School officials in Alexandria, Virginia notified government leaders that it will not follow model guidelines from Republican Gov. Glen Youngkin’s administration that require transgender students to use facilities and participate in sports that align with their biological sex instead of their “gender identity.”
A letter signed by Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson and members of the City Council and obtained by WTOP stated that it will not follow the guidance issued by the commonwealth’s Department of Education. The city leaders said that the Alexandria Human Rights Code includes protection in educational settings on bases of sexual orientation, gender identity and transgender status.
The proposed policies issued September 16 remove protections for transgender and non-binary students in Virginia’s public schools, stigmatizing them and undermining their dignity, and the policies put vulnerable students’ lives at risk.
In addition, the leaders claimed that the city’s LGBTQ+ task force and other organizations are concerned that the policies “turn back the clock on years of progress.”
Specifically, “the proposed policies seek to restrict which bathrooms transgender and nonbinary students can use, force students to participate in events, sports and other school activities based on their sex assigned at birth and hinder the ability of teachers and staff to offer any support, without also outing the student to parents.”
The letter continued, claiming that the policies put the “wishes of adults over the needs of children” and that it allows Virginia to join a “growing number of states across the U.S. seeking to adopt discriminatory and harmful restrictions on LGBTQ+ students.”
The letter concluded with the Mayor and City Council members saying that the policies “target, demean and diminish LGBTQ+ youth.” The leaders vowed to create a “nurturing environment” for transgender youth at school.
As Townhall covered, Virginia’s Department of Education posted new model policies directing school districts to require transgender students to use restrooms, locker rooms and participate in programs that align with their biological sex rather than their “gender identity.” It requires parents to be involved in conversations at school over a student’s gender identity. Schools are forbidden from concealing information about a transgender student’s gender identity from their parents.
Virginia’s new policies came after reports broke that teachers in Fairfax County were required to undergo training ahead of the 2022-2023 school year that said that parental consent was not required for students who want to “socially transition” at school, which Townhall covered. Social transitioning includes going by a chosen name, preferred pronouns and using facilities that align with their gender identity instead of their biological sex.
Students across northern Virginia staged walkouts last week over the policies.
Crowds of students have begun to walk out of Northern Virginia schools in protest of Gov. Youngkin’s proposed restrictions on transgender students’ rights. WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/UosIhKGAgC pic.twitter.com/nwKTQVVTS2
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) September 27, 2022
Rebecca noted that school officials in Fairfax County plan to defy the new guidance as well. In a letter to parents, officials said "we remain committed to maintaining equitable opportunities and access for each of our students, staff, and families in a justice-centered, future-focused, and student-driven school environment."
Youngkin's office provided a statement for Townhall about the walkouts and the new policies.
"The guidelines make it clear that when parents are part of the process, schools will accommodate the requests of children and their families,” Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter told Townhall about the new policies. “Parents should be a part of their children’s lives, and it’s apparent through the public protests and on-camera interviews that those objecting to the guidance already have their parents as part of that conversation. While students exercise their free speech today, we’d note that these policies state that students should be treated with compassion and schools should be free from bullying and harassment."