I live in Mechanicsville in Hanover 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.

I know and love several trans people, including family. It has been such a eye-opener watching my family member transition and seeing the absolutely astounding change it made in his life. It is not that he was becoming a man, he was finally over pretending to be a woman. He deserves all the rights and protections afforded to everyone else. It's time to stop treating trans people like they aren't human or equal to the rest of us. 

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. Trans people cannot and will not be erased. Thank you.