Hi, I'm a former Montgomery County resident and I oppose Action 4905.

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 violence, economic hardship, and reproductive health access.  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. Bathroom laws often target cisgender women who don’t conform to outdated ideas of femininity. In fact, trans masculine people have been assaulted and murdered in women’s rest rooms. These political attacks harm us all, whether we’re LGBTQIA+ or straight. These are assaults on women's rights as the same forces who seek to restrict trans feminine people from public life have a goal of taking away all rights women have fought for over centuries.

While I lived in Virginia, it never felt like a welcoming space where I was able to live as myself. Something that would have helped me immensely would be to be able to play sports with people who have my same gender. Growing up, playing sports was great for exercising, meeting friends, having fun, and learning to work and live with the people around me. Being able to do this comfortably, without being bullied for not being "manly" enough, and again, with people of my gender, would have done wonders for me.

This proposed regulation has nothing to do with the health of Virginians and everything to do with discrimination. 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.