Oppose

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"I strongly and passionately OPPOSE the proposed policies. It hurts absolutely nobody for teachers to be allowed to use whatever pronouns or name a student may feel is more affirming to that student. There is no logical or evidence-based reason to prevent teachers from being compassionate and considerate of the children they teach and what makes those children feel more comfortable in the classroom. The quality of information retention achieved by each student is impacted by their ability to feel comfortable and confident within the classroom setting. If you take away  things like affirming pronouns and names or nicknames you are actively ignoring the needs of the children that the school system is supposed to be uplifting and serving. My entire life every teacher I ever had asked you what name or nickname you go by on the first day of school. They do this to get to know their students and make them feel comfortable in the classroom. There is no reason to prohibit this practice. It's ridiculous. Also, by requiring teachers to report the gender-expressions of their students to their parents, this policy will directly threaten the safety of the students the school district is supposed to be protecting. Not all parents are welcoming and accepting of their children's right to express their gender however the hell they wish. It is not the state or the parents' right to tell a child how they ought to dress or act if the actions of the child do not harm anyone or anything. Choosing to wear clothing, nail polish, hair styles, or any other outward expression of gender identity does not harm a soul. It is truly outrageous that the state would seek to restrict the personal rights of literal children when the actions of these children hard NOBODY."}">I strongly and passionately OPPOSE the proposed policies. It hurts absolutely nobody for teachers to be allowed to use whatever pronouns or name a student may feel is more affirming to that student. There is no logical or evidence-based reason to prevent teachers from being compassionate and considerate of the children they teach and what makes those children feel more comfortable in the classroom. The quality of information retention achieved by each student is impacted by their ability to feel comfortable and confident within the classroom setting. If you take away things like affirming pronouns and names or nicknames you are actively ignoring the needs of the children that the school system is supposed to be uplifting and serving. My entire life every teacher I ever had asked you what name or nickname you go by on the first day of school. They do this to get to know their students and make them feel comfortable in the classroom. There is no reason to prohibit this practice. It's ridiculous. Also, by requiring teachers to report the gender-expressions of their students to their parents, this policy will directly threaten the safety of the students the school district is supposed to be protecting. Not all parents are welcoming and accepting of their children's right to express their gender however the hell they wish. It is not the state or the parents' right to tell a child how they ought to dress or act if the actions of the child do not harm anyone or anything. Choosing to wear clothing, nail polish, hair styles, or any other outward expression of gender identity does not harm a soul. It is truly outrageous that the state would seek to restrict the personal rights of literal children when the actions of these children hard NOBODY.


Support! Girls DESERVE TO BE VALUED  PROTECTED & SAFE

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Support 2022 Policy!

Girls DESERVE TO BE VALUED PROTECTED & SAFE!


Oppose

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"I OPPOSE the guidance. I have seen firsthand the damages that transphobia has on individuals, and it is crucial to create a safe environment in school because that may be the only safe space for trans students. If these policies take effect, then trans students will be exposed to more discrimination, further isolating them from the rest of their community. Something as stressful/damaging as that should never be experienced by anyone, especially not children."}'>I OPPOSE the guidance. I have seen firsthand the damages that transphobia has on individuals, and it is crucial to create a safe environment in school because that may be the only safe space for trans students. If these policies take effect, then trans students will be exposed to more discrimination, further isolating them from the rest of their community. Something as stressful/damaging as that should never be experienced by anyone, especially not children.


The Muslim Community 100% Supports- please read and help governor.

For some of our daughters and women in our Muslim community, wearing a hijab is the core culture and a strict religious practice. Our daughters have been observing this for modesty and privacy, and they do not feel safe changing their clothes in the presence of biological males, since they remove their hijab only in the presence of other females.We demand segregated washrooms, change rooms and field trip accommodation for biological males and females use be clearly written in details in the Code of Conduct and strictly implemented to ensure safety for all school students. Our daughters must not only be safe but feel physically, emotionally, and morally safe when they use washrooms, change rooms and field trip accommodation

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For some of our daughters and women in our Muslim community, wearing a hijab is the core culture and a strict religious practice. Our daughters have been observing this for modesty and privacy, and they do not feel safe changing their clothes in the presence of biological males, since they remove their hijab only in the presence of other females.
We demand segregated washrooms, change rooms and field trip accommodation for biological males and females use be clearly written in details in the Code of Conduct and strictly implemented to ensure safety for all school students. Our daughters must not only be safe but feel physically, emotionally, and morally safe when they use washrooms, change rooms and field trip accommodation


Oppose

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I strongly OPPOSE the guidance.


Transphobic, hypocritical, and hateful policies. OPPOSE!!!!!

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Don’t tell us how much you love all babies, then tell us how much you hate gay people as these policies imply.

Stop trying to use coercion to steer us back to your hypocritical sense of “Christianity.”

You ran on lies and deception. Pray for your soul. You are the worst governor ever!

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward." Matthew 6: 5


SUPPORT! Where are the Feminists advocating for WOMEN & GIRLS? Shame On YOU!

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<p>Support 100% the 2022 policy! </p>


Strongly support Parents' rights!

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Thanks Governor Youngkin for this new Model policies to protect Parental rights and the children.


OPPOSE!! OPPOSE!! OPPOSE!!!!

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Youngkin said during a recent interview: “We must have parents at the front of the line — not at the exclusion of a trusted teacher or counselor — but parents must be the first stop for these decisions.”

How shortsighted of you! Not all of us are so dumb to fall for this.

While this might work if the parents are loving and supportive,  but what if they aren’t? Then what? You may end up with blood on your hands.

What basis do you have to overrule all of the major psychological associations that have designed standards of care for trans minors over the last several decades?


Trans Students Deserve To Be Respected and Valued

I OPPOSE this guidance. Trans students deserve the same access and respect in public schools as any other student does. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Any measure that seeks to limit a student's ability to express their identity or feel safe in spaces that are meant to foster their curiosity and learning are measures that harm that student and do not align with Virginians' hopes and dreams for their children's education.I OPPOSE THIS GUIDANCE.

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"I OPPOSE this guidance. Trans students deserve the same access and respect in public schools as any other student does. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Any measure that seeks to limit a student's ability to express their identity or feel safe in spaces that are meant to foster their curiosity and learning are measures that harm that student and do not align with Virginians' hopes and dreams for their children's education.\nI OPPOSE THIS GUIDANCE."}">I OPPOSE this guidance. Trans students deserve the same access and respect in public schools as any other student does. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Any measure that seeks to limit a student's ability to express their identity or feel safe in spaces that are meant to foster their curiosity and learning are measures that harm that student and do not align with Virginians' hopes and dreams for their children's education.
I OPPOSE THIS GUIDANCE.


I support the Governor

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Its time to stop indoctrinating our children and taking rights away from parents. Parents are created by creating children. The school system does not create them and assign them to a couple, the couple sends them to school to learn. Taking away parents rights to object, or deny things is unacceptable. Forcing young ladies to be in a position where boys can and would walk into the bathroom with them, or potentially sexually assault as has happened with such policies, is NOT ACCEPTABLE! One group of kids who may or may not know what they are does have the right to usurp others freedoms and rights for their own.

I further add that the Department of Education needs a SERIOUS cleaning of house regarding management and operation. Its time to end this ridiculous nonsense and start teaching children what they actually need to know instead of catering to whims, political ideology, liberalist nonsense or flat out indoctrination.

I support the governor in this common sense approach to ending this madness.


Oppose


Support the true dignity of the human person!

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

As an individual working in the field of education for over 48 years, I am aware of the delicate balance educators must strive to achieve while working with a diverse group of children and parents. Frankly, I find this challenge one of the more beautiful and rewarding aspects of my job as an educator!

Unfortunately, our education system is in turmoil. We seem to have lost a vision of the meaning and purpose of education. We have failed our children. We have failed our families. We have failed our country.

The reasons for the failure are many, but I will mention just a few.

The focus of education has turned to the interests of the adults--the system is corrupt! The system has become about money, (ask any good teacher how they feel about adapting to (yet again) the "New (fill in the blank) Program" when the one they have been using successfully is tossed to the side for a program with unmeasured/proven outcomes.  It is about money--some entity gains from the change, and it is NOT THE CHILDREN.

Political power and the ideological components of retaining power have invaded the system. Although not new commodities in education, the reckless disregard for the interests of the students and their families has become heinous.

The education options currently afforded parents are woefully lacking and the majority of those options seem to articulate a disturbing belief that it is the role of the teacher to endow self-esteem and a sense of worth to the student via an education process! The public education system is particularly guilty of this falsehood and embraces willful ignorance or deliberate perversion of the true dignity of the human person.

I support the 2022 Model because we have failed our children, we have failed our families, and we failed our country. The Policy is a first step in articulating what should be the goal of every adult entrusted with the education of another human person.


This is simple: Male, Female, Transgender

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Stop making this difficult. There should be 3 options. Just as we have "family" restrooms for baby changing areas; Just as they have "faculty" restrooms for faculty. There should be a (1) Male Restroom for males (2) Female restroom for females (3) Transgender restroom for Transgenders.

It's not that hard.... protect the rights of ALL students. Everyone should be comfortable in their designated spaces.


Quit forcing “Christian” nationalism on all of us!!!!!!!!

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From WAPO:

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


A Virginia Mother opposed to the new school guidelines for trans kids

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"As a mother to two current Virginia public school students, and a proud life long friend of trans people, I oppose Governor Youngkin’s proposed changes to school guidelines for trans youth. Trans children are an extremely vulnerable population and school needs to be a safe space for them. The proposed changes are transphobic and cruel. We can do better for all of our children. Please keep trans kids safe and do not make these changes."}'>As a mother to two current Virginia public school students, and a proud life long friend of trans people, I oppose Governor Youngkin’s proposed changes to school guidelines for trans youth. Trans children are an extremely vulnerable population and school needs to be a safe space for them. The proposed changes are transphobic and cruel. We can do better for all of our children. Please keep trans kids safe and do not make these changes.


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Make Girl's Sports, Bathrooms & Locker Rooms safe again! #MeToo

I fully support Governor Youngkin's policy as a mom of 3 in Chesterfield County, Virginia!


The Hispanic community whole heartedly supports keeping children safe and this policy

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On behalf of the Hispanic community, i would like to thank you for stepping up to make our children safer in schools. Girls should not have to compete against boys in sports and they should certainly have the right to privacy in bathrooms and locker rooms without males present.


Oppose

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"I oppose Youngkin’s Student Policy. My cousin committed suicide years ago over being ridiculed and not supported over their transition. It still breaks my heart and I can’t believe we aren’t growing and loving people more. This shouldn’t necessarily be whether you agree, it’s about support. You don’t need to agree to support another individual. I have children and I am raising them to love and support. Our individuality, and how we embrace it, should be left to only ourselves. We should never have the choice to take away from another person."}'>I oppose Youngkin’s Student Policy. My cousin committed suicide years ago over being ridiculed and not supported over their transition. It still breaks my heart and I can’t believe we aren’t growing and loving people more. This shouldn’t necessarily be whether you agree, it’s about support. You don’t need to agree to support another individual. I have children and I am raising them to love and support. Our individuality, and how we embrace it, should be left to only ourselves. We should never have the choice to take away from another person.


Transgender rights are human rights! Shameful, disgraceful governor!!

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Republicans continue to strip away basic freedoms, and this is just another example. Think beyond white, “Christian” men, and find some compassion for all. These are bullying and hateful policies that are a disgrace to a large amount of Virginians. Cannot wait until you are out of office, and there is a return to basic human decency!

I was taught that we were all made in the image and likeness of God.

p.s. Quit campaigning for election deniers!


Oppose

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"I oppose the guidance and want the VDOE to reject the draft policy set by Governor Youngkin. Transgender affirming school policy can mean everything to a student who is growing into themselves. A student feeling safe and completely themselves in school is what allows true, focused learning to happen. Requiring parental confirmation of their child's preferred pronouns/names will disadvantage students who do not have good rapport with one or both parents."}">I oppose the guidance and want the VDOE to reject the draft policy set by Governor Youngkin. Transgender affirming school policy can mean everything to a student who is growing into themselves. A student feeling safe and completely themselves in school is what allows true, focused learning to happen. Requiring parental confirmation of their child's preferred pronouns/names will disadvantage students who do not have good rapport with one or both parents.


I oppose this policy

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<p>This policy is going backward in basic rights for all individuals. I strongly oppose these anti-trans policies and hope all these comments will show the support we should have for all trans individuals. </p>


SUPPORT So Girls aren't severely injured in sports like Volleyball  #ProtectGirlsRights

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SUPPORT!!!  So Girls aren't severely injured in sports like Volleyball, Softball, Tennis, etc #ProtectGirlsRights

Thank you Governor Youngkin!


politicians aren't geneticists or doctors

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Politicians, in this case Republicans, are simply instilling fear, hatred, discrimination while they pander for votes. They are using other human beings and family units/variations in family units,  as their bait. Disgusting. Politicians are not geneticists, research doctors, DNA/RNA/chromosomal specialists, nor are they qualified to assign gender on a birth certificate. There are instances when the external genitalia of a newborn is not conslusive regarding gender, nor is there a method to determine internal gender-related organs, i.e., ovaries or testicles, or sometimes both. This policy proposal is the most hate-driven, discriminatory proposal ever. It should be dismissed, withdrawn.


Virginia is for haters with these policies!

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This is not about bathroom rights. It’s about human rights!

These policies take away the freedoms of transgendered children, while stoking the flames of transphobia. We are not all Christian nationalists. Quit forcing your shortsighted,  bigoted policies on all of us. You are a disgrace- the worst governor ever. The only freedoms you care about are those of straight, white, “Christian” men!


Make bathrooms safe again

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I support this policy and anyone that doesn't is a moron.


I oppose this guidance which is harmful to Trans students

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<p>Every parent and citizen hope laws will ensure all children’s safety, protection, and freedom. But the Virginia Department of Education is rejecting those values and advancing a policy that would target trans and nonbinary kids for bullying and mistreatment just because of who they are. As a former educator with over 20 years in the classroom, I witnessed the damage and toll that bullying and mistreatment by students' peers took on them. I can't tell you how many conversations I would have with open or closeted trans and non-binary students over the years about how they unsafe they felt at times and how hurt they were by cruel comments by peers and other staff. It is the VDOE's job to provide a safe learning environment for all students that included our trans and nonbinary students. I strongly oppose the current guidance and expect the Commonwealth & the DOE to provide safe schools, protection, and freedom for all students with equality. </p>


Long term concerns

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These dangerous and discriminatory policies will pose risks not only for students within the VDOE systems but also to the staff and systems already struggling to provide adequate services to these students. Mental health, medicine and the legal system will also be negatively effected if these policies take effect.


Transgender Rights are Human Rights

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<p>As a person of Faith and former educator I believe transgender students need to be protected from being bullied.  They have the right to use the pronouns of their choice and the bathrooms of their chosen gender.  </p>


OPPOSE on the basis of parent and educator rights

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I write not only with concern for the mental health and physical safety of Virginia’s gender-expansive youth, but with concern that the newly revised proposed model policies are self-contradictory and infringe upon rights of parents, educators, and local education agencies. Primarily, parents and educators should not be restricted in their right to refer to students as they see fit. There is no more cause to require educators refer to children by their legally given name and pronouns than there is to require them to refer to children by their preferred names and pronouns. Should you wish to move away from the 2021 policies for the reasons of parental right and personal choice, I believe it most appropriate to give each parent, educator, and school board the right to make their own choices regarding the treatment of transgender students. I address my concerns point-by-point:

V.C: Virginia Board of Education policy is contradictory in supporting calling children by their preferred nickname but not preferred pronouns, as both are a matter of the child’s wishes regarding how they want to be identified. Though religious freedom is cited as a reason not to call children by their requested names and pronouns, it is not apparent what religious texts specify that use of preferred pronouns is a violation religious tenant. I am Christian and know of no passage in the Bible that forbids me from referring to an individual using their pronouns of choice.

V.E: Please note that your changes to the 2021 Model Policies are in response to “over 9,000 comments received.” Please note that as of the time I write this response, you have received over 63,000 comments on your proposed policies.

V.F.1: Requiring a local school board to adopt policies consistent with the proposed 2022 Model Policies is a violation of the rights of parents and local education agencies who wish for their schools to be supportive of gender-expensive youth and aligned with recommendations for best practice based on research and guidance from experts on child health and education.

V.F.3: There is concern that complying with these proposed policies will put school boards out of compliance with federal law including protections under Title IX.

VI.A.2: Implementation of these policies puts transgender students at risk of discrimination and unequal protections due to likelihood of increased bullying, increased mental health concerns which may impact their ability to learn, exclusion from educational activities such as athletic teams, and discrimination in use of school facilities such as restrooms and locker rooms.

VI.A.5: To the best of my understanding, parents have a right to register their children as the sex or gender which they believe best describes their child. In Virginia, though a birth certificate is required for initial enrollment in school in most cases, a written statement explaining why a certified copy of the record is not available suffices as a substitute. I believe this provision should extend to parents who cannot use a birth certificate to document their child’s currently identified gender.

VI. A.20-21: Given the documented information that schools violate educators’ rights by requiring them to address students by their chosen names and pronouns, the same logic indicates that schools violate educators’ rights by requiring them to address students by their birth names and natal pronouns. Educators should therefore have the right to refer to children by their preferred names and pronouns should they so choose, and the state of Virginia should not infringe upon this right.

VI.A.22: As separation of sports teams by sex is not a settled matter, given differing opinions across state education agencies, professional and competitive sports organizations, schools should have the right to separate their sports teams on the basis of gender rather than sex should they choose to do so, or to permit students to join teams that are designated for members of the opposite sex if that is the student and/or parent’s preference.

Appendix 1.II.C: The requirement that students’ parents must submit their request in writing is an undue burden on parents who may be limited in their literacy. Written or verbal consent should suffice, and should not require official or legal documentation.

Appendix 1.II.D.2: It is not atypical for children prefer a nickname that is not commonly associated with their legal name. Children should be free to ask teachers call them by any name they use to identify so long as this name is not disruptive to the educational environment. If necessary, parents may confirm the child’s wish to be identified by this name verbally or in writing. To require children be called by the name in their official record or nicknames commonly associated with that name is a violation of parents’ right to make decisions concerning their children’s education and upbringing in accordance with their customs, faith, and family culture.

Appendix 1.II.D.3: At the request of parents or eligible students, schools should be asked to refer to students using the pronouns requested by the parent or student regardless of whether this aligns with the official record. To determine otherwise is a violation of parents’ rights to make decisions concerning their children’s education and upbringing in accordance with their customs, faith, and family culture.

Appendix 1.II.D.4: This goes against the guidance of professional medical and psychological authorities and is detrimental to the health and wellbeing of students. It has the likelihood to increase rates of child depression and suicide. I ask that you please review the policies and position statements offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Policy Statement: Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents), The American Psychological Association (Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Students in Schools: Key Recommendations for School Administrators), Society for Research in Child Development (Statement of the Evidence: Gender-Affirming Policies Support Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth’s Health), National Association of Secondary School Principals (Position Statement: Transgender Students), and the National Association of School Psychologists (Position Statement: Safe and Supportive Schools for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth).

Appendix 1.II.D.6: As a Virginia educator and mental health practitioner, complying with the proposed Virginia Board of Education policies would be violating my rights of free speech, my religious and moral beliefs to treat people with respect and dignity, and my ethical obligations to protect students’ mental health and advocate for LGBTQ students’ rights. I ask for provisions that allow educators who believe it necessary to abide by gender-affirming practices to do so.

Appendix 1.II.D.7: Health practitioners in schools including counselors, psychologists, social workers, and nurses are required by their ethical codes to keep student information confidential, including from parents, unless the child is being abused or at risk of bodily injury to themselves or others. Virginia Board of Education policies should not infringe upon these ethical requirements.

Appendix 1.II.G-H: Local education agencies should have the rights to determine how to segregate their activities and accommodations.

Thank you sincerely for your consideration in this critical matter.


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SUPPORT - #WomensRights to be safe in sports, bathrooms & locker rooms

Thank you for keeping Women & girls safety first and foremost!!


Governor you won the election to clean up this school insanity. Please don’t let us down.


As a parent and a gay man; i support this policy

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Parents know best. Always and forever. I wouldn't trust my childrn's upbringing with random strangers at school.


I support Governonr Youngkin's policy

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I am 100% behind the Governor's policy on this issue.  As a parent, I do not want my parental rights removed.


And how many straight kids have been guilty of sex crimes?


This is a first world issue. Academics first!

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Support Gov. Youngkin. With today’s release of scores pertaining to math and reading we need to focus on those areas before trying to deal with a mental health issue these children have. It is a normal part of childhood and most realize later on that they are not that way.
Hate to break it to you but the kids will still get bullied by their peers. Just how kids are. No matter what “rules” are in place against bullying. The rest of the state isn’t northern Virginia.  “Being Trans” is a buzz phrase. Watched my brother go through this phase. Now he is happily married to a woman and glad he still has his parts in place. My daughter doesn’t feel comfortable with a boy in her bathroom at school. When she was in middle school one of her best friends was “trans”. Well we’ll well. 3 years later…not so much. These are simply kids that want to be outcasts and different for acceptance. Unfortunately it backfires. These are first world issues that have led to the collapse of all great societies. Letting children make a choice they don’t understand leads to madness like this.


OPPOSE - Stop gaslighting the public by lying about the intentions of your proposed document changes

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<p>This is not for the rights of parents, this is for the rights of a small group of parents to control everyone through fear mongering. This will not protect children in anyway but support abusive treatment of children. We cannot control home lives, we cannot see what happens to a child in their home, and we are taking away the only channel for a child to express their identity and discover mistreatment at home. The phycological damage that would incur upon the student body because of these changes is an outright violation and not in anyway supported by the Fourteenth Amendment. By the logic supporting these changes a parent should be able to strike their child and send them to school with bruises and the school should do nothing but tell the parent that they were told of them instead of being reported to VDSS. Any parent that supports this change outright supports the abuse of a child and is enabling the continued abuse of a group of children who already have very limited rights to seek support and protection.   </p>


Loudoun County- Judge finds transgender teen guilty of Loudoun County bathroom sexual assaults

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Shame on Loudoun County School Board


As a Catholic I Oppose

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<p>I oppose. Stop the hate agenda and push God's message of love. Jesus is in each of us, treat everyone fairly without bias. </p>


This is a terrible policy decision.

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This is a terrible policy decision.


Oppose

I OPPOSE this policy.I have had the distinct pleasure of having friends and clients alike who identify under the trans and non-binary umbrella. Something as simple as being able to use the bathroom aligned with their identity can be the difference between life and death and yes I'm talking suicide prevention. It is 2022. I do not understand why we still care who uses what bathroom and who has access to what form of healthcare. The U.S. is founded upon freedom. What you are proposing is that some people are worthy of freedom and others are not based upon your opinion of their humanity and validity. Do better. Give them the freedom we all deserve as citizens of this nation. Let Virginia be a leader in valuing human life and freedoms that other states and the nation overall can follow instead of an example of classifying human freedoms based on identity memberships.

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"I OPPOSE this policy.\n\nI have had the distinct pleasure of having friends and clients alike who identify under the trans and non-binary umbrella. Something as simple as being able to use the bathroom aligned with their identity can be the difference between life and death and yes I'm talking suicide prevention. It is 2022. I do not understand why we still care who uses what bathroom and who has access to what form of healthcare. The U.S. is founded upon freedom. What you are proposing is that some people are worthy of freedom and others are not based upon your opinion of their humanity and validity. Do better. Give them the freedom we all deserve as citizens of this nation. Let Virginia be a leader in valuing human life and freedoms that other states and the nation overall can follow instead of an example of classifying human freedoms based on identity memberships."}">I OPPOSE this policy.

I have had the distinct pleasure of having friends and clients alike who identify under the trans and non-binary umbrella. Something as simple as being able to use the bathroom aligned with their identity can be the difference between life and death and yes I'm talking suicide prevention. It is 2022. I do not understand why we still care who uses what bathroom and who has access to what form of healthcare. The U.S. is founded upon freedom. What you are proposing is that some people are worthy of freedom and others are not based upon your opinion of their humanity and validity. Do better. Give them the freedom we all deserve as citizens of this nation. Let Virginia be a leader in valuing human life and freedoms that other states and the nation overall can follow instead of an example of classifying human freedoms based on identity memberships.


I Don't Like

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Chief Keef and Lil Reese would disapprove.  they made a song about this


Oppose

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<p>As a parent of three children in Fairfax County Public Schools, I am strongly opposed to the proposed guidance. Our children need to know that school is a safe space - this includes transgender students. The vile lies about transgender students and their families are making divisions in our commonwealth that are not needed. As policy makers and policy implementors, we should listen to the experts in this area - and that includes the medical community - all which believe this proposal is the wrong proposal for students, including transgender students. This proposal will hurt children, families, education staff and communities. If it is put in place, I hope school districts do not implement it. </p>


Oppose

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<p>Trans youth aren't causing harm to anyone, but treating them as less than human is causing irreparable harm to them. There is a reason our LGBTQ+ community has higher rates of suicide and it's directly related to the unnecessary fear and hatred they face. You stated previously that you are governor for all people which includes the Trans community and their families. Just because you don't understand them, doesn't mean they don't have value. If we're kicking Trans youth out of bathrooms and locker rooms, does that mean gay children are next? What about bisexual people? Where will we put them? No one, and I mean NO ONE, comes put as Trans to harm another soul or get ahead in anything. They are constantly put down and discriminated against which is a huge disadvantage in life. Even if you don't understand or accept them, they are still deserving of love. </p>


I support Governor Youngkin.

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<p>I strong disagree with girls or boys in the opposite genders bathroom or locker room.  The human brain is not developed until the age of 25, so how can a child make a rational decision to be the opposite gender their were born with.  It appears that adults are pushing gender  re assignment on the children.  This has only been a so called issue in the last few years.  Let the children be children! </p>


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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<p>I am a cis white mother of two children in Virginia public schools. I want our public schools to support all students.  The proposal sets us back and doesn't appropriately support LBGTQ+ youth.  </p>


Strongly Disagree

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This is the type of document that is written over and over again to justify delaying social progress.  In the 1900s, it would have been written to justify denying education to women.  In the 1960s it would have been written to justify segregation in schools.  Please stop weaponizing your religious to beat the heck out of Virginia's transgender youth who just want to get an education in a safe environment.  Support our transgender youth.  Let them be themselves and take your fear and hate out on someone else.  Don't teach our kids to be afraid of change and hate each other.

Pause for a moment and think about how you want your grandchildren to view you.  Do you want them to see you as someone who held Virginia back?  Someone who would have denied education to women?  Who would have rallied on behalf of segregation?  Who took away support and safety from transgender youth?  Or will they see you as someone who helped Virginia move forward in help and support for all our youth?


I STRONGLY OPPOSE THIS “Guidance"

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<p>I am a lifelong Virginian, a mother and a grandmother of two teenagers. I disagree with this newer “guidance” as I feel that it would prevent students from having a safe haven in an understanding teacher or other adult if they could not obtain support from their parent(s). In an ideal situation, a child would be able to look to their parents for support and wise guidance. Unfortunately, we know that in so many cases today, that is not the actual situation. The prior guidance on this issue was based upon FACTS (and not the ALTERNATIVE “facts” we heard about under our prior President.) This “guidance” is certainly not fact-based. I see this “guidance” as merely a political tactic, and like so much of politics, is misguided and does NOT have the best interest of the overall populace at heart. I hope that our elected legislators will call this out for the misguided effort it is. Thank you. </p>


Oppose the Governor's lack of support for trans students

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<p>I oppose our governor's guidance document regarding trans students.    I have lived next door to a young person transitioning and witnessed the challenges of this person even with very supportive parents and school.  I'm a clinical social worker with some clients who are trans, and I hear about their challenges and issues with self-acceptance during confusing and lonely times.  Why put obstacles in the paths of people who have been dealt a hand that most of us would find very hard to play. We need policies that support the health and well being of all students. The lack of empathy of some law makers is hard to understand.  I'm sorry some feel threatened by something they know little about, a huge problem in our society right now.  </p>


Maintain existing arrangement

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I oppose any changes to the existing arrangement currently in place. Making these changes appears to serve no purpose to benefiting Virginians at large and instead to appease benefactors and other outside sources.


Parental rights should be protected

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Parents have the right to know what their children learn at schools, and decide if they agree or disagree with that content. It's very important to protect that.


School Policy

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Parents are responsible for their children until they become adults (meaning until they completely support themselves).  It is the top and most important issue for the human being and focused on leading and guiding the child toward a useful adulthood.  Bottom line the parent is responsible for all aspects of the child’s life.  School teachers are responsible only to educate the child.  Social issues should be dealt with only in the presences of the parents.  All educational materials should be open for viewing by all concerned and deviations should be dealt with fast and firmly.


VERY STRONGLY OPPOSE


You are the best governor ever. Thank you Governor Youngkin!

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Thank you for putting our children first!


Oppose

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Schools should be a place where all of Virginia's students can learn and grow in a safe and welcoming environment. This proposal needs to be rescinded for the good of students, parent, our communities, our State, and our Nation.


Opposed due to removal of my parental rights

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This law actually limits my ability to support my children through requiring such a burden of requires documents as to much it impossible to make decisions for my children on this issue. Using "parental rights" as a reason for this policy is wholely inaccurate and in practice will actually create a hostile environment that is anathema to the wellbeing of children with supportive parents.


Retired Navy Commodore supports Trans rights and all students—the future of our country

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So disappointed in the State leadership and the direction Gov Younkin is taking our state.  Equality and fairness is the foundation of our country.  Don’t set us back decades with this short-sighted policy that panders to the evangelical minority.

I spent my 28 year career fighting for your freedoms, including that of my Sailors and Marines, and support all of our citizens, regardless of their gender identification or sexual orientation.

Please stop selling out and selling Virginia’s future along with your poor choices, Governor.   The vocal bigoted evangelical minority may be with you; but the rest of us are not.


Protect Trans Kids

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<p>Trans youth deserve respect and privacy. Is it not required that the school protect students? If a trans child is outed to their parent or guardian, there is a substantial possibility that the child will be harmed or abused by said adults. This would mean the school is actively harming the child. So no, this policy does nothing to help children, schools, or education of any kind. It's just wholesale cruelty.  </p>


Bringing VA back from the precipice

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Thank you, Gov Youngkin, for being a serious and good leader of the Commonwealth!


NO TO BOYS IN LITTLE GIRL'S BATHROOMS YOU PERVERTS

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Leave the children alone. Stop pushing your pervert agendas onto little children. Liberals are truly disgraceful human beings.


Trans kids

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<p>Protect trans kids!!!! ? </p>


Strongly Support the Governor policy

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<p>I support the Governor's policy. </p>


STRONGLY SUPPORT - Stop grooming the children!

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

Parents know their children’s needs better than anyone. If children are struggling with gender dysphoria, they need guidance and emotional support from parents. Under the new policies, school officials must keep parents fully informed, and require schools to enforce laws, regulations and policies that prohibit and deter bullying or harassment.

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

Students should use the bathrooms that correspond to their sex. Single-user bathrooms and facilities should be made available in accessible areas and provided with appropriate signage, indicating accessibility for all students.


I support Youngkin’s policy!

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<p>Thank you Governor Youngkin! </p>


OPPOSE

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"I OPPOSE the guidance Youngkin's team is bringing to the VDOE. OUTING CHILDREN IS DANGEROUS. Only 7.1% of Americans are LGBT (source: Gallup) but a whopping 28% of homeless youth are LGBT (source: Trevor Project). It is not uncommon for parents to kick their kids out for being LGBT, putting them in incredible danger. YOU are actively putting kids in danger if you adopt Youngkin's policy."}">I OPPOSE the guidance Youngkin's team is bringing to the VDOE. OUTING CHILDREN IS DANGEROUS. Only 7.1% of Americans are LGBT (source: Gallup) but a whopping 28% of homeless youth are LGBT (source: Trevor Project). It is not uncommon for parents to kick their kids out for being LGBT, putting them in incredible danger. YOU are actively putting kids in danger if you adopt Youngkin's policy.


I support parental rights

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I fully support the governor's policies that defend parental rights.


Insensitive and hostile

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I oppose the guidance. It creates undue circumstances to our defenseless children, puts them into adult consequences, subjects them to needless and demeaning adult review, and is misguided. Children need information and support at school.


I oppose this guideline

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Trans and non-binary students are at a higher risk of self harm, suicide, bullying, and homelessness than their cis-gendered peers. I previously worked as a counselor in elementary, middle, and high schools in Maryland where the age of consent for counseling without parental notice is now 12 years old. I had individuals as young as 10 who began to explore gender identity and were afraid of their parent's taking extreme measures if they would find out. The 2022 Model Policies claim they are increasing parental rights, but they are silencing the voices of trans and non-binary students. They are making it more difficult and political for students to have the same amount of respect as their cisgendered peers. This model policy assumes that all parents have their child's best interest in their hearts, but if that were the case then queer and trans youth's homelessness rate would not be so high. Adopting this policy is a step backwards for gender equality and I hope that you take the lives of our youth into consideration before doing even more harm."}">Trans and non-binary students are at a higher risk of self harm, suicide, bullying, and homelessness than their cis-gendered peers. I previously worked as a counselor in elementary, middle, and high schools in Maryland where the age of consent for counseling without parental notice is now 12 years old. I had individuals as young as 10 who began to explore gender identity and were afraid of their parent's taking extreme measures if they would find out. The 2022 Model Policies claim they are increasing parental rights, but they are silencing the voices of trans and non-binary students. They are making it more difficult and political for students to have the same amount of respect as their cisgendered peers. This model policy assumes that all parents have their child's best interest in their hearts, but if that were the case then queer and trans youth's homelessness rate would not be so high. Adopting this policy is a step backwards for gender equality and I hope that you take the lives of our youth into consideration before doing even more harm.


Oppose

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<p>I strongly oppose this terrible, backwards, oppressive bill. </p>


Oppose

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I OPPOSE the guidance. This is just more politics at the expense of vulnerable youths.


Be yourself but get the hell out of my daughter’s bathroom and locker room.

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Why do your rights have to impose on my rights?


OPPOSE

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<p>This is a horrible anti-human policy.  Youngkin should be ashamed of himself.  He is on the wrong side of history with this regressive policy.  </p>


NO! to Transphobic Draft Guidance

This judgmental, spiteful, transphobic "draft guidance" has no business being created by an agency founded for the betterment and education of ALL the young people of the COMMONwealth of Virginia, and paid for by ALL of the taxpaying citizens and parents of the COMMONwealth of Virginia.The only "disruptive and divisive influence" on education in Virginia today is its faux "governor" Glenn Trumpkin, who has ever before neither expressed interest in governing for the COMMON good nor held elective public office, who funds his own political campaigns from his own predatory and ill-gotten income, and who now clearly has revealed his own personal egoistic agenda of "higher office." The "work product" of this false prophet needs only to be rejected and discarded into the trash bin of regrettable history.

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"This judgmental, spiteful, transphobic \"draft guidance\" has no business being created by an agency founded for the betterment and education of ALL the young people of the COMMONwealth of Virginia, and paid for by ALL of the taxpaying citizens and parents of the COMMONwealth of Virginia.\n\nThe only \"disruptive and divisive influence\" on education in Virginia today is its faux \"governor\" Glenn Trumpkin, who has ever before neither expressed interest in governing for the COMMON good nor held elective public office, who funds his own political campaigns from his own predatory and ill-gotten income, and who now clearly has revealed his own personal egoistic agenda of \"higher office.\"  The \"work product\" of this false prophet needs only to be rejected and discarded into the trash bin of regrettable history."}'>This judgmental, spiteful, transphobic "draft guidance" has no business being created by an agency founded for the betterment and education of ALL the young people of the COMMONwealth of Virginia, and paid for by ALL of the taxpaying citizens and parents of the COMMONwealth of Virginia.

The only "disruptive and divisive influence" on education in Virginia today is its faux "governor" Glenn Trumpkin, who has ever before neither expressed interest in governing for the COMMON good nor held elective public office, who funds his own political campaigns from his own predatory and ill-gotten income, and who now clearly has revealed his own personal egoistic agenda of "higher office." The "work product" of this false prophet needs only to be rejected and discarded into the trash bin of regrettable history.


Rights of transgender students

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I oppose any bill that interferes with a student’s right to be whomever they choose.  I believe religion should be kept out of our schools and oppose any bill suggesting otherwise.


Oppose

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I strongly OPPOSE Govenor Youngkin’s proposed policies affecting trans and non-binary students.


Oppose

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"I am a psychologist working at George Mason University, and I oppose this proposed policy reversion. I have seen firsthand the harm done to trans and nonbinary youth who do not have gender affirming environments. These students do not seek to do harm to anyone else, are not sick, and are not driven to their identities by anyone else; they simply want to belong and express themselves. Freedom of self-expression is a fundamental American value, yet by denying them protections from bullying and harassment and forcing others to use names and pronouns that are not congruent with students' identities, we lead students to feelings of worthlessness that contribute to self-harm and suicide. This policy is based entirely on misinformation about trans and nonbinary people, and it actively does harm to children. While trans children and trans people have existed throughout human history, this policy treats them as dangerous and aims to bully them into gender conformity, despite the fact that forced gender conformity is associated with higher rates of self-harm and suicide. Forced gender conformity also denies students the freedom to learn, grow, and develop their strengths and the many ways they can contribute to society, instead forcing them instead to engage in constant warfare between their own desires and the expectations of others. This proposed policy change not only harms trans youth; it harms all of us who would benefit from the ways these youth can grow and contribute to our communities if we simply allow them to be themselves."}">I am a psychologist working at George Mason University, and I oppose this proposed policy reversion. I have seen firsthand the harm done to trans and nonbinary youth who do not have gender affirming environments. These students do not seek to do harm to anyone else, are not sick, and are not driven to their identities by anyone else; they simply want to belong and express themselves. Freedom of self-expression is a fundamental American value, yet by denying them protections from bullying and harassment and forcing others to use names and pronouns that are not congruent with students' identities, we lead students to feelings of worthlessness that contribute to self-harm and suicide. This policy is based entirely on misinformation about trans and nonbinary people, and it actively does harm to children. While trans children and trans people have existed throughout human history, this policy treats them as dangerous and aims to bully them into gender conformity, despite the fact that forced gender conformity is associated with higher rates of self-harm and suicide. Forced gender conformity also denies students the freedom to learn, grow, and develop their strengths and the many ways they can contribute to society, instead forcing them instead to engage in constant warfare between their own desires and the expectations of others. This proposed policy change not only harms trans youth; it harms all of us who would benefit from the ways these youth can grow and contribute to our communities if we simply allow them to be themselves.


Parent and ally

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"This hurts my heart, my child is no longer in school, but I feel for every parent and student out there that this will effect.  There are so many things wrong with these policies I don't know where to begin, so I will say this...if you make these changes I can tell you with 100% surety the suicide rates will increase, the anxiety and ability to even go to school will increase, the separation of students will be unmeasurable...I am a parent of a child that went through trying to be able to just go to the bathroom, exclusion and so much anxiety she ended up being homebound.  How can you say you are protecting a student when you are clearly putting the others in danger.  If you are concerned with students having to share bathrooms, I have one question...how many of the CIS students have had to be hospitalized because they are sharing a bathroom, have they been marginalized by sharing a bathroom, has it caused them gender dysphoria...or deep depression. Transgender students and adults fight this battle every day, pushed down and out because they are considered different.  School should be a place to learn, a place to learn about tolerance not ignorance.  Maybe our current administration would benefit from a little education, try to understand all people, judge less and know more."}">This hurts my heart, my child is no longer in school, but I feel for every parent and student out there that this will effect. There are so many things wrong with these policies I don't know where to begin, so I will say this...if you make these changes I can tell you with 100% surety the suicide rates will increase, the anxiety and ability to even go to school will increase, the separation of students will be unmeasurable...I am a parent of a child that went through trying to be able to just go to the bathroom, exclusion and so much anxiety she ended up being homebound. How can you say you are protecting a student when you are clearly putting the others in danger. If you are concerned with students having to share bathrooms, I have one question...how many of the CIS students have had to be hospitalized because they are sharing a bathroom, have they been marginalized by sharing a bathroom, has it caused them gender dysphoria...or deep depression. Transgender students and adults fight this battle every day, pushed down and out because they are considered different. School should be a place to learn, a place to learn about tolerance not ignorance. Maybe our current administration would benefit from a little education, try to understand all people, judge less and know more.


Parental rights in education

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Hello,

I want to say that I believe it is very important for parents to have full communication about what their kids are doing at school and full rights to decide if that is what they agree with. There should be no secrecy. Students are not ready for life on their own and making these serious decisions without parental guidance. It is also really important for parents and teens to maintain trust during these growing years That is critical to the students' safety and their lifelong healthy relationship with their parents.  I know there are families where there is conflict, of course. But even then, secrecy doesn't lead to any good place and perhaps this could be a time and opportunity for healing among family members as opposed to more division. I firmly was support the rights of parents to have full control over all decisions about their children until they reach the legal age of 18.


Oppose new Trans Policy

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"I have been a resident of the state of Virginia since 1981. I strongly oppose Governor Youngkin’s 2022 Anti-Transgender student policy and feel the policy creates a hostile & potentially dangerous school environment for a group of children. Targeting and excluding transgender students from participation in school programming, including athletics programs, alongside their peers is harmful to all students and undermines the learning environment for everyone. If schools mark some students effectively as outcasts, they foster an environment where no student is included and safe. \n \nI am the parent of a child with autism who attended Fairfax County Public School. I saw how kids who are “different” can be marginalized and mistreated. This anti-transgender policy creates a situation where the adults in the room (including teachers, coaches and administrators) are reduced in their role as protectors and guardians of children. This is dangerous and harmful to the children involved. \n \nMy faith and my experiences require me to advocate for the full inclusion and protection of transgender and non-binary youth, including access to extracurricular activities and school facilities, safe and inclusive school environments, accurate and inclusive curriculum, and gender-affirming school health services. \n"}'>I have been a resident of the state of Virginia since 1981. I strongly oppose Governor Youngkin’s 2022 Anti-Transgender student policy and feel the policy creates a hostile & potentially dangerous school environment for a group of children. Targeting and excluding transgender students from participation in school programming, including athletics programs, alongside their peers is harmful to all students and undermines the learning environment for everyone. If schools mark some students effectively as outcasts, they foster an environment where no student is included and safe.

I am the parent of a child with autism who attended Fairfax County Public School. I saw how kids who are “different” can be marginalized and mistreated. This anti-transgender policy creates a situation where the adults in the room (including teachers, coaches and administrators) are reduced in their role as protectors and guardians of children. This is dangerous and harmful to the children involved.

My faith and my experiences require me to advocate for the full inclusion and protection of transgender and non-binary youth, including access to extracurricular activities and school facilities, safe and inclusive school environments, accurate and inclusive curriculum, and gender-affirming school health services.


Oppose

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I OPPOSE these horrifying policies.


STRONGLY OPPOSE

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<p>STRONGLY OPPOSE </p>


Oppose

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This regressive policy is not the heart of Virginians. I love my transgendered siblings across this state, and would hate to see them suffer due to the ignorance of our government


Oppose

I oppose the guidance. I am nonbinary and my mother was a teacher in Virginia for 37 years. My girlfriend is a trans woman who is a middle school math teacher.I know how important it is to be able to be who you are in every space you inhabit. I also know that there are some places where it does not feel safe to share that you are trans and being in those spaces feels scary. With the proposed guidance, some transgender and nonbinary students would have to choose their own safety over sharing who they really are with their teachers for fear they would call home and out them to unsafe parents. Transgender and nonbinary youth are already at a high risk for depression and suicide, largely in part due to not feeling safe to be openly who they are. The proposed guidance would increase the number of places where they do not feel safe and we will likely lose children to suicide.Given my relationships to teachers, I also know how important it is for teachers to build strong relationships to students in order to effectively give them the education they deserve. If a student feels a teacher is a safe adult to share their gender identity with, the teacher also shouldn't be robbed of the opportunity to be that safe adult and foster a supportive relationship with that child.Let children have safe places to be themselves and learn and let teachers be safe adults for children who might not have safe adults at home.

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"I oppose the guidance. I am nonbinary and my mother was a teacher in Virginia for 37 years. My girlfriend is a trans woman who is a middle school math teacher.\nI know how important it is to be able to be who you are in every space you inhabit. I also know that there are some places where it does not feel safe to share that you are trans and being in those spaces feels scary. With the proposed guidance, some transgender and nonbinary students would have to choose their own safety over sharing who they really are with their teachers for fear they would call home and out them to unsafe parents. Transgender and nonbinary youth are already at a high risk for depression and suicide, largely in part due to not feeling safe to be openly who they are. The proposed guidance would increase the number of places where they do not feel safe and we will likely lose children to suicide.\nGiven my relationships to teachers, I also know how important it is for teachers to build strong relationships to students in order to effectively give them the education they deserve. If a student feels a teacher is a safe adult to share their gender identity with, the teacher also shouldn't be robbed of the opportunity to be that safe adult and foster a supportive relationship with that child.\nLet children have safe places to be themselves and learn and let teachers be safe adults for children who might not have safe adults at home."}">I oppose the guidance. I am nonbinary and my mother was a teacher in Virginia for 37 years. My girlfriend is a trans woman who is a middle school math teacher.
I know how important it is to be able to be who you are in every space you inhabit. I also know that there are some places where it does not feel safe to share that you are trans and being in those spaces feels scary. With the proposed guidance, some transgender and nonbinary students would have to choose their own safety over sharing who they really are with their teachers for fear they would call home and out them to unsafe parents. Transgender and nonbinary youth are already at a high risk for depression and suicide, largely in part due to not feeling safe to be openly who they are. The proposed guidance would increase the number of places where they do not feel safe and we will likely lose children to suicide.
Given my relationships to teachers, I also know how important it is for teachers to build strong relationships to students in order to effectively give them the education they deserve. If a student feels a teacher is a safe adult to share their gender identity with, the teacher also shouldn't be robbed of the opportunity to be that safe adult and foster a supportive relationship with that child.
Let children have safe places to be themselves and learn and let teachers be safe adults for children who might not have safe adults at home.


Trans Have Rights

I am absolutely astounded about the rollback on rights for our students in Fairfax county since Governor Youngkin took office.We all are our brother and sister‘s keeper and we fought hard to give the most vulnerable safety & freedom. These cannot be taken away. Our students have more threat going to church and being abused than any student in a girls or boys bathroom or locker room.

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I am absolutely astounded about the rollback on rights for our students in Fairfax county since Governor Youngkin took office.

We all are our brother and sister‘s keeper and we fought hard to give the most vulnerable safety & freedom. These cannot be taken away.

Our students have more threat going to church and being abused than any student in a girls or boys bathroom or locker room.


Allow Parents to Make Decisions

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Please adopt the new guidelines to allow parents to make decisions for their families.  The school should not be engineering social change, but helping parents help their children to learn.


Department of Education - 2022 Revision of 2021 Policy Guidelines

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While the Department of Education has appropriately defined the mission and the goals in educating the Commonwealth's youth, it has totally botched the strategy for attaining these goals and instead introduced steps that could materially hamper the youth that we are seeking to educate. I oppose the implementation of these Guidelines.

The steps outline in the proposed policy instead facilitating the education of our youth put in place hurdles for our professional educators to provide the quality education our youth deserve and jeopardizes further those youth in our community that could be seen as at risk due to their expression of their gender preference or choice.  Guidelines to encourage and guide youth to finding themselves and not tell them what they should be.
The Department should take these Guidelines back to the drawing board and pull social policy agendas out and introduce agendas that in fact advance the education of our youth.


Oppose

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<span data-sheets-userformat='{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}' data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are suicide prevention. I oppose the draft model policy. \n\nI was not yet out to myself when I was in school - but as an adult, I have benefited greatly from institutions (my religion and my work environment) that have been accepting and accommodating. An accepting and accommodating environment has allowed me to flourish in all of my identities, not just the transgender one. I would wish the same for the educators, staff, and students in schools throughout in Virginia. "}'>Trans rights are human rights. Trans rights are suicide prevention. I oppose the draft model policy.

I was not yet out to myself when I was in school - but as an adult, I have benefited greatly from institutions (my religion and my work environment) that have been accepting and accommodating. An accepting and accommodating environment has allowed me to flourish in all of my identities, not just the transgender one. I would wish the same for the educators, staff, and students in schools throughout in Virginia.


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

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I firmly support the governors policies in this area.  They are backed up by the Constitution of the United States and Virginia law.


Oppose

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Republican monkey see, Republican monkey do! Right out of the De Santis playbook! We are better than Florida and cannot let this hateful political stunt create a dangerous environment for trans kids. Hate has no place in Virginia.


Oppose

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Shame on you, Governor Youngkin. This proposed policy is rooted in transphobia and has the potential to hurt many kids in Virginia. Our kids deserve better!


Oppose

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I believe this policy to be truly detrimental to the learning and well-being of our children, and discriminatory.


Oppose

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I oppose the guidance. I am non-binary and all too familiar with hostility toward my gender, regardless of who I am as a person. Trans kids need support and acceptance.


Oppose


Protect our children and the family

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Children are a gift from God, placed in a family under the care of parents - not the government; not the public school systems.  These institutions may be required to act "in loco parentis" for the common good and welfare of the children when in their care.  However, this understanding in the law does not displace the parent or give the secular institution some authority beyond that of the children's natural and legal guardian, i.e. their parents.  It is not for the State to determine the fundamental rights and decisions of children and parents in regard to core values and morality - or really anything, for that matter.  Children need protection not manipulation.  It is the job of the government, including the educational system, to foster virtue and the common good.  Not to push agendas and cause division between a child and their parents.  Please protect our children, our parents, and the traditional family by enacting these new policies and stopping this usurpation of the natural law!


Strong Support for Gov. Youngkin and free speech

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I strongly support Gov. Youngkin's policy changes.  The madness of introducing sex and gender issues to young children and forcing girls to unfairly compete with "Boys", and honoring lies about there being more than two genders is beyond common sense.

Teachers should educate not indoctrinate.


a paragraph, on why this society is run by ters (aka i oppose this ing bill)

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sometimes, people can be s. like in this situation. please. you have already done enough damage, being stupid idiots. don't make it worse, will ya? sometimes, people just want to have a good time. and then you ters come in with your  laws and  "better for society and community" talk. you know what would help at this point? just, a new state, for the queer kids who don't feel accepted by s like you. maybe we should all just move to canada. not you motherers, though. in canada they have actual rights, ya know? unlike here, where every day theres a new bill making sure that people can't be who they are. if you really want to protect society, and do actual good, then punish those  men who ruin womens lives. sometimes people just want to feel like they belong, and all you give them is new  rules that don't allow them to be who they are. rethink your life choices. are you actually doing good when so many trans kids aren't going to have a home after being forced to come out to their parents who think like you do? disappointed, really. and they say this society is the rude one, when all we want if for everyone to be equal. is that really so hard? for you to accept that maybe, just maybe, your entire ing ideas are just...wrong? i know, terrible, oh my god you??? wrong??? what???? shut the  up you ters and think about the wrongs youre doing for once. maybe actually do good instead of ruining so many bright kids lives. i oppose this bill, if you couldnt tell. and even though my comment might not make a difference, here it is. just one scared teenager, thinking about what could have been avoided if the government was run by somebody other than these ing idiots.


Trans kids deserve safety, privacy, & support. Stop pandering to bullies and protect ALL kids

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Trans kids deserve safety, privacy, & suppor, even--no, ESPECIALLY  if they happen to be born to bigoted parents. Youngkin's proposal is cruel and shortsighted and will have devastating consequences for kids who are already vulnerable and suffering. Stop helping awful people bully trans kids and families just for existing.


I fully oppose this.


I oppose this fully.


I Support or Gov and the rights of parents and all students.

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I support Gov Yougkin’s policy that supports parents rights and the rights of all students in Virginia.


Let’s not make this worse.

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With regard to the trans changes being considered. Why are we making it so hard for children to live the life they have been given? As with the gay issue, this is not a choice and there should not be penalties for being real, but rather support. Why make a tough situation harder? Please don’t do this. All people should have the right to move in their direction own , which calls them from deep inside.


Oppose

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<p>These proposed model policies are contrary to state law and will be extremely harmful to transgender and nonbinary kids. </p>


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Strongly OPPOSE - Protect our trans children


Protect our girls

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Our girls need to be protected! This is absolutely crazy that we are here even discussing this! What will it take to make our biological girls safe? It’s crazy that I even have to use the word biological! I hope that our state does the right thing and keeps boys out of our sports, locker rooms, bathrooms etc. Furthermore, a parent will go to great lengths to ensure that a trans boy will have access to all of these facilities even if they aren’t really trans! Who knows at these ages who or what they will become as an adult. Keep it out of our schools!


Oppose proposed guidelines

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The new guidelines are....fundamentally UNKIND. No one is injured by leaving the existing laws and guidelines in place, and many are protected. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.


Total support

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<p>As a parent of an LGBTQ student in the public school system, you have my total support in this policy change even my 16 year old can see the inherent dangers with the previous policy and her self and her friends cannot see any reason why it would be necessary for a trans student should be allowed to in the “wrong” restroom or locker room. Especially considering all area schools already have single occupant facilities </p>


Strongly support the governor’s common sense policies

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<p>It is outrageous what our public schools are doing to harm our children and cut parents out of their proper role in raising their children. I strongly support these new policies. </p>


I support parental rights

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<p>Parents have a right to know what is going on with their kids.  They are ultimately responsible for them.  </p>


Strongly SUPPORT the Proposed Policy

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<p>All children must be treated with respect and dignity, including trans children. There is a way to do this but parents MUST be included in any decisions related to their child, especially when it concerns something as serious as gender dysphoria. It is not the place of the school to hide information from parents regarding their own children. There are systems in place to keep students safe if there is conflict in the family related to the child’s gender identification. Additionally, the rights of girls and young women cannot be dismissed. They have a right to privacy, a right to feel safe and a right to participate safely in sports and other activities with an equal chance of success. Competing against biological males is not fair and can be unsafe. Yes, all children must be treated with respect and dignity. </p>


removal of transgender policy mandates in the public schools

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I support wholeheartedly Gov. Glenn Youngkin's proposal to eliminate the Virginia Department of Education's transgender policy mandates in the public schools.  All students ought to be respected. The focus should not be on one group only with no regard to the religious beliefs of others.  The parents are the first teachers of their children, and they should have a substantial say in what is being taught to their children.  Furthermore, the rights of students and staff should be protected in relation to the Constitution's First Amendment!  This is what the United States was founded on and it should be continued.


Absolutely Oppose

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<p>Trans kids must be both protected and supported, and this policy doesn't do that. It's wrong. Absolutely opposed. </p>


Children are minors- their parents are responsible for them.

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Children are minors.  They don’t have the right to drink, vote, carry fire arms, or make decisions about bedtimes.    Children are also not expected to have sexual relationships because they are children and minors.

Children do not have the right/responsibility to decide about issues of sex or sexual identity because they are children.   (Honestly, my son would love to identify as a robot or dinosaur.  But he’s a kid, so I make him brush his teeth and go to bed on time.). They’re not thinking about sex.  Let them be children.


I support trans students

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<p>My daughter has had several trans friends from early elementary school through high school. One of them has grown up in a very supportive, open family. The other has had to find their way with the help of friends outside their family. Were it not for allies like my daughter and my family, these young people might not still be with us today. It is critical that we show support for and build policies that protect ALL of our young people as they discover who they are in the world. THEY are our Future. </p>


Not proper

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It is not proper for the government to interfere in education to this extent.  A better order on the part of our government would be to order conversions to private, single-person use, locking co-ed toilets in all schools.  In other words, toilets are in wall-to-floor stalls, sinks are communal in a central area.  Any child of any sex/ sexual identification could use any stall and any sink.  It isn't hard to solve.  Provide the money to retrofit all schools from the state level.

The truth is, the restroom system is sexist and not well thought out now.  The male/female separated half stalls and open urinals make for a situation that is impossible to supervise.  Boys and girls (or any mix of sexes) end up in these remote, hard-to-supervise locations and have sex as it is set up now.  Males can harass other males, females can do the same...it is just a dumb design.

Give single stall, open sink design a serious look.  Stop making this about kids and do the grown-up thing; solve the problem at the root.


Draft 2022 Model policies:  Backward and unkind

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<p style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria, serif;">Please do not adopt the draft 2022 Model Policies.    They are unkind.  First, a parents rights with respect to their children is not absolute.  Numerous cases exist showing parents’ beliefs and practices have physically or emotionally harmed their child.  Second, each person ought to be able to be addressed as they wish and be able to describe their gender and sexual identity as they determine.  Period.  </p>


Support all children

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I have been working in Roanoke for the past 16 years and Roanoke is my second home. I have also been a public school educator in NC for the past 12 years. I am writing this comment in support of educators being able to protect and serve all students, especially and including transgendered students. We are required to teach every student who comes into our classrooms, and it is easy to see how rolling back protections for our most vulnerable students will endanger their safety and their education.

Public schools support all students, often times against their parents wishes. We are mandatory reporters for suicide, self-harm, and abuse, even when the parents are the abusers. It may be against the wishes of the parents for us to protect their children from themselves, but we act in the interest of children. Many families are ignorant of the realities of the LGBTQ+ experience and will cause grievous harm to their own children if protections are not upheld, including sending them to conversion camps, kicking them out of their homes, and other various forms of neglect and abuse. If a student is not comfortable telling their parents, that is not the school's place to step in. Our role is to provide an affirming place for students to receive an education. Children do not learn when they are not affirmed in who they are. I have taught many, many LGBTQ+ students over the years, and have students share with me that they felt comfortable in my room because I listened to them when they spoke like they were a human being and treated them with respect. Because of this, I have been able to connect and teach these students more effectively than another teacher who might not see their inherent dignity as people.

Rolling back protections puts our vulnerable youth will unequivocally cause them harm, just to support the comfort of the governor and the religious right. These opinions have no place in school. Listen to and help educators teach our youth by protecting children from governmental bullying.


support pro-parent policies in public schools.

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I strongly support pro-parent policies in public schools to protect the rights of parents and their children.


Support Parent .

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Support parent rights to make the correct decisions for their children. Also students need to addressed by their legal or nick name with the parents permission. Parents please talk and love your children.


Strongly Oppose!

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Studies have consistently shown that policies like those proposed result in more frequent and escalating harassment, discrimination, and physical violence toward trans and nonbinary students. These policies also lead to significantly higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts relative to cisgender students. The consistent misgendering of a student has a profoundly negative impact on their ability to learn in the classroom. Contrary to what is recommended in the proposed model policies, consistent use of a student’s affirmed name can reduce suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, denying trans and nonbinary students from using facilities that match their gender identity increases the prevalence of sexual assault victimization. The evidence is clear – students will experience higher rates of sexual assault, peer victimization, and suicide if policies like these are adopted in Virginia.

I firmly oppose the adoption of these model policies!


I support the Governor

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I support Governor Youngkin and his efforts.


Educators should not be keeping secrets from parents.

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Children should not be trained at school to keep secrets from their parents.  This is classic grooming behavior.

An education system that assumes that parents do not have their children’s best interests at heart, or assumes to know more about a child than their own parents has strayed far away from the role of education.  Parents are children’s caretakers/protectors- not public school employees.


Parental rights in Education

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Parents are the first teachers of their children and have an irreplaceable role in guiding them. Parental rights has to be restored.


Protect Trans Kids!!!

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<p>This proposal directly harms children. By forcing trans children to live as their gender forced upon them at birth, you are DIRECTLY contributing to the genocide of transgender people in the United States. Trans children are subjected to extreme abuse in all aspects of society, and the classroom should be a place where they feel safe to express who they are. Gender dysphoria and societal rejection can lead to negative self-image, depression, anxiety, and ultimately suicide. By forcing teachers to reject these students, you are subjecting students to mistreatment, abuse, and rejection that again, can lead to suicide. 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ youth attempted suicide in the United States last year. Protocols like these will continue to increase these numbers. Children will be thrown into hostile, abusive, and violent situations if they are forcibly outed. We know this from PROOF that trans people are attacked and killed in this country every year. Protocols like these are fascist and bigoted, and will only result in the death of children everywhere. There is no "protection" that will come as a result of these rules -- there is only discrimination and destruction of our children's lives that will result. These rules are abhorrent and I strongly oppose them. </p>


When "parents' rights" is just another effort to mask discrimination

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As a parent in Virginia, I want my kids - any kids - to feel safe being who they are. I want people like me to be safe. Even more so I want people different from me to feel safe. These claims about "parents' rights" are nothing more than a political agenda to identify, segment, and endanger a marginalized subset of people and take away their safety. Parents do have rights; but nothing is more sacred than the child's rights to safety.


I fully oppose this.


I am completely opposed.

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I am completely opposed.


Oppose - Let's Make VA a Safe and Welcoming Place for Everyone

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The 2021 Model Policies unequivocally required students to provide access to facilities, such as bathroom and locker rooms, corresponding with their gender identity. Additionally, the 2021 Model Policies required schools to provide, upon request from any student voicing privacy concerns, access to single-use/gender-inclusive facilities or another reasonable accommodation. These policies aligned with federal law which requires schools to allow students to use facilities corresponding with their gender identity.

The 2022 Model Policies blatantly violate federal law. See, e.g., Grimm v. Gloucester Cty. Sch. Bd., 972 F.3d 586 (4th Cir. 2020). These policies require students to use locker rooms, bathrooms, overnight travel accommodations, and other intimate spaces based upon their “biological sex.” Practically, this violation means trans students will be subject to humiliation, harassment, and even violence by using a facility that does not align with their gender identity. Not to mention, this will force certain trans students to out themselves by using a school facility they have likely not used in years.

The 2022 Model Policies require that access to facilities be made in respect to federal law, but blatantly contradict them. For example, the 2022 Model Policies require bathroom access based on “biological sex” as indicated by the student’s record which is in direct opposition to Grimm. The 2022 Model Policies require districts to break the law while trying to save face and tell them to follow it within the very same paragraphs.

This is wrong because Virginia should be respecting the federal legal rights of every one of its citizens, including its students who are trans. For these reasons, I ask you to repeal the 2022 Model Policies and reinstate the 2021 Model Policies.


I support restore parental rights

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Currently, the state and its school system have overstepped their bounds. Parents know their children’s needs best. If a child is struggling with a mental or emotional disorder, like gender dysphoria, then the parents decision will be better than any bureaucracy.


2022 Model Policies

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I support the 2022 Model Policies advocated by Gov. Youngkin to restore parental rights of children/students.


Younkin's proposed policies are thinly veiled cruelty towards already marginalized children.

I am a trans woman.  I first knew I wasn't really a boy by age 3, before Younkin was even born.  I didn't "choose" my gender.  My gender inside wasn't some aspect of a social movement.  Nobody influenced me to be trans.  I was just trans.  And it was my most highly guarded secret.Despite my best efforts, bullies knew that I was different, and they tormented me relentlessly.  I considered suicide at various points in my childhood and later life.  Another "boy" who was like me did attempt suicide and was moved to another school.  The kids would surround him on the playground, demand to know whether he was a boy or a girl, and demand that he pull down his pants to prove it.  The teachers and administrators were of little help.  I lived in constant dread that I could be next.We now live in a more enlightened age, in which there is a name for what we are - transgender.  We know something of the biological causes of transgenderism.  We know something about how to care for transgender children and to raise them in a more loving and tolerant manner that allows them to thrive.
The torment I suffered as a child would not be necessary today, except perhaps in jurisdictions determined to return us to the dark ages.I applaud the compassionate legislation that would have Virginia school districts develop policies for the compassionate and nondiscriminatory, evidence-based treatment of transgender students.  And I am appalled by the efforts of the Younkin Administration to reverse that progress.
Hatred is never a good look for a state.  It prevents society from flourishing.  It damages the economy.  It drives away business.  I urge that Gov. Younkin's hateful anti-transgender policies are not enacted.

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I am a trans woman.  I first knew I wasn't really a boy by age 3, before Younkin was even born.  I didn't "choose" my gender.  My gender inside wasn't some aspect of a social movement.  Nobody influenced me to be trans.  I was just trans.  And it was my most highly guarded secret.

Despite my best efforts, bullies knew that I was different, and they tormented me relentlessly.  I considered suicide at various points in my childhood and later life.  Another "boy" who was like me did attempt suicide and was moved to another school.  The kids would surround him on the playground, demand to know whether he was a boy or a girl, and demand that he pull down his pants to prove it.  The teachers and administrators were of little help.  I lived in constant dread that I could be next.

We now live in a more enlightened age, in which there is a name for what we are - transgender.  We know something of the biological causes of transgenderism.  We know something about how to care for transgender children and to raise them in a more loving and tolerant manner that allows them to thrive.

The torment I suffered as a child would not be necessary today, except perhaps in jurisdictions determined to return us to the dark ages.

I applaud the compassionate legislation that would have Virginia school districts develop policies for the compassionate and nondiscriminatory, evidence-based treatment of transgender students.  And I am appalled by the efforts of the Younkin Administration to reverse that progress.

Hatred is never a good look for a state.  It prevents society from flourishing.  It damages the economy.  It drives away business.  I urge that Gov. Younkin's hateful anti-transgender policies are not enacted.


Strongly support -- 2022 MODEL POLICIES ON THE PRIVACY, DIGNITY, AND RESPECT FOR ALL STUDENTS AND PA

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<p>Parents are their children's first teachers. When children enter school, parents' partner with teachers in the student's education. This education should focus on reading writing, math, etc. Schools/teachers have a responsibility to the students and their parents to raise concerns to parents if a student is having trouble academically or emotionally. However, it is not the schools'/teachers' place to impose moral or sexual beliefs on students (neither blatantly nor subtly). Parents are responsible for their children's moral & emotional upbringing; their children's medical health; their daily care. If the public school system cannot respect the roles of the parents as well as the academic job of its teachers, school choice must be a viable option for families.   </p>


Protect Trans Kids

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<p>Using religion, bigotry and myths not supported by science to justify discrimination against Trans kids is wrong and puts their physical and mental health, safety, and lives at risk. </p>
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Strongly SUPPORT this proposed policy

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Females deserve privacy and safe spaces, free from biological males, regardless of their age. To allow gender dysphoric children to use the locker rooms and bathrooms of the opposite sex is to invite fear, confusion, and all manner of mental distress on everybody involved, not just the gender dysphoric child.

No child is born into the wrong body. One needs only to carefully follow the science! Look at the studies that show that "not affirming a child's dysphoric feelings increases that child's risk of suicide." You will find, unequivocally, that these studies do nothing of the sort, and in at least one case, points to the opposite conclusion. Kids with gender dysphoria- a mental health issue- deserve supportive, compassionate, psychological help to help them feel comfortable in their own skin. "Gender affirmation" only deepens this disassociative state and makes the problem worse. Please also note that a sizable portion of those diagnosed with gender dysphoria also have comorbid mental health conditions. There is NO reputable science behind affirming a gender-dysphoric child!

There may indeed be cases where a child's home life is abusive or neglectful. But in the vast, vast majority of cases, parents DO know what is best for their children, and they have the right to direct their children's care.

Follow the logic and institute this policy! It is wise and based on reliable data.


Oppose

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Protect and support trans kids, this policy does neither and shows they they are not valued or supported.  Shameful.


What about the progress we've made?

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Please don't send us backward. Virginia should be a place where ALL citizens, especially our children, feel comfortable and supported in their environment.


Core education need to be a priority

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The fact that we are talking about a topic that has very little or nothing to do with educating students for a more proactive work for us is problematic from the get-go.

I support this right. If one takes the time to read it the focus is on families making decisions with kids if you have different views in your school systems or their communities. This allows you to have the opportunity to have input into your kids education no matter where you stand on the topic.

this proposal does not Import one groups right over the other, it simply states issues don’t involve academic disciplines should be addressed with parents.


In Support of Children and Parents

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I support this change.  Students are children until the age of 18 and are still growing and maturing even past that age.  Parents have every right to know what is happening at school with their child - teachers must partner WITH parents, not work to undermine them or keep secrets about their own child from them.  It is the parent's responsibility to guide and parent their child, NOT the state.  I do believe that all children should be treated with kindness and respect, regardless of their religion or gender or race, etc.  Virginia should make sure all students feel safe and respected and free from bullying or harassment. However, parents must be involved in these things as having adults who love and care for them involved in their lives is in the best interest of the child.