I live in Stafford County and I oppose Action 4905.

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. 

As a woman who grew up in Virginia public schools, I have never felt unsafe or harmed by my trans friends. Trans people have always and will always exist and they deserve to have a full school experience without being labeled as harmful or banned from participating in student life like athletics. 

As a parent, I don’t want my children to grow up in a state full of such hate and division. I want them to live in a state that loves and accepts them for who they are. I want my daughter to be protected from the actual dangers that face women like domestic violence and sexual assault especially by those in authority roles like coaches, teachers, and religious leaders. Children deserve protection and safety regardless of how they identify and who they decide to love. 

This proposed regulation 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.