I live in Charlottesville, VA and I oppose Petition 432.

This petition is not about locker rooms. The Board of Health has no business labeling groups of people harmful based on who they are. Our country is defined by the first phrase in the Constitute, "We the people," and this foundational phrase means ALL of the people, including our trans brothers and sisters. 

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.

As an educator, I am especially concerned about imposing discriminatory treatment into our schools, where it should have no home. Our priority should be on supporting ALL of our students in our community and on ensuring that everyone has access to the benefits of sports and learning without harm.

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. 

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.