The petitioners claim this is to protect Virginian girls from "both physical and psychological" harm. They claim this harm comes as a result of transgender students engaging in sports alongside other students or using the same bathroom or locker room. If this is, in fact, the true issue at hand then the solution is not exclusion but education. 

Transgender people have always existed and always will. If a student feels discomfort in the presence of a transgender teammate in the locker the problem is not the trans person. The problem is the negative perception of the trans person. This is an easily solved problem that is already proven to work with inclusive education, exposure to trans people and policies that reaffirm compassion to all people. That is the solution to reducing stigma so these petitioners aren’t so easily psychologically harmed. What these people are proposing will only set us back sending a message that some students are not worth of the same basic rights as others. 

Next to address the physical threat in sports and locker rooms. If there are concerns there is a physical threat in locker rooms that comes down to specific instances of misconduct. And should be handled just like any other case of misconduct. If the claim is for inappropriate sexual intent then the issue becomes of one’s sexuality not gender identity. Following that reasoning any student attracted to females would be banned and how would you find out who they are attracted to. Seems like a a gross invasion of privacy. If the claim is the presence of a transgender body how would that be implemented without gross invasion of privacy. I’m terms of transgender people being a harm to others while playing a sport there are already rules and regulations to protect everyone as more research and studies are done. 

I find that the petitioners language of “males claiming or pretending to be female” don’t understand what transgender means. These are people just living their lives. This is a disgusting reduction to the lives they live.These are Virginians just like anyone else that want to play tennis after school and get ready with their friends in the locker room. She is deserving of that freedom just as much is anyone.