Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Education
 
Board
State Board of Education
 
Guidance Document Change: The Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools guidance document was developed in response to House Bill 145 and Senate Bill 161, enacted by the 2020 Virginia General Assembly, which directed the Virginia Department of Education to develop and make available to each school board model policies concerning the treatment of transgender students in public elementary and secondary schools. These guidelines address common issues regarding transgender students in accordance with evidence-based best practices and include information, guidance, procedures, and standards relating to: compliance with applicable nondiscrimination laws; maintenance of a safe and supportive learning environment free from discrimination and harassment for all students; prevention of and response to bullying and harassment; maintenance of student records; identification of students; protection of student privacy and the confidentiality of sensitive information; enforcement of sex-based dress codes; and student participation in sex-specific school activities, events, and use of school facilities.
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2/3/21  1:30 am
Commenter: A. Salazar

Support
 

There are many who say that passing this law means that cis boys will use it to their sexual harassing advantage. A few things: one, this insinuates that cis boys cannot help themselves when existing in the same space as cis girls, which is sexist. Two, this insinuates that the fault is at the hands of cisgender people and not, in fact, transgender people. And three, if someone, cis or trans, sexually harasses someone, it has nothing to do with their gender identity; that person is just a creep.

But these arguments are a waste of time and get us nowhere. This law is necessary because trans kids go through so much more mental strain and discrimination than their cis peers. They need protection and a sense that they will be treated just as respectfully as anyone else. Deprive them of a sense of security, and their mental health will surely suffer even more. Being a kid can already be hard enough, so why make it worse?

I support the law. I support protecting our trans youth.

CommentID: 94707