you. Shame on us all.


I STRONGLY OPPOSE (as a non-binary student)

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As a non-binary student, I am fortunate enough that my mom will not be violent or hurtful should I be outed by my school. However MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT. I strongly oppose these policies against trans and nonbinary students. Right now, I am finally in and institution in which my chosen name and my pronouns are actually respected, something I appreciate about virginia. You don't get things like that in my hometown. It's part of the reason I was so excited to come to this state.


Strongly oppose!

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Strongly oppose! Keep ALL our kids safe!


Protect Trans kids

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Please, for the love of all that is good, let's take into account the emotional, physical, and mental health of our kids. Protect Trans kids. It has not been shown to harm anyone to let kids use the bathroom of those choice, or the pronouns of their choosing. Not letting kids be true to their identities HAS been shown to increase risk of suicide. Please, please, let's use some common sense and protect the truly vulnerable in this situation.


Comment on New Policy

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Totally agree with Governor's effort.  Policy seems like a reasonable attempt to settle the matter.


Transgender school bill

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In support of this and the parental rights of parents.


Virginia Education Department Releases New Model Policies on Treatment of Student Gender Identity

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I am a Virginia resident and am in favor of the Proposed Guidance Document Changes outlined under "2022 Model Policies" relative to transsexual students in Virginia public schools.  Underage children are not all the same and exhibit varying degrees of maturity at all ages.  Their parents, generally, should be involved in decisions that can potentially have an adverse affect on their well being, including their mental stability.  Failing to include parents in serious matters concerning their children or "keeping secrets from parents" is not the right of the government except in cases where there is a demonstrated need to do so because of a confirmed or identified danger because a child's parent or parents are recognized to be endangering a child's mental or physical safety.


OPPOSE - This is an issue of life and death

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Psychologist who regularly works with suicidal folks here. This is a huge public health issue, and it's not an overstatement to call this an issue of life and death. For gender nonbinary students, risk of suicide decreases significantly in a gender-affirming environment, and gender-rejecting environments are associated with increased risk of depression, suicidal thoughts and behavior. The only real result of a policy like this is more dead children. Policymakers and voters, whatever your political affiliation, please consider this.

A few sources (sorry, not open access but should give you an idea of what I'm talking about):

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/lgbt.2015.0111

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jmft.12484

https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(20)30770-9/fulltext#relatedArticles


Support!!! Replace Demented, Disrespectful & Dangerous 2021 policies

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I strongly support Virginia's new 2022 Model Policies. These policies strive to protect all of our children during a vulnerable phase in their lives. These policies respect parental rights as defenders of their children. They keep parents aware of what is going on with their children at school. Teachers colluding with children to keep secrets from parents is selfish, irresponsible and reprehensible. The 2022 polices strive to maintain and continue the same basic standards that all people in a modern society have followed for countless years... biological men use male restrooms/locker rooms and compete against other biological males, biological females use female restrooms/locker rooms and compete against other biological females. If someone is confused on what his/her gender is, schools should make reasonable efforts to create and manage separate facilities and athletic events for Trans people. The new 2022 policies make that possible as a fair, safe and equal option to exercise for the benefit of all our children. The 2022 policies allow parents to raise their children, respects parental rights, protects children from being sexualized/groomed at an early age and uses common sense standards to maintain a fair, equal and safe learning environment for all children. Strongly support the 2022 Model Policies to replace the demented, disrespectful and destructive 2021 policies imposed by Northam Democrats!


Protect Trans Kids, Not Transphobes

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<p>I strongly urge the Virginia Board of Education to continue the implementation of the Model Policies as these policies offer protections for students who are trans. Without such protections, the suicide rate, bullying, achievement gaps, and social alienation WILL continue. Framing every decision that you want to make as a matter of parental involvement is a straw man argument. Educators are tasked with delicately balancing the privacy of students alongside the responsibility of keeping parents informed. No educator, parent, or government official would advocate for policies that enable behaviors such as child abuse, child neglect, etc. In those highly sensitive issues, student privacy and child welfare have to be balanced in a manner that is best for the child. Parents should absolutely be involved in the lives and education of their children. However, you'll find that there are numerous fields in which issues of the child's safety, when preconditioned on children's privacy, is prioritized (e.g. child psychology, social work, etc.). Please do not pit students against parents by retracting the model policies and instead consider working with parents, students, and educators to develop structures, systems, and protocols that can both honor parents' rights as well as the fundamental human and civil rights of students who are trans. </p>


As concerned grandparents of 9 Virginia school students, we fully support Governor Youngkin's Policy

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We fully support Governor Youngkin in his efforts to return our focus on what's best for our students and our Nation.


Support of new pro-parent policies proposed by the Virginia Department of Education.

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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.


Trans Rights are Human Rights

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<p>  Denying teenagers the choice of what to do with their own identity is insane. This isn't about making sure the children are safe, this is about control. I do not agree with anti LGBTQ policies and want my trans and nonbinary siblings to feel safe at school.</p>


EDUCATION

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I totally agree with all of Governor Youngkin's policies.  Parents have to be involved in every policy.


I support Transgender and LGBTQ students

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<p>All students including Transgender and non binary students deserve government that will protect them. Laws designed to segregate them based off of assigned gender at birth have been proven unconstitutional. </p>


Oppose policy

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<p>I oppose this policy and I am a parent of multiple school-age children. While the policy is purportedly an effort to support parental rights, the policy implicitly communicates that the rights of some parents are more worth supporting than the rights of other parents and the well-being of all students. Also, it ignores the health and well-being of our most vulnerable children who might not always have a supportive parent at home, and in some cases may have a parent who is openly hostile to the child’s true identity and well-being. These possible at-home dangers that some children face are ignored in carrying out the “rights” of the parents that the policy clearly favors. </p>


STRONGLY SUPPORT

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I strongly support trans youth in schools. These kids need a voice and those who oppose need more education. Teach your kids that it doesn’t matter WHAT SEX YOU ARE.


Let Kids Be

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Please make quick action to grant trans kids the same rights as others!! Thank you!


Strongly oppose this policy

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<p>As a long time Fairfax County resident, I strongly oppose the proposed guidelines in relation to transgender youth.  Transgender youths need support as they are far more likely to commit suicide and harm themselves.  These policies would take away rights currently protected and, again, I strongly oppose these proposed guidelines. </p>


Very happy with new policy

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<p>I, along with all of my friends, are very happy for this new policy. </p>


Strongly support - 100%


Teacher and Parent-VERY STRONGLY OPPOSE

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<p>Parents rights should not overshadow students' rights.  A child is just as much a person as an adult, but some adults think that kids are a bunch of idiots and can't think for themselves.  If a child or teenager identifies as a gender other than their sex at birth, why should their right to be themselves be taken away? I know of a few teenagers 16/17 year olds who are either trans or non-binary. They absolutly are capable of making this decision for themselves, but their parents disagree because they are either close-minded, old fashioned, in denial, selfish, or religious.The kids already have to pretend to be someone they aren't around their parents so that they will be accepted, and the one place where they can be themselves is now going to be stripped away from them too?  Way to go, idiots. Lets increase the suicide and depression rate for nonbinary/trans students.  It takes so little to include and accept people for who they are.  The least we can do as educators is promote mental health and acceptance, when many parents can not love and accept their own children unconditionally. This is one of the most ignorant, stupid policies I have ever heard of. </p>


Changing the Model Policies Harms Transgender Students

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Changing the Model Policies will harm transgender students in Virginia. Transgender students are less likely to attend school when schools do not have transgender-inclusive policies (Kosciw, 2020, p. 83). Using correct names and pronouns is critical to the mental health of transgender students. There is a direct correlation between the number of people that respect the pronouns of transgender youth and attempting suicide. Using the correct name and pronouns for transgender youth decreases their chances of attempting suicide (The Trevor Project, 2020). Discriminatory bathroom policies have negative effects on transgender students' physical and mental health. When discriminatory bathroom policies are implemented, most transgender students avoid bathrooms at school (Kosciw, 2020, p. 42). Over half of transgender people who avoided bathrooms reported physical problems due to this avoidance and eight percent reported kidney-related medical issues (American Medical Association, 2018). The suicide rate for transgender people is around 10 times higher than the average for the United States population and denying transgender students the right to use the bathroom that matches their gender makes this rate even worse (Seelman, 2016, p. 1387). Participation in athletics is shown to have positive mental and physical health effects such as lower rates of obesity and decreased rates of mental illness (Goldberg, 2021). Transgender students are already at risk for more mental health issues than their cisgender counterparts, so having ways to combat the negative impacts of mental illness like athletics is especially important for transgender students. Another positive effect of participation in athletics is improved academic performance which has been proven for both transgender and cisgender athletes (Green et al., 2020, p. 1). Denying transgender students the opportunity to participate in sports means denying them the opportunity to possibly protect themselves against the effects of their negative mental health, to improve their grades, and to create a community with other athletes.

Everything in the previous paragraph is based on fact; see the citations below to learn more.

American Medical Association. (2018). Transgender individuals’ access to public facilities. https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2019-03/transgender-public-facilities-issue-brief.pdf

Goldberg, S. K. (2021, February). Fair Play The Importance of Sports Participation for Transgender Youth. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/fair-play

Green, Price-Feeney, & Dorison. (2020). The Trevor Project Research Brief: LGBTQ Youth Sports Participation. New York, New York: The Trevor Project

Kosciw, J. G., Clark, C. M., Truong, N. L., & Zongrone, A. D. (2020). The 2019 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.

Seelman, K. L. (2016). Transgender Adults’ Access to College Bathrooms and Housing and the Relationship to Suicidality. Journal of Homosexuality, 63(10), 1378–1399. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2016.1157998

The Trevor Project. (2020). National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2020. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2020/?section=Introduction


Withdraw this immediately!

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<p>This policy needs to be withdrawn immediately. It is detrimental to the physical and mental health of our students and goes against everything we should be for. We need to support our students, not create policies that go against them. </p>


OPPOSE THIS POLICY

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<p>I oppose this policy as it does not honor and protect the dignity and humanity ALL our kids including trans and binary kids.  This policy can be harmful to the mental health and safety of our children.  Please reconsider and thank you!  </p>
<p> </p>


Comments of the Falls Church City School Board Regarding the 2022 Proposed Model Policies

David Ortiz, Falls Church City School Board

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COMMENTS OF THE FALLS CHURCH CITY SCHOOL BOARD IN RESPONSE TO PROPOSED 2022 MODEL POLICIES ON THE PRIVACY, DIGNITY, AND RESPECT FOR ALL STUDENTS AND PARENTS IN VIRGINIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SUMMARY

The Falls Church City School Board (Board) humbly submits these comments in response to the proposal from the Virginia Department of Education that school boards in the Commonwealth of Virginia adopt new policies regarding the treatment of transgender students. The Board opposes the proposed policies, the 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for all Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools (model policies), for the following reasons: the model policies put school districts and parents in opposition; the model policies take too narrow a view of gender to be useful in protecting transgender students; and the model policies would cause harm to transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary students. Rather than moving forward with adopting the model policies, the Board recommends that the Virginia Department of Education ask each member district to submit a report describing how its policies and regulations implement provisions of the Virginia Code relevant to protecting and supporting transgender students and involve parents in implementing the policies and regulations. Based on an actual record of how transgender students are supported in Virginia’s schools, the Virginia Department of Education could then propose new policies or guidelines to fill identified gaps.

ABOUT THE FALLS CHURCH CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) serve the city of Falls Church, which is an independent 2.2 square mile city tucked between Arlington County and Fairfax County.  FCCPS strives to create a student-centered innovative learning environment where all students belong, are included, and are empowered to excel.  We foster the International Baccalaureate (IB) learner mindset to help every child develop skills necessary to succeed in the classroom and beyond.  FCCPS employs almost 480 teachers and staff and serves more than 2,500 students in its five schools.  The entire FCCPS system, from pre-K through twelfth grade, is IB certified.

BOARD ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THE 2021 MODEL POLICIES FOR THE TREATMENT OF TRANSGENDER STUDENTS IN VIRGINIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS

When the Virginia Department of Education released the 2021 Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools, the Board took action to protect transgender and gender nonconforming students.  Looking at the goals of the proposed policies at the time, rather than adopting the 2021 policies as drafted, the Board modified various policies regarding student records, non-discrimination, anti-harassment, and student support so that they included language regarding gender identity.  The Board felt that this action was the most efficient and effective means to support and protect transgender and gender nonconforming students.

THE MODEL POLICIES PUT SCHOOLS DISTRICTS AND PARENTS IN OPPOSITION

FCCPS encourages parents to be active members of the school community and advocates for the education, care, and support of their children and all children in the district.  Parents and teachers are expected to work together to help serve the particular needs of students.  In our elementary schools, FCCPS faculty ask parents to submit a form regarding their children’s learning style, interests, and needs.  This form includes information regarding gender identity.  This information is essential for FCCPS to engage with parents to provide the appropriate support to the student, whether it is access to non-gendered restrooms, requests to be referred by a different name or pronoun, among other possible accommodations.  In the middle and high schools, teachers are expected to communicate directly with parents regarding their children’s academic performance and social well-being.  The model policies, being framed foremost as maintaining the rights of parents (see II.A of the model policies), make an implicit and incorrect presumption that school districts somehow are making decisions regarding students without the input of parents.  With respect to transgender and gender nonconforming students, FCCPS has worked closely with parents to meet the unique needs of every student.

Beyond advocating and supporting their own children, parents are an essential resource for FCCPS.  A non-exhaustive list of opportunities for parental involvement in and beyond their own children’s education includes: volunteering to read in class and organize class events, chaperoning field trips, serving on advisory committees to the Board, sharing career experiences with middle and high school students, assisting in sporting and performing arts events, and many more.

THE MODEL POLICIES TAKE TOO NARROW A VIEW OF GENDER

The model policies refer only to transgender students, which is too narrow to adequately describe the range of gender expressions of students that a school division may have to support.  Indeed, some students may be transgender, but others may be gender nonconforming or gender non-binary.  Moreover, the definition in the model policies, i.e. that a transgender student can only be identified by a parent submitting written documentation attesting as such, fails to recognize that any transgender (or more generally gender nonconforming or gender non-binary) person is this way independent of written documentation.

THE MODEL POLICIES WOULD CAUSE HARM TO TRANSGENDER STUDENTS

To the Board, the most concerning aspect of the model policies is that if they were implemented as drafted, they would codify practices in contravention of medical guidelines for care that would harm transgender and gender nonconforming children.  Such harm is antithetical to FCCPS’s mission, and indeed contrary to goals of public schools generally.

In the model policies, accommodations for transgender students require that parents request such accommodation and that they be placed into the students “official record”.  Our experience helping to support transgender students is that we initially work informally with parents, teachers, and school administrations to determine appropriate accommodations well in advance of any “official” action being taken.  To require that parents make requests for accommodations through “official” channels places an unnecessary burden on parents that would delay needed support.  FCCPS, like other districts in the Commonwealth, maintains an official student record for the purposes of documenting identity and academic achievement.  Federal and state laws and regulations govern the maintenance of official records, and many aspects relevant to gender pertain to such records.  We understand that records such as transcripts and diplomas require legal documentation; support for transgender students does not require such action.

The model policies leave open a door for bullying and harassment of transgender students.  The sample policies (Appendix 1 of the model policies) at III.D.6 state that a district shall not compel personnel or students to refer to transgender students according to their chosen names or pronouns.  Personal affirmation is essential for all students.  To permit district personnel or other students to deliberately refer to students in a manner contrary to their personal identity is bullying, plain and simple, and causes harm.  Medical guidelines, including the American Association of Pediatrics “Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents” (October 2018), emphasize the importance of gender affirmation – including socially supporting a student’s gender identity – to ensure better mental health outcomes for students. Moreover, the Board believes that stigmatizing a particular group, in this case transgender students, is a disservice to all students in that it chills expressions of individuality.

Further the model policies could put students at risk in their homes.  The sample policies (Appendix 1 of the model policies) at III.D.7 state that districts shall not conceal information from parents.  Students often share information with teachers, counselors, coaches and other personnel that they do not share with their parents.  The Board acknowledges that providing the complete range of accommodations for transgender and gender nonconforming students requires deep parental involvement. However, situations occur in which students may feel unsafe revealing that they are transgender or gender nonconforming to their parents.  In the best interests of the students, districts should not be compelled to reveal information if it believes that doing so could put the student at risk of harm in their home.

THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHOULD COMPILE A RECORD REGARDING HOW TRANSGENDER STUDENTS ARE TREATED AND PROTECTED

The Virginia Department of Education proposes the model policies in support of the Code of Virginia section 22.1-23.3.  As noted above, the model policies, if implemented, would result in harm to transgender students.  Further, given the relatively sparse adoption of the 2021 Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools, there remains an open question regarding the degree to which transgender students today are receiving sufficient support and how districts seek to involve parents in accommodating the needs of their children.  Therefore, rather than moving forward with adopting the model policies, the Board recommends that the Virginia Department of Education ask each school district in the Commonwealth to submit a report describing how its policies and regulations implement provisions of the Virginia Code relevant to protecting and supporting transgender students and involve parents in implementing the policies and regulations. This report could cover the following topics:

What policies the district has in place to protect and support transgender students.

What documentation, both formal and informal, is needed by the district for it to make accommodations for transgender students.

How parents are engaged in determining appropriate accommodations for transgender students.

How the district plans for and manages conflicts that may arise in supporting transgender students, e.g. how claims of religous freedom are managed so that transgender students receive the support they need.

What steps the district would take to support a transgender student who feels that revealing their gender identity to their parents would cause the student harm.

Based on an actual record of how transgender students are supported in Virginia’s schools, the Virginia Department of Education could then propose new policies or guidelines to fill identified gaps.

October 26, 2022

Laura Downs, Chair

Tate Gould, Vice Chair

Susan Dimock

David Ortiz

Lori Silverman

Kathleen Tysse

Phil Reitinger


Thank you Gov. Youngkin for protecting families from radicals

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Many heartfelt thanks to Gov. Youngkin and associates for protecting families from angry radicals. The times are in chaos. Thank you for being a good leader.  —from Charlottesville


Strongly Support Governor Youngkin

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It's a tough time to be a teenager. It's a tough time to be the parent of a teenager. Promoting healthy and active communication and relationships between parents and teens is the best way to help teenagers.  When school policies and meddling administrators get in between students and their parents and promote woke nonsense, teenagers feel isolated and alone. Let schools focus on teaching kids how to learn and how to think for themselves. Then, when the teens are adults, permanent decisions about sexuality and gender can be made. Let kids be kids for as long as possible.  Thank you, Governor Youngkin, for promoting and supporting families in Virginia.


Strongly Oppose, Protect Trans Youth

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I strongly oppose this policy. It is a danger to transgender students in VA schools. Queer youth are at a higher risk of suicide. A policy like this would drastically effect trans students lives and endanger them. I have had trans friends who, in an effort to avoid using a bathroom that didn't align with their gender, got a kidney infection because he couldn't use the bathroom at school. A policy like this will kill transgender students and enable harm against them. Protect trans youth, not parental interest. A policy that does not allow students with transphobic parents to have a safe space where they can be themselves at school, is one that harms trans students. Trans students will attempt suicide if this policy is enacted. Do not enact this policy, protect trans youth.


Strongly Oppose 2022 Model Policies

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The 2021 Model Policies contained over sixty resources for the treatment of trans students in Virginia’s K-12 public schools. The resources provided considered the needs of school divisions, professional development, students, parents, and advocacy organizations. The sources provided were up-to-date and many centered on trans students’ needs in particular, drawing from LGBTQ+ organizations such as GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign, the Trevor Project, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and PFLAG. The resources provided in the 2021 Model Policies also drew from professional associations and government agencies such as the American Psychological Association, the Virginia School Boards Association, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Education.

However, the 2022 Model Policies removed essentially all the above resources. Instead, they replaced the other resources with nine resources focused almost entirely on the parental roles in bullying prevention. Eight of these resources come from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, largely from the Centers for Disease Control in particular. The other resource comes from the U.S. Department of Justice. The 2022 Model Policies do not contain a single resource from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, and none are tailored specifically toward trans students.

Preventing the bullying of all students, especially trans students, is an incredibly important goal for Virginia’s public schools. However, it is not the only issue that trans students face. By removing all resources from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups in the 2022 Model Policies, VDOE sends its message loud and clear: it cares more about the parent’s role in bullying prevention, and not at all about the resources it can provide trans and other LGBTQ+ students in navigating bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

This is wrong because connecting young transgender students to supportive and affirming resources, both within their community and nationally, is absolutely necessary for protecting their health and well-being. It is well-established that LGBTQ youth experience greater feelings of isolation and discrimination, resulting in numerous poor social and health outcomes. As described in several review articles, connecting LGBTQ youth to supportive resources and representative communities is an important protective factor (Wolowic et al., 2018; Eisenberg et al., 2018; Ceatha et al., 2021). The resources provided in the 2021 Model Policies were important for providing indirect links to supportive environments, thereby giving transgender students the self-agency to find safety and acceptance (Wolowic et al., 2018). In fact, researchers have found that resources, activities, and organizations designed specifically for LGBTQ people provide LGBTQ youth with a greater sense of safety as well as better-tailored information and services (Eisenberg et al., 2018). This positive social integration with LGBTQ-focused resources is critical to providing LGBTQ youth with access to services and communities that address their unique needs. The removal of these resources in the 2022 Model Policies will certainly reduce trans students’ access to affirming and supportive communities.

Though I am not a transgender student myself, I am a medical student, who, as both a student and as a future healthcare worker, will be one of the people caring for transgender students who suffer the consequences of the 2022 Model Policies. I will be there caring for the transgender children who are desperately searching for acceptance from unsupportive families and discriminatory peers. I will be there caring for the transgender children who feel unbearably alone as they have been cut off from the few pockets of safety and affirmation created by LGBTQ-specific activities and organizations. I will be there. However, the 2022 Model Policies will significantly increase these detriments for trans students’ wellbeing. It is our duty as a community to ensure these students have access to every possible resource that could help prevent these unfortunate scenarios.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.

References from Peer-Review Literature:

Ceatha N, Koay ACC, Buggy C, et al. Protective Factors for LGBTI+ Youth Wellbeing: A Scoping Review Underpinned by Recognition Theory. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(21):11682. Published 2021 Nov 7. doi:10.3390/ijerph182111682

Eisenberg ME, Mehus CJ, Saewyc EM, et al. Helping Young People Stay Afloat: A Qualitative Study of Community Resources and Supports for LGBTQ Adolescents in the United States and Canada. J Homosex. 2018;65(8):969-989. doi:10.1080/00918369.2017.1364944

Wolowic JM, Sullivan R, Valdez CAB, Porta CM, Eisenberg ME. COME ALONG WITH ME: LINKING LGBTQ YOUTH TO SUPPORTIVE RESOURCES. Int J Child Youth Family Stud. 2018;9(3):1-20. doi:10.18357/ijcyfs93201818274


Strongly support - 100%

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<p>Fully support Youngkin and VDOE.  Parents need to be involved with their children's lives and not some stranger.  </p>


Opposition to the proposed 2022 Model Policies

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My name is Alex, I am a transgender college student, and I vehemently oppose the 2022 Model Policies.

I grew up in an extremely transphobic environment. I was raised by parents who said queerphobic things and promoted queerphobic behavior constantly for 18 years straight, encouraging my brother to do the same. They put us in a church that aimed to make me just like them: full of hate without reason, unable to diffuse the love modeled in the texts they devoured. They sent me to a similarly queerphobic school: this school expelled gay people and others who did not abide by their “Christian” parameters. There was one person in my grade who appeared queer but was not allowed to be out. Everyone hated them. I did not consider it an option, as one of the highest achievers of my grade, to be so hated. I yielded to falling into a hated class as I advocated against the white supremacy of my area, but only at the end of my 13 years there, and not for something as despised as queerness.

Being hated and only shown hate for 18 years of my life is something that I had to unlearn very quickly and by myself. Beginning that process in high school was nearly impossible, but through media resources, I was able to learn about what other people were doing and emulate them.

The day I went to college was the first time that I was put in an environment where I wasn’t put down every second of the day. I saw what it was like to encourage wellbeing over culture, identity over “submission to God.” As I lived in this environment, I could finally do more than just survive. It was during this time that I began to realize that I didn’t have to perform the gender that was assigned to me; I could drop that mask and finally try to figure out who I was. As I experimented with names and pronouns, I was in disbelief as to how professors, my friends, and other faculty could just adapt so quickly. I learned about the people at my college who have fought for me before they even knew me and the policies they put in place to let me finally escape the fury of my childhood and beginning of adulthood. Every day I am beyond grateful that my university is one that abides by the premise that everyone, regardless of background and identity, deserves everything my school can provide.

The 2022 Model Policies are wrong. They promote the abuse I suffered and from which I continue to suffer. If I had had the same opportunities in high school as I now have, I could have begun to heal and cope with my transphobic family way sooner and been able to enter college focused only on the difficulties of college life, not coming out halfway through college and having to figure out how to function at an expensive university and afford basic life necessities without meaningful and/or unconditional support. These policies actively undo all of the hope I have been precariously building for a future where being trans is normal.

Telling someone that their parents decide their gender identity is like telling someone that their parents intellectually decide their eye color. It is completely and wholly false and misguided. I know from personal experience: when my parents found out about my trans identity in middle school, they decided I wasn’t trans and sent me to conversion therapy. The only thing that did was make me live in fear, hate my parents, and hate myself. Now, six years later, as an out trans student, I am a perfect example of how my parents don’t decide their child’s identity. My parents fought me so hard for so long, making me fight myself for so long, but my identity wasn’t up to them or even up to me. Being trans is simply how I was made.

So much of being trans is dependent upon your perception of yourself within your society and communities. I am at a stage of my life where I have to determine whether a group will make me fight for myself before entering. I am emotionally too exhausted and drained to fight every battle I face right now. But that doesn't matter anymore. I have to fight for wider societal change. Cis people: imagine a world where every time you enter a room you fear that someone will call you the wrong name. And not just the wrong name, but one that was weaponized against you to keep you fearfully submissive. Imagine a world where every time you enter a conversation, you fear that someone will refer to you incorrectly. And not just incorrectly, but using language that your mother and father used to control you and strip you of yourself. That fear is unmanageable. So when we look at statistics surrounding trans mental health, they are devastating. However, in aligning with my personal experiences, they make perfect logical sense.

I know that we can’t change society so that every person does not hate who I am. I know that I will never live in a world where I feel completely safe, even after the 2021 Model Policies. As a student at a private high school, I didn’t get to experience the renewal of 2021, and that is something I will have to work through for the rest of my existence. But why do you want to backtrack? In implementing the 2022 Policies, I am seeing that you want to cause thousands of children across America to absolutely suffer, some even to the point of death. I am seeing that you have no regard for morality, for life, for science, for thriving, for education, for future, for intellect, for rationality. I am not seeing you adhere to love, to joy, to peace, to patience, to kindness, to goodness, to faithfulness, to gentleness, to self-control. I only see the desire to strip people of their humanity. I only see the desire to rule by fear. I only see neglect of human life.

For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


Opposed

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<p>I strongly oppose this motion as it will result in the continued marginalization and discrimination of trans and non-binary youth. Children should feel protected and able to learn while they are at school, not worrying about basic rights of where to use the bathroom. Mental health support is at all time low and this measure will continue to push youth towards unsafe situations with inappropriate coping. Please do not pass this motion for the sake of these children. </p>


Strongly support

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<p>Thank you for standing up for kids and what is best for them. I strongly support parents being involved in any decisions their MINOR children are making. </p>


Trans rights are human rights!

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i strongly oppose this policy!!!


Glenn Youngkin is a bitch ass hoe ??

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Its not criminal to be an individual ?


strongly support Youngkin

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Thank you Governor Youngkin 1000%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These issues will be resolved through love not by marginalizing parents, the bedrock and most foundational figures in a child's life.


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Strongly support Gov. Younkin’s policies!