I live in Arlington and I oppose Action 4905.

The Board of Health has no business labeling groups of people harmful based on who they are. 

There are real public health issues facing women and girls in Virginia, like domestic violence, maternal health, and poverty. Don’t let this hateful petition distract from your important mission to protect the health and promote the well-being of ALL people in Virginia.

Across our races, backgrounds, and genders, we all deserve to be treated fairly. There is a nationwide effort by some politicians and interest groups to force transgender people and LGBTQ+ people out of public life. These political attacks harm us all, whether we’re gay or straight, transgender or not, because they foster discrimination and distract us from the real problems we face. 

In fact, these kinds of discriminatory regulations have proven to do the opposite of "protecting women and girls" - all women, whether they are transgender or not, are more likely to face public scrutiny and discrimination when it's regulated for some of us. Cisgender women and girls who simply "look" too "masculine" will inevitably be caught up in this wave of hate, alongside the transgender women and girls who already face disproportionate levels of hate and discrimination on a daily basis. In short: This regulation will ultimately harm ALL Virginian women.

This proposed regulation has nothing to do with the health of Virginians and everything to do with discrimination. No one should face discrimination because of who they are. Transgender people have always been here, and always will be - and always should be.

And lastly, as a Virginian woman, I strongly oppose this attempt to discriminate in my name. I don't want this kind of "protection," and I welcome my transgender sisters in safety in all the spaces "allocated" to me.

Again, I urge you to strongly oppose Action 4905. Thank you.