I live in Charlottesville, VA and I strongly oppose Petition 432. I am in full support of protecting women and urge you to do so by focusing on maternal health, domestic violence, poverty, discrimination, sexual assaults, and other issues impacting women. This proposal is not actually about protecting women or about locker rooms or sports. The number of trans feminine individuals using female locker rooms or playing in women's or women's sports is statistically tiny, especially in comparison with the number of women struggling with the issues listed above. It is absolutely true that men do not belong in women's spaces and these spaces should be sacred and safe. However, the people in question in this proposal are NOT men. Trans women and trans feminine individuals are even more vulnerable than cisgender women (women who are not transgender). I know and care about a number of trans girls and women and can assure you that they are more scared of you than you are of them.

I see comments here that indicate that there could be assaults by cis men posing as trans women in locker rooms, etc. and that his happened in Loudon County. Although the incident in the Loudon school was devastating and unacceptable, it is clear that this was not a case of using inclusive bathroom rules to assault someone. Instead, the assailant and the victim had agreed ahead of time to meet in the bathroom. This was not a new story but an old one- another case of an assault by a man towards a woman he was previously acquainted with. The raised concern of assaults is related to the danger of cis men, not of trans feminine individuals and as a result this proposal would not protect women but would only harm trans people.

The people in question are simply trying to use the bathroom and play sports like so many of us. There are no nefarious motivations here. Please look elsewhere and protect women where they are truly vulnerable. Thank you.