As a woman who has participated in sports my entire life, I oppose Petition 432.

The current petition is unenforceable and endangers women and girls. The notion that someone's womanness should be interrogated before entering a bathroom or joining a sports team opens both biological and trans women up to emotional and physical sexual abuse. Locker rooms and bathrooms are not sexual places, and trans people are just trying to live their lives and use the spaces for their intended purpose of using the bathroom/showering/changing. The greater danger to any woman in these spaces is the license a person might take to scrutinize their gender before they may enter the locker room to go about their day. 

This petition and all of the anti trans bills are not about women's safety. If it was, the States would more broadly be addressing the actual real harms that women face in their daily life such as high rates of sexual abuse, lack of access to women's healthcare, and some of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed countries. 

These petitions also fail to acknowledge the presence of trans men, which to the letter of the law, would force trans men into women's locker rooms, proving the point of how unenforceable the proposed petition is. 

Human biology is expansive, diverse, and beautiful, and does not neatly fall into 2 boxes or 2 discrete sets of genitals. 

Having played in co-ed sports leagues including team sports like soccer and sparring based martial arts through high school, college, and beyond, I can say that I have played against both women and biological men who have been stronger and weaker than me. There is much more to sports than the essentialism of testosterone vs estrogen. 

For these reasons, 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.

This petition 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.

I urge you to stand on the right side of history and reject Petition 432.

Sincerely,

Dr. Julie Rieland