I live in Hampton and I oppose Petition 432.

It is clear that this petition is not about locker rooms. Trans people are frequently targeted with harm simply for being who they are. Trans existence is not a threat, but a gift.

There are real public health issues facing women and girls in Virginia, like domestic violence, maternal health, and poverty. Please do not let this hateful petition distract from your important mission to protect the health and promote the well-being of all Virginians.

Across races, backgrounds, and genders, we all deserve to be treated fairly. There is a nationwide effort by some politicians and interest groups to erase LGBTQ+ people from public life. These attacks harm us all—gay or straight, transgender or not—because they foster discrimination and distract us from the real problems we face.

This harmful push to erase trans people will lead to awful consequences for ALL women and girls. If we have learned anything from survivors of assault and abuse, it should be that we cannot normalize the inspection and policing of women’s and girls’ bodies. This petition is a direct path to preventable harm and abuse. We cannot let that happen.

No one should face discrimination because of who they are. Trans people have always been here, and they always will be. I can only wish for every Virginian to discover the courage, purpose, and self-love that our trans siblings have uncovered. For the health and well-being of our commonwealth, we must resist every effort to the contrary.