I strongly oppose petition 432 and I believe it is a misuse of the State Board of Health processes in order to promote a discriminatory social agenda rather than health. The state government has an obligation to protect the health of all Virginians and that includes the health of transgender individuals. Excluding them across the board from sports and from accessing spaces where they can be safe is discrimination based on belief not science and it will worsen the psychological and physical health of this very small population that is being demonized for political reasons. There are complex issues at stake here and they merit discussion, not an overly broad, hateful petition that is not based in science.

In terms of physical safety, the population at greatest risk is actually transgender persons. Many studies have found that transgender individuals face much higher risks of sexual assault than cisgender individuals. From the introduction of a 2022 NIH paper: "Relative to cisgender people, transgender individuals not only are at an elevated risk of experiencing at least one form of physical or sexual violence, but also at an increased risk of multiple types of violence over their life course." (see Prevalence of Sexual Assault in a Cohort of Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals - PMC)

I strongly oppose this hateful petition that is based in false stereotypes.