The claim of Petition 432 that transgender women pose a public health threat is harmful, is rooted in fear, and carries political motives.  This fear is associated mistakenly with legitimate fears that women have about safety; women and girls have been abused, assaulted and murdered by heterosexual males since the beginnings of time.  Indeed, it is this domination of women by men that is the true public health threat.  Petitions such as this are a result of that political manipulation.

This fear is parlayed onto transgender women simply because of assumptions about their bodies, without consideration for their hearts and minds.   Such fearfulness precludes earnest dialogue and the opportunity for understanding, as well as the ability to access empathy and compassion.  This translates into real psychological/emotional/social harm for transgender people and their loved ones, as well as real psychological/emotional/social harm for those invested in this fear.

As a person who has gotten to know LGBTQ+ folk, it is my experience that these are normal people striving to make their way, like everyone else, in a world that is challenging and often hostile, regardless of sex, gender or gender identity.  Indeed, by my reckoning, the level of self-awareness and courage needed to express one's fundamental sense of self in such a world surpasses the level of courage many of us heteronormative people demonstrate.

This call for a ban is precisely the opposite of what needs to happen in order to address this matter of public health.  Rather, we as a Commonwealth of communities, need to convene innumerable meetings of heart and mind, as uncomfortable as that may be, and the VA Board of Health could lead the way on this issue by not only rejecting this petition, but also by promoting and convening such meetings.

For starters, we could convene and focus on the real public health threats facing women and girls like acquaintance rape, domestic violence, access to reproductive and maternal care, economic inequality and poverty.  And, yes, we also need to talk about sex, gender and gender identity in ways that respect all parties and perspectives so that we can begin to forge a path forward that truly protects and promotes the health and well-being of ALL Virginians.