These two proposed policies, HB 145 and SB 16l articulate views that are far different from those of many parents. Especially one view, "That gender identity is considered an innate quality that most children declare by age five to six." Through endorsement of views like these that infringe on the First Amendment rights of parents, the VDOE has gone far beyond the path the General Assembly prescribed. Schools have a duty to protect the bodily privacy and dignity of all students and no child should be forced to share showers, locker rooms, hotel rooms or other intimate settings with a student of the opposite biological sex. Children, particularly adolescents, can experience hypersensitive and traumatic reactions to these situations. I STRONGLY OPPOSE THESE TRANSGENDER POLICIES PROPOSED BY THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.