I fully support the implementation of these Model Policies in every school in Virginia. At their root, they are about nondiscrimination -- surely an idea that everyone can get behind. Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals face regular harassment, bullying, and discrimination in workplaces, schools, and public areas, and these policies will go a long way to making sure that every Virginia child has a safe space.
To the dissenters, these policies are not the result of random experiences or a specific agenda, they come from the lived and shared experience of 100s and 1000s of transgender folx who experience depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis because of the way they are treated, as well as thorough and non-partisan research conducted by the VDOE, school psychologists, school social workers, and family specialists. It has the support of stakeholders from across Virginia's school systems, professional associations, and individuals who have either the academic expertise or lived experience to conclude definitively that policies like this would help.