Virginia Reverses Protections For Trans Students
Virginia will no longer allow students to use facilities marked for the gender they identify with and will mandate that they file legal documents if they wish to be referred to by different pronouns, the Virginia Department of Education announced on Friday in a reversal of trans policies that the state outlined last year, the New York Times write.
The guidelines, or Model Policies, released by the administration of Governor Glenn Youngkin (Republican), also say that schools must “keep parents fully informed about all matters” related to a child’s health and social and psychological development, and that schools may not “encourage or instruct teachers to conceal material information about a student from the student’s parent, including information related to gender.”
The guidelines also say that school personnel will not be required to address or refer to a student “in any manner” that would run counter to an employee’s personal or religious beliefs.
The announcement Friday overturned policies instituted just last year by Mr. Youngkin’s predecessor, Ralph Northam, a Democrat.
In the latest Model Policies, the Department of Education criticizes the Northam-era guidelines, saying they “disregarded the rights of parents and ignored other legal and constitutional principles that significantly impact how schools educate students, including transgender students.”
The ACLU of Virginia said the new policies would worsen the already high rates of self-harm and suicide in LGBTQ+ students.
“We are appalled by the Youngkin administration’s overhaul of key protections for transgender students in public schools,” the group wrote on Twitter.
The 2020 law did not clarify what, if any, punishments would result if school districts did not comply with the guidelines.
In his campaign for governor last year, Mr. Youngkin asked for support from parents who were concerned about gender-neutral bathrooms, the closure of schools because of the virus, and the teaching of race. His strategy proved effective and Mr. Youngkin became the first Republican candidate to win a statewide race in Virginia since 2009.
Before the Model Policies take effect, there will be one month of public comment. The Virginia Department of Education will then review comments, and a final version of the Model Policies will be approved by the state superintendent.
Last year, the US Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, following guidance from President Biden, said that protections afforded under federal statutes that extended to gay and transgender individuals would be enforced in workplaces and in schools.
A group of 20 conservative state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to stop those directives. In July, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Biden administration from enforcing them.
Read related myGwork articles here:
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Virginia House Passes First Bill To Roll Back LGBTQ+ Rights After Republicans Won It Back
Republicans Are Hoping To Make Virginia The Next State To Ban Trans Youth From Sports
Virginia Enacts Landmark Bill Banning LGBT+ “Panic” Defence
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