I am a cisgender woman in her late 50s who is also a lifelong resident of Virginia, currently living in Fairfax County. I have never once felt threatened or concerned by the presence of transgender women in any place that is limited to women only - such as bathrooms, sporting teams, women's choirs, quilting circles, etc. It is absurd and ridiculous to posit that trans women are a public health threat to the physical and psychological health of cisgender women. Absolutely not true. 

I am also a mental health therapist, and I work with transgender men and women in my professional life. These are - without exception - people who just want to live their lives authentically and as their true selves. Some of them have known since childhood that they were labeled with the "wrong" gender when they were born. This is not a trend, a phase, or even new to the planet Earth and her diverse population over millions of years.

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. 

This petition has nothing to do with the health and safety 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, and efforts by religious groups and politicians to disenfranchise them should not be tolerated by this body.