I live in Arlington County 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. 

Trans folk are just trying to live their lives as anyone else would. To discriminate against them, as this act would, would actually have a net negative impact on the health of all Virginians. Fostering hate and treating a group of people as second class citizens has awful and long lasting implications on mental health of not only trans folk, but their friends, family, and anyone questioning their gender. This mental health toll is incredibly bad for all of Virginia.

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. Trans people have always been here, and always will be!