I live in Rockingham County and I oppose Petition 432.

This petition is not about locker rooms. 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. 

As a mental health clinician, I am especially concerned about the potential for harm if the Board of Health acts on this petition because transgender people are at increased risk for suicide. I have seen firsthand from clients and personal connections with the transgender community the negative impact that lack of gender-affirming spaces have on the mental health of these individuals.