I live in the Warrenton area of Fauquier County and I strongly 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. I am offended by this petition and wonder what precedent it sets. If I feel bigotry is harmful to my psychological and physical health, will I then be justified in filing a petition to ban members of organizations such as the Family Foundation from public areas and declare its members a public health threat? Of course this is a ridiculous idea and that is the point!

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.