I am a licensed clinical social worker living in York County, Virginia, and I oppose Petition 432.

 

I implore you - do not let this Petition mislead you. It is not about locker rooms. There is no evidence of trans students posing threats. The Board of Health has no business labeling groups of people harmful based on who they are. 

 

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. 

 

I have trans friends, family members, and clients who already experience discrimination in public places and work environments. The political attacks and egregiously inaccurate, pathologizing language being adopted by those wishing to demonize transgender and LGBTQIA+ individuals not only fosters further discrimination and fear, but poses real threat to their physical safety, as it encourages violence against them. Many of them are, quite frankly, rightly terrified. Giving legitimacy to this Petition would contribute to the distress of – and violence against – this already vulnerable community, which is the antithesis of the mission of the Board of Health.

 

I personally know a number of transgender kids, as well as trans young adults who identified as a gender other than that assigned at birth from a young age. They are not political. They just want to be kids, and have friends, and participate in normal childhood and school activities. We tout the value of participating in sports for all children – not only the health benefits of physical activity and skill building, but the social and mental health benefits of learning discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship. It is a travesty to deny this experience to a kid, just because they are transgender. Like all kids, the abilities of transgender kids span the spectrum; in other words, most of them are (and will be) mediocre to average athletes who are simply trying to build their own skills and fitness. Letting them participate does not take anything away from others. Please don’t contribute to the myth that somehow transgender athletes take something away from girls; it simply is not true.

 

The arguments being made against transgender individuals are strikingly similar to those made against allowing African American participation in public life during the civil rights movement: ie., that their very presence makes others “uncomfortable”. We as Virginians are better than that.

  

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. Please support your mission of protecting the wellbeing of ALL Virginians by rejecting Petition 432.