I'm a Richmond Virginia resident who opposes 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 as that is discriminatory. 

There are very real public health issues facing women and girls in Virginia: domestic violence, maternal health, lack of affordable childcare, lack of affordable eldercare, 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.

We all deserve fair and equitable treatment, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and background.  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. These policies also police people's bodies and reenforce negative stereotypes around gender and identity and antiquated notions about where a woman "belongs". 

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.