
This week, thousands of students in Virginia marched out of school and classrooms to protest the proposed policy changes by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), in opposition to transgender youth in Virginia.
Youngkin’s state Department of Education issued new model policies last Friday to “provide clear, accurate, and useful guidance to Virginia school boards that align with statutory provisions.” The new document takes a “parental rights” approach when it comes to transgender youth in schools, encouraging districts to enact rules that discriminate against and potentially endanger LGBTQ children.
The new policies sayTransgender students should only participate in activities that correspond to their gender at birth. It also recommends that transgender students use the same policy for the bathrooms and locker rooms they use. It prohibits trans children from using facilities that do not match their gender identity.
The policy changes by Youngkin’s state Department of Education also say that schools should require students under the age of 18 to be addressed by the name and pronouns stated in official government records, and that students’ preferences to be called another name should not happen without parental consent — an action that could be harmful to children in households with unaccepting parents.
The guidance isn’t yet in effect but will be once a 30-day public comment period closes next month. After that, schools will be required to adopt policies “consistent with” the state’s model policies.
After news of the policy changes came on Friday, students organized to walk out of classrooms this week to protest against the Youngkin administration’s actions. Thousands of students across more than 100 schools took part in the demonstrationsTuesday, February 12, 2009 – All across the state
Social media posts showcased students appearing outside their schools, with many chanting “trans lives matter,” while holding signs in opposition to the changes.
A short video from Osbourn park High School Trans Lives Matter!
Glen Youngkin’s bigoted antitrans bans lead to students protesting. pic.twitter.com/n0irKmhtOj
— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) September 27, 2022
McLean High School students in Northern Virginia chant “D-O-E, Leave us be” and “Trans rights are human rights” in protest of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s model policies for transgender students. pic.twitter.com/iU7bzmqtwe
— Nathaniel Cline (@nathanielcline) September 27, 2022
“We decided to hold these walkouts as kind of a way to … disrupt schools and essentially have students be aware of what’s going on,” said Natasha SanghviA high school senior from northern Virginia, who organized the walkouts, spoke to The Associated Press.
“Trans students are students just like everybody else,” said Ranger BalleisenThe organizers of the demonstrations were also assisted by a senior transgender student at Fairfax County’s high school. “We don’t want to be out here fighting for our rights and protesting — we want to be in calculus class and learning how to drive. But, instead, we have to be here, because they’re trying to take away our rights.”
Analyse from Blue VirginiaThousands of people have submitted comments to a state website about the model policy changes. show that most are “overwhelmingly opposed” to Youngkin’s proposals.
“I do not support Governor Youngkin’s new guidelines that constrain the identity and impose restrictions on the activities of transgender students in public schools, as I believe that the civil rights of all students should be respected,” said a person identifying themselves as a teacher in the state. “Public schools should be an inviting place for all members of the public, not a place where students have to cower in shame or fear.”
Another person who submitted public comment, who called themselves a “Central Virginia Therapist,” warned of the dangers the new policies would bring, paying particular attention to the outing of trans students to parents.
“Parents should want to be involved,” the commenter said. “However, there are some children who will be outed to parents who are not able to support those children in a healthy manner. Not only will those parents not support their child’s choices, gender identity, or sexual orientation, they will not accept their child’s orientation or identity, they will react in an unhealthy and unhelpful manner that alienates their child, harms their relationship with their child, and increases the risk of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide.”
People who already have the highest rates of suicide and depression among other social groups can be affected by misgendering young trans people. Studies have found, however, that proper usage of a person’s gender pronouns, as well as using names they’ve come up with to reflect their genders, can be incredibly beneficial, and reduce those risks. One study, for example, showed that a person’s risk of suicide was cut in half for each instance their pronouns were used correctly. Another study demonstrated that trans children who are given support don’t show elevated signs of depression symptoms compared to the broader trans youth population.