I live in Bristol 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. 

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. 

One of the strongest person I know is trans. They've fought their whole life for themselves because nobody else did. This bill, and others like it, are blatant discrimination. It is frankly disgusting that, as a species, we haven't gotten past this. It helps nobody. The people who are discriminating against the trans community will not stop there, they will go for the rest of the LGBTQIA+ community, then move on to racism. The only way to stop this is right here and now. The only people who can stop this horrifying discrimination is us. Nobody will fight for us except ourselves. If you, as members of the board and health professionals, truly care about making a change for the better and doing no harm, you will say no to this bill and fight with us against it. It makes me sick to call myself neighbor to people so hateful as to discriminate like this. Don't be one of those people. Be strong, be kind, be human. 

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.