I live in Woodbridge, Virginia and I oppose Petition 432.

This petition is not about locker rooms. It's about targeting trans people under the false pretense of public safety and the Board of Health has no business labeling people as harmful based on identity.

I work in public safety and specifically with individuals who have committed violence and victimized others. I've dedicated my career to justice, rehabilitation, and protecting vulnerable people to include women and children. I have an extensive understanding of risk factors that lead to threats to safety and I can say with certainty that this petition does nothing to make anyone safer. What it does is increase stigma, fear, and discrimination against people (making the world unsafe for them). And it takes out eye of the real factors that lead to unsafe environments.

There are urgent public health issues in Virginia that demand the Board's attention - maternal mortality, domestic violence, and mental health crises among youth, just to name a few. Instead of scapegoating trans people and creating more problems, I urge the Board to refocus on solutions that truly improve health outcomes for all Virginians.

Trans people are out neighbors, our coworkers, and family members. Don't let this discriminatory petition bred out of baseless fears undermine your mission.