I am an agender voter from Arlington County who attended Virginia Public School in the 90's-00's. As a person that only felt safe and confident enough to explore my gender identity and come out as nonbinary in my thirties, I can attest to the deep and lasting harm that a hostile stigmatization and queerphobia inflicts upon children, specifically within the Virginia Educational System. If I had access to inclusive education around gender and supportive teachers growing up rather than a hostile and thinly veiled religious learning environment, I can only imagine how much happier and healthier my childhood and early adulthood would have been.
Our schools need to be havens of acceptance, and nurturing for all students, not a sites of fear, threat, and discrimination. Research shows that having at least one accepting adult available can reduce the risk of suicide attempt among LGBTQ+ young people by 40 percent. Forcing teachers to involve parents when addressing gender identity in school will put already vulnerable kids at risk on both a psychological and physical level, especially if their teacher is their only safe space. Creating a classroom culture where exploration and growth is punished and restricted by these discriminatory and harmful requirements is antithetical to the mission of our schools: healthy learning and growth for all learners and educators.
We must protect the rights and lives of all of our students. This policy will threaten and degrade them. For these reasons and so many others, I oppose this legislation in the strongest possible terms.