Agency
Virginia Department of Health
 
Board
State Board of Health
 
chapter
[12 VAC 5 ‑ ]
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5/14/25  1:32 am
Commenter: Jay Rhyne

This Petition Would Hurt All Women, Not Just Trans Women
 

Human rights for all groups is fundamental for all groups. If one group can be dehumanized and denied rights because of who they are, than any group can. Not to mention that this kind of language in this petition, if adopted as policy, would make it easier for men to get into women's spaces, not harder. If people have to use the locker rooms, changing rooms, and bathrooms of their assigned gender at birth, then trans men will be required by law to use women's spaces. And trans men are indistinguishable from cis men after enough time and treatment. So you would be, in essence, requiring people who look like men, dress like men, sound like men, present like men, facial hair and muscles and all, to use women's spaces, by law. And if you can't see how that opens the door for predators far more than allowing trans people to just pee in peace, then I don't know how to help you.

People are not going through the years of therapy, hormone treatment, surgery, and social stigma just to get their rocks off. That is not a thing. People are not going through all that just to win at sports for a few years. That is not a thing. Trans women "invading" women's spaces is not a thing. The trans community is less than 1% of the population. And after they've been on hormone therapy, their muscles change to reflect their new gender, as does their bone density. There is not an epidemic of trans people running rough all over the women's sports world. That is not a thing. This is nothing but fear-mongering to target the most vulnerable citizens of our country. Any and all anti-trans policy enacted at the local, state, or federal level is nothing but a violation of human rights and civil rights. You know that, and everyone watching knows you know that. So to enact any policy of the sort is an admission to your constituency, openly and plainly, that you believe some citizens deserve to be treated like second- or third-class citizens. And we, as well as the history books, will never forget that.

CommentID: 235085