I live in York County and I oppose Petition 432.

This petition is not about locker rooms, bathrooms, fairness in sports or protecting women. It is about discrimination against transgender Virginians. It's about creating a justification to criminalize a vulnerable, minority community.

There is a nationwide effort by some politicians and interest groups to force transgender people and LGBTQ+ people out of public life. These efforts are no different than Jim Crow laws in the 1950s and '60s that, under the guise of protecting women, created racial segregation, particularly in areas like bathrooms or social spaces.

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. There are real public health issues facing women and girls in Virginia, like domestic violence, maternal health, and poverty. Persecuting transgender folks isn't one of them.

The Board of Health has no business labeling groups of people harmful based on who they are. This is a hateful petition. As the mother of a trans-daughter, I am both frightened and angry that the Commonwealth is considering creating detestable regulations that outlaw my beautiful child's very existence in public spaces. 

Reject this petition and 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.

We are better than this.