Oppose: respect all people but do not endanger our children physically, mentally, and emotionally

I strongly oppose this policy for these reasons: Children are not yet mentally capable of making such life altering decisions at this age. While a policy like this may seems inclusive and kind, it is actually alienating and harmful. How will it feel to the young girl going through puberty to have a male (even if that make asserts that he is a female) sharing a locker room, shower, and bathroom with her? And considering that kids are still maturing, what happens if this child who may be dealing with gender dysphoria begins to feel differently about his sexuality while sharing such private places with the opposite sex (or if the situation was reversed). We already have sexual abuse to deal with in our public places. It is foolish to create a policy that will undoubtedly open the door for more unwanted and unconscented sexual abuses and give more opportunity for legitimate predators (I am not saying transgender people are predators, but that men and women who are will take advantage of this new policy) to prey on children. And this is only one flaw. There are so many ripple effects of fire consequence to the emotions and well-being of the child, the teachers, the family, and our culture. Please think about this. Thank you


Only those who would support pedosadism would support these policies


One who has dealt with same-sex attraction

STOP this child abuse from state board of education regarding transgenders.

As a retried public school teacher, it is distressing to see how many supposedly educated adults have been blinded by Satan's lies.  I dealt with same-sex attraction and proclaim unreservedly that LGBT are designations of sexual abnormalities - ABNORMALITIES.  They are not identities - not real ones.  Our true identity, which we have to affirm, is God's beloved child.  Gender identity is a construct.  Sex is not assigned at birth; it is determined at creation and it cannot be changed.  It is "recognized" at birth.  One may "feel" different than their actual sex, but that's an unreality which has to be dealt with.  Parents, teachers, etc. who do not help children learn to deal with reality are engaging in neglect & abuse.  For a state board of ed. to propose such policies is evil - the work of the devil.  Sane parents must oppose this, and, if it is implemented, remove your child from the public school system.  Do not allow your precious child to be subjected to such daily abuse.  I had a sister born with spina bifida, but her physical abnormality was not her "identity".  And because my parents did not cater to her condition, she grew up learning how to deal with reality.  As an adult (paralyzed from the waist down, wearing crutches & braces), when others politely offered assistance, she would boldly say "I AM NOT HANDICAPPED."  Not teaching children to deal with reality is to handicap them.  The proposed policies will handicap children rather than help them.  May sanity and reality prevail.


My taxes should not pay for child abuse

My taxes should not pay for child abuse


Model Policies for treatment of Transgender Students

Generally the law and this policy seem to miss the mark.  As I read page 9 of your policy it left me with the feeling that this lifestyle was fraught with abusive and destructive tendencies.  We have trans gendered people at work.  None of them seem happy and I pity the child you tell this is a good way to live.


VDOE Needs to Issue a Formal Apology for merely proposing these policies.

Formal apology - now.


Opposition

as an educator, I strongly oppose to this proposed policy to enforce teachers from withholding information from parents regarding their children. Teacher’s job is to teach and to educate. The public school system should not interfere with a privacy of any citizen, and the state should not demand this from any public school teacher either. This is unethical.  Don’t use public school system and educators to carry out it’s special interest.  The public school system should not be a place to teach minors about sex, sexual identity nor sexuality.  This is responsibility of parents, not state agency nor federal government.  Do not attempt to take control over the right of parents over this important issue by forcing someone to hide the information.


Strongly Oppose

Strongly Oppose


Biology

Biology shows there are only 2 genders. One male and one female. Those with male genitalia use the boys bathroom. Those with female genitalia use the girls. Stop going against science


Strongly support!

I strongly support changing guidelines for schools regarding how to treat transgender and genderqueer students. I'm a student in a very conservative town, and unfortunately LGBTQ+ students, especially those who are trans, are often bullied and mistreated by other students and staff. Having measures in place to protect trans students and help administration create a safe learning environment for them would be very beneficial. About 75% of transgender students feel unsafe at school. Over half of transgender teens consider or attempt suicide. Trans students need and deserve a learning environment that will help them grow without being discriminated against by their peers, teachers, and school.


Strongly opposed

I am strongly opposed to allowing children of one gender, use the restroom of another gender, just because their parents aren’t satisfied with the gender God intended for them to be. God doesn’t make mistakes, humans do. For you to pander to these confused individuals and allow them to try and manipulate the system that is in place that is supposed to protect our children. In my honest opinion, any parent that tries to make a child that is not able to differentiate between the two, or are forced by the parent to dress and act different than God designed, should be charged with child abuse, because that, I feel is detrimental to that child’s sense of belonging, and constitutes the possibility of bullying and segregation. You don’t think that will lead to depression and the possibility of suicide. The confused parents should be held liable to the extent of the law.


Consider the consequences

Science shows a human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. For that very reason we have laws in place regarding driving, drinking,  smoking, voting,  serving our country, legal guardianship.   It is also for that very reason you shouldn't be taking away parents' rights about THEIR OWN children,  making the assumption that all  kids in this situation are being abused.  Additionally, there are ways to offer children going through this,  needed support through counseling or single use restrooms,  without needlessly and carelessly endangering or stripping away the rights of others to feel safe. Not thinking this through carefully and considering ALL sides of this will be detrimental to the health and well being of generations of children who are already suffering needlessly. I plead with you not to hastily change legislation, that only benefits one group, but fails to consider or empathize with another.  This decision has potential to bring about grave consequences for ALL. Opposed very much to this specific legislation without extensive review and consideration of everyone who will be affected.


Strongly Opposed - we are fooling ourselves!

In education (and life) we have recognized (for all of human civilization up until now) that children need to learn reality and there are certain things that they may think "good" for them that in REALITY aren't good.    Parents have also been recognized as the authority in a child's life.  This isn't given by the state, this authority is God-given.  Yes, there are abuses to this authority, however, and in our society we have fought against these abuses.  However, the best answer is NOT to remove parental authority and invest that authority in the education system.  The re-defining of what a man is and what a woman is, is in direct conflict with the order of creation and will have vast consequences.  We are fooling ourselves if we think that a "good" response to help confused children is to affirm whatever they are believing about themselves.  I plead with lawmakers to remove this dangerous legislation from consideration.


What’s good for one is good for all

The teen years are so hard for all kids on some level. All kids are working hard to fit in and be accepted.  Shouldn’t we make that as easy as possible for all. Even many of our kids are accepting and open to transgender and the LGBTQ community. Isn’t it time we follow their lead and accept EVERYONE for who they are whether we agree or not?  It’s not about whether we agree on the issue, it’s about creating a safe and fair environment so ALL kids can feel safe and be true to who he/she/they are. Someone’s mental health impacts all of us!!


Adamantly Opposed.

Leave the existing restrooms and policies in place and have one or two TG restrooms installed for those who are confused. A little common sense please. Also might consider a special education class for the confused until they grow out of their delusions.


Strongly oppose

Schools have a duty to protect the bodily privacy and dignity of all students.


Model polices are clearly unconstitutional

The Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia's Public Schools are clearly unconstitutional, both in regards to student and staff Free Speech and Religious Freedom rights. Citing and punishing students for "harassment" for "the intentional and persistent use of names and pronouns not consistent with [transgender] identity" is a violation of a student's Free Speech rights. Demanding that "a school staff member agrees to abide by and uphold their school board's policies and procedures" regarding the use of pronoun names found objectionable due to religious conscience violates Article VI of the federal Constitution that specifies that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."


Strongly Opposed

I strongly oppose this proposed policy. It's anti-science and anti-common sense! It will harm our children. I definitely will be voting against all those who are behind this foolish policy!


Strongly Support!

Strongly Support! Let's support all our students.


support

As a mother, former teacher, wife of a teacher and committed community member, I support protections for non-binary, gender non-conforming, trans students. Every student needs to feel safe to learn and thrive. Please support these students and families by providing a safe learning environment.


In Support to treat all students as human beings and citizens

As an educator in the public school system, I see first hand the affect on transgender, non-binary & queer students by not having policies stated. There is a general lack of treatment as  human beings for basic needs such as safety and sanitation which directly affects learning and self esteem. Without guiding documents, bias interferes with the treatment of students as human beings. This is seen historically when the issue at hand is replaced with the issue at the time. I hear the stories of how transgender and non-binary students are treated by the students themselves. It is heartbreaking to see how they face animosity and adversity so early in their lives. Between being a sponsor of the school's GSA and being the president of the local PFLAG chapter, I hear how students are in need of support because of a lack from the schools overall. Safe places and safe people have to be identified and sought after to make it through the education system. Isn't education of information supposed to be the forefront and socialization secondary as students maneuver through public schools? The greatest tool in life is being informed - we create our best opinions from information. With information people can have civil discourse without agreement. There isn't the ask to agree with gender differences; there is the ask to treat one another with civility and humanity. The most vulnerable are our students and they are taught civility and humanity by the actions of adults. Guiding documents will show how human beings should be treated regardless of differences. Our differences are what makes this country so lovely.


Strongly oppose

I cringe at the fact that the definition of transgender in the medical field is not someone that has undergone the physical changes but is just someone that has been declared by a Psychiatrist to be transgender because of extensive phsychiatric treatment. This concerns me because this would expose our children to see member with opposite sexual parts naked in a locker room. I cringe because this could be my son or daughter. Who regardless of social standards would feel totally violated and uncomfortable. Please help us guard the eyes of our children. Guard their minds and eyes from seeing things they should not be expose to until they are mature. If that. I could argue that this is a form of child pornotraphy sent to children. I cannot express how concerning it is for me to find myself in this state, where our nation and our people have come to such lack of logic. That one can decide in one's mind, though evidence to the contrary that we are what we were not born to be.  What would our civilization come to if we don't have women and men to procreate. Our human race cannot continue to exist if we don't have women and men coming together. To think that anything else is natural is illogical.


New Guidance

This is very concerning.  The public schools an government do not have the right to force these type of rules on parents.  Kids should never keep things from their parents and nobody should encourage that to happen.  Also, what happened to the basic understanding that a male is a male and a female is a female. You cannot change what God has created.


In full support

In full support of an inclusive, safe environment for ALL students. Katherine Corl, School Counselor in-training


Opposed

A school's responsibility is to educate students and prepare them to be productive members of society.  It is NOT a school's responsibility to promote alternate lifestyles and to interfere with parental rights.  The majority of students that accept themselves and their gender at birth should not have to share bathrooms and locker room facilities with those that are gender confused.  Providing separate facilities for gender confused individuals is not harassment but accommodation.  There are more provisions of this policy that I vehemently oppose.


Strongly oppose

While I feel sorry for the youth struggling with gender identity, this is so very confusing to children who are not struggling. We can not discount biology. Surely there are supports and services we can provide, but ignoring, even trying to erase, the differences between males and females is harmful to our society. Please reconsider this action.


Commentary on the Proposed VA Transgender Policy

I oppose this proposed guidance as it manipulates the language and reality in affirming transgenderism in our children. Where we share common ground is the anti-bullying piece of this document: no child should be subject to bullying defined as behavior that, “seeks to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable” (Oxford dictionary). Inevitably, bullying has the potential to occur and occurs regularly in any school environment, and teachers and administrators need to exercise prudent and just discipline to stop bullying and rebuke offenders.  Children may suffer from gender dysphoria, just like suffering from anorexia, depression, obesity, speech delays or various other conditions, but none are cause for bullying. I would greatly appreciate if this document identified additional tools for teachers and administrators to use to combat real bullying and other externalizing behavior issues, particularly in cooperation with parents, to identify, challenge, and remediate bully behavior. My children are raised to be observant and recognize reality from falsehood, namely distinct use of language and scientifically observed reality. This proposed guidance manipulates the language and circumvents science in affirming gender dysphoria and I fear that my children would be rebuked and may be bullied into affirming false reality regarding one’s human nature under this guidance. Transgenderism, or the condition where persons suffer from gender dysphoria (American Psychological Association (APA) definition), is not approached appropriately in this document. This guidance also blatantly conflicts with Virginia sexual assault and harassment policy defined as: Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature. [6] Sexual harassment of a student can deny or limit, on the basis of sex, the student's ability to participate in or to receive benefits, services, or opportunities in the school's program. Sexual harassment of students is, therefore, a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX under the circumstances described in this guidance. (ed.gov Sexual Harassment Guide). I have sons and a daughter, and the proposed policy in this document that eliminates the distinction of male and female facilities, particularly restrooms and locker rooms, is horrid and sets the stage for unwelcome interactions to meet the threshold of the Department of Education’s definition of sexual harassment. The proposed guidance also directly states, “School staff should not confront students about their gender identity upon entry into the restroom.” How can you possibly expect to keep children safe from sexual assault and harassment with this type of policy? If a biological male enters a female locker room and exposes his genitalia to the females in the room, maliciously or casually, that is sexual harassment. My daughter does not deserve to be exposed to male genitalia in a public school locker room and doing so destroys innocence and opens the door to significant anxiety. The vice versa of females in male locker rooms holds as well. This policy has the potential to drive a wedge between students and their parents as well. The following excerpt is terrifying: If a student is not ready or able to safely share with their family about their transgender status, this should be respected. There are no regulations requiring school staff to notify a parent or guardian of a student’s request to affirm their gender identity, and school staff should work with students to help them share the information with their family when they are ready to do so. (proposed document p. 12) The family of the child bears complete responsibility for the child. Engaging with the parents regarding anything regarding the physical or mental health of the child is paramount to getting real help for the child. Later in the document, the proposed policy indicates that school administrators need to engage with parents to determine the best course of action for the child, but how can this occur if the parents are not even aware? Imagine if other conditions were treated the same way: anorexia, bulimia, self-mutilation, or substance abuse to name a few. Trust between the school and parents is diminished if these policies are enacted. The school administration has the potential of encouraging a “double life” for the child, delaying help and not activating an authentic support base at home. There is significant inconsistency in the rationale of indulging a student’s gender dysphoria with other trans-X movements. Rachel Dolezal, the former leader of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP, identified as a black woman, despite having been born of white parents and identifying as “transracial.” Public outcry, bullying, and controversy over her “cultural appropriation” forced her to resign and destroyed her academic career. Is this really much different than gender dysphoria? Science observes that people have a distinct biological sex (XX or XY Chromosome, with mutations such as Turner’s syndrome (X), Klinefelters (XXY or XXXY), or Jacob’s syndrome (XYY)) whereas race is much less distinct (I am ¼ Japanese and ¼ Ukrainian and 1/256 Cherokee in addition to others). What is the threshold for determining someone’s race outside of arbitrary guidelines? If it was so wrong for Rachel Dolezal to identify with a race she was not born into by an arbitrary standard, then surely appropriating another sex is just as wrong? I may be 1/256 Cherokee, buy I cannot be 1/256 woman. If appropriating race is not okay, then appropriating sex is worse because of how discrete sex is categorized by science. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are serious conditions especially plaguing teenage women (source: APA) These disorders devastate the body with physical problems including anemia, constipation, osteoporosis, and damage to the heart and brain (APA). Similar to gender dysphoria, those afflicted truly believe that they are overweight and need to indulge in unhealthy practices to reduce their weight. Just as we would never affirm a person suffering from anorexia nervosa by withholding food or encouraging them to induce vomiting, we should also never affirm a child suffering from gender dysphoria by encouraging practices that conflict with their biological sex, such as the use of opposite sex pronouns. These practices only serve to confuse the child about their biological sex. Any child, whether suffering from anorexia or gender dysphoria, deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and compassion without lying to them. Body Identity Integrity Disorder (BIIDs), a real and tragic disorder involving “trans-abled” people that truly believe that while fully abled, believe they are disabled and have an intense desire to adapt their body to a mentally perceived image (National Institutes of Health (NIH)). A real-life example, Jewel Shuping, suffered from BIIDs, wanted to be blind from childhood, and pretended to be blind from an early age. Being proficient in Braille by age 20, she blinded herself by age 21 with the aid of a psychologist. This is a travesty: this woman suffered from very real confusion about a natural faculty (sight) but was indulged and literally blinded by a mental health professional instead of receiving the help she desperately needed.  Where is the outrage? The psychologist lied to her by affirming their desire to be blind without affirming their actual faculty of sight, causing serious harm and irreversible harm. Affirming gender dysphoria, like eating disorders and body identity integrity disorder, harm afflicted people as evidenced by the National LGBTQ task force where transgender people are 33 times more likely to commit suicide. Encouraging “treatments” such as hormone therapy to manipulate one’s natural bodily hormones carries with it dangerous and unhealthy side effects such as blood clots, high lipid levels in the blood, infertility, high blood pressure, diabetes, elevated liver function tests, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, weight gain and worsening of an underlying manic or psychotic condition (source: Mayo Clinic). There is nuance between condemning and indulging transgender people that both affirms their human dignity in a loving and caring way while affirming science in guiding them toward the truth of their being. Statistical science shows that an overwhelming majority, up to 94%, desist and eventually “grow out of” the desire to be transgender (PsyPost, “How many transgender kids grow up to stay trans”).   As adults, we can recognize sincere questions from our children while prudently guide them toward scientific truth to affirm their dignity, first, then the science of their distinct sex as male or female according to their chromosomal and anatomical state. This is not an “either/or” challenge, but rather a “both/and” challenge: we need to BOTH assert compassion for the dignity of our students in a loving and caring way AND assert scientific biological truth to aid them in understanding their physical body, without condescension and bullying. This proposed guidance leads students into significant danger by manipulating established language and scientific reality of the human body and does the opposite of charity and compassion: by lying to students rather than affirming the truth helping students understand this dysphoria. It is wrong to lie to anyone, especially our children who literally look up to us for guidance and truth. The proposed guidance is inconsistent with asserting the truth of one’s biological and scientifically identified body as it affirms a lie that is destructive to the child: that you are not what reality shows you are. I appreciate the VDE’s attempt to provide guidance on bullying and hope you can give administrators and teachers better tools to identify and circumvent actual bullying in our schools. However, I strongly disagree with the guidance in affirming transgender ideology in our students which contradicts truth and science, which is something that we rely on our schools to teach in the classroom. It also sets a dangerous precedent of breeding mistrust between schools and parents and creating an environment where sexual harassment and assault more likely. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proposal.


Abhorrent proposal

Draconian regulations foster fearful families; trust parents to love their children without governmental intimidation.  Common locker and restrooms would cruelly create emotional distress for innumerable youngsters.  Support judgment of dedicated local school professionals who know and care for individual students.


Supported

In full support of an inclusive, safe environment for ALL students.


I strongly support a non-discriminitory environment where all children feel safe and enjoy equality.

I strongly agree with and support the equal rights and inclusion of all students to include transgender youth. They deserve to feel safe and embraced in their learning environment,  as they should everywhere. Hate has no place in our schools.


Adamently Opposed

This move by the VDOE is not motivated by medical evidence but by a leftist political agenda. It severely tramples the constitutional rights of faculty, staff, and students while heartlessly encouraging transgender students to embrace a false view of themselves. It undermines parental rights and will siphon away valuable energy and resources that could be utilized to provide an education that will help our students become responsible and informed citizens in the the 21st century. True compassion for transgender students should involve counseling to help them embrace their biological sex. Anything less is cruel and only serves to further a view of human sexuality that is false and destructive.


OPPOSED!!

No support for a one-sided policy.......that is ruling by FIAT.   Where is the accomodation for differences of belief and gender?


Reckless Policy

The draft Transgender policy being considered by Virginia schools is reckless and poses a grave threat to school staff and parents’ rights and to the privacy and protection of fellow students who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. The first major issue I have with the draft policy is that schools are able to counsel and advise students regarding their sexual identity without the consent or even knowledge of the parents. This deprives parents of their right and responsibility to counsel with and advise and protect their children. Furthermore, if parents are unsupportive of the minor child’s desire to change their sexual identity, the school can involve Child Protective Services. The safeguards in the policy that protect against frivolous involvement by CPS are vague, at best. A school staff member can alert CPS if they become aware of the child being “at risk” for abuse or neglect at home because of their sexual identity. This could be something as simple as a conversation initiated by a parent to discuss the child’s reasoning behind them wanting to change their sexual identity, which could be construed as “bullying” or “harassment.” The second major issue I have is that this policy allows a child to change their sexual identity to gain access to locker or bathroom facilities. This allows to students to take advantage of the fact that they can enter opposite-sex bathrooms and locker areas at will, and staff/teachers are not allowed to question them for fear of disciplinary action. School officials are also not allowed to inform parents that an opposite-sex student used the same facilities as their child. This is a gross invasion of the privacy of the student who is appropriately using his or her gender-assigned facilities, and the parents of said child are not informed or allowed any sort of recourse. This is a bad policy that really is aimed at eroding parents’ rights, especially the rights of religious parents who fundamentally disagree with the idea that you can change your God-given sexual identity. There are other ways to protect Transgender students from discrimination and bullying without violating parents’ rights and infringing on the privacy of fellow students. Go back to the drawing board!


Opposed to this Guidance

I am opposed to the VDOE's proposed guidance on LGBTQ students. The problem is this guidance goes beyond protecting students experiencing gender dysphoria, and instead seeks to normalize/encourage gender dysphoria. This impacts not just the student dealing with gender dysphoria, but also everyone else at the school: other students, teachers, and administrators. The science on gender dysphoria is far from a conclusive or or settled matter. Many studies have shown that the majority of adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria no longer experience it as they reach the teen years or adulthood. Therefore, it is questionable why guidance that seeks to affirm their dysphoria has been proposed. It also goes against common sense that someone could identify as a different sex any more than they could identify as a different race or species. While, undoubtedly, people do experience gender dysphoria, we should seek to provide the necessary support to these students to deal with such an experience, rather than forcing everyone else to live in a world where truth and reality is subjective. The purpose of schools is to educate, we should not be lying to students that they can be a boy or girl or anything in between regardless of what their sex is. We do not teach our students the world is flat, the moon landing was faked, or 2+2=5. To do so would be a lie, and potentially damaging and dangerous to their development. To teach students they can choose to be a boy or girl is no less damaging. Furthermore, this guidance affects all students and staff, not just those experiencing gender dysphoria. The document says the guidance provided for "activities and events" does not apply to athletics. But it then goes on to state that the policies developed for athletics should be "consistent with" the guidance for activities and events. So the document seems to be contradictory. Boys and girls compete in sports separately because we know boys and girls are built differently, and are not physically equal to each other. That allows each sex a level playing field. Allowing a physical boy who identifies as a girl to compete in sports against other girls gives that student a competitive advantage, and also possibly takes away a spot on the team from a girl who would otherwise be allowed to play. It actually undermines title IX. Everyone who interacts with these students are now forced to accept their gender dysphoria as objective truth under this guidance, which it is not. Otherwise, a student, teacher, or administrator will likely be found guilty of discrimination. Students experiencing gender dysphoria deserve an education, and deserve support as they deal with the gender dysphoria. They should not be bullied. It is right to put into place guidance that protects them and creates a supportive environment for them. However, it should not go overboard and seek to distort reality by forcing everyone else to acknowledge, affirm, and accept that these students can be a gender that does not match their sex. To use a metaphor, people should not be punished for refusing to accept that 2+2=5. Furthermore, this guidance seems to have been put forth by people with an agenda based on what is not discussed. Page 8 states: "For many people, their gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. For others, their internalized gender identity does not necessarily correspond to the sex assigned at birth, where the gender identity may be one in a range such as transgender, nonbinary, or gender-expansive. Gender identity is considered an innate characteristic that most children declare by age five to six (Lamb & Lerner, 2015). In 2020, the American Psychological Association (APA) and National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) declared in a resolution that “all persons, including children and adolescents who are diverse in their sexuality and gender identities, expression, and/or presentation, have the inherent human right to equal opportunity and a physically and psychologically safe environment within all institutions.” The American Academy of Pediatrics (2018) also acknowledged that, “variations in gender identity and expression are normal aspects of human diversity.”" However, no contrary viewpoint, that gender dysphoria is not an innate characteristic that most children never declare, is presented. The VDOE should scrap this proposed guidance and write new guidance. The guidance should seek to support students experiencing gender dysphoria without encroaching on the rights of others to reject the idea of gender fluidity as normal. The guidance should recognize gender dysphoria exists for some students without punishing those who do not accept gender fluidity as settled science. I suggest the VDOE also include contributors (psychologists, doctors, scientists, educators) in creating guidance who are have done research with gender dysphoria, but that do not support that affirming students in their dysphoria is best for them.


Strongly oppose

Transgender children don’t want to be treated differently and have attention brought on to them.    Encouraging this discussion will encourage early exploration which will only result in reputations and ridicule to be dished out in an unfair situation.   At least in college, when children are of adult age, the exploring is more accepted.   This is overstepping the lines of parenting and the separation between church and state education.   Keep it to the curriculum.  All students win then.


Opposed to this appalling policy. Parents are parents for a reason. We know what’s best!!!

I cannot begin to express my concern and disgust for the audacity of the BOE to come up with this. The parents that agree with this cannot truly understand the damage this will cause in the family dynamics even the families that support this. We as parents should be the 1st to know what’s going in our children’s lives and when there is a diversion of this it undermines the authority of parents which is dangerous and directly harmful to the children. This will put them in harms way bc their parents cannot protect them if they are out of the information loop. Essentially, This is trash for lack of better words.


Divisive, anti-science and extreme.  Compromise idea.

Adolescence is a tumultuous time, physically, emotionally and behaviorally.  Scientific MRI studies in the last 20 years have established “..the brain undergoes a “rewiring” process that is not complete until approximately 25 years of age.” (in “Maturation of the Adolescent Brain”, Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat . 2013; 9: 449–461).  “Longitudinal neuroimaging studies demonstrate that the adolescent brain continues to mature well into the 20s.” (in “Adolescent Maturity and the Brain: The Promise and Pitfalls of Neuroscience Research in Adolescent Health Policy.”, J Adolesc Health. 2009 Sep; 45(3): 216–221.) This scientific fact is borne out in various public policies:  Minimum voting age is 18 years, military enlistment is 17-18,  car rental age is 21.  It is extremely damaging to promote any side of the gender dysphoria during the adolescent years.  It is much more helpful, scientific and compassionate to support an adolescent questioning gender identity with comprehensive counseling, and proper constructs and procedures to prevent their discrimination yet protect the rights of the rest of the school population.   Parental rights of the students must be respected.


Totally Disagree With VDOE Transgender Policies

I do not approve of or agree with the proposed VDOE guidelines based on radical theories that eradicate all distinctions between male and female in an attempt to indoctrinate our school children. Most of this language suggests schools will be permitted, and maybe even encouraged, to help students explore, facilitate and make decisions regarding their expression of sexual identity while at school, without a parent even knowing about it? Government agencies, or public school systems should not be interfering with parental duties in the handling of their own children. VDOE is proposing very troubling policies to force students, faculty, and administrators to comply with empirically false views of sex and gender, even if it directly conflicts with their own fundamental beliefs. Not to mention, that students, faculty and administrators are not medical professionals and are totally unqualified to asses or guide students struggling with identity issues. The proposed policies suggest parents can no longer parent their children, and that children are being manipulated to disavowing parents' teachings and value systems. Withholding personal information from parents is tantamount to deception. It undermines parts and their teaching. Using restrooms of perceived gender rather than birth gender distorts reality. Perhaps establishing single neutral bathrooms could alleviate the circumstances of using bathrooms based on perceptions rather than reality. Finally, these policies are in direct conflict with many religious teachings and beliefs where non-gender and transgender ideologies are not accepted.


Strongly opposed

Strongly opposed


Oppose Gender neutral language, bathrooms and literature. Bathrooms MUST be separated by Gender.

You cannot safely create a gender neutral environment! It will stunt developmental growth for all children. Girls need separate bathrooms from boys and if you allow children to flop gender- you are opening door to sexual harassment & crime. This will open door for lawsuits against schools.  This also impeaches upon freedom of religion.


Opposed

This is something that should never be taught to children. Also parents should have the decision of whether or not they expose their child to these views..I k ow I do not want my child taught this.


Strongly Oppose

I believe House bill 145 and Senate Bill 161 is reckless and will cause damage to our students, families, and school system. We are also allowing lawmakers to undermine parents as well as put teachers/school staff in positions they should not be in.


Strongly oppose

Strongly oppose


Respect all but strongly oppose

Each student deserves to be treated with respect and dignity but this will be a dumpster fire for the majority of students, especially women. We are going backwards in women's rights at an alarming pace. As a mother of 6 daughters I strongly object to these transgender policies! I have heard many, many conversations between my girls and their friends over the years. Girls are getting UTIs from avoiding the bathroom during school even without this insanity going forward. Our children deserve better than this! As for pronouns, just call everyone by their last names and be done with it.


Opposed!  Where are the protections for the vast majority of the students??

This document does not afford protection to the vast majority of students.  Please reconsider!


Support from the federal government for local policies for transgender students

[President Biden] also said he would reinstate federal guidance, issued by Obama and revoked by Trump, ensuring that transgender students can have access to sports, restrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-day-one-agenda/2021/01/16/71540bde-576b-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html?fbclid=IwAR0BzmXAvOuh_Jc7rle3z-LlGFlKi7Qq4zwww0KHU61Ql-nCwN7rTwHi3no


I strongly oppose! transgenders need to have their own bathrooms with a ? God made Man and Woman!

I strongly oppose. God made Man and Woman. God doesn’t make mistakes! This also posses a safety risk as you could potentially have a young “girl” in with a bunch of young men. This is a horrible idea and a waste of people’s time to even be discussing. It you all feel you need to do something to accept others that don’t call them selfs either a boy or a girl then create jobs and install there own bathrooms and locker rooms. You can put a ? on the door for those that don’t know.


Strongly oppose!

The proposed policies articulate views – such as the view that “Gender identity is considered an innate characteristic that most children declare by age five to six ” – that are far different from those of many parents. Through its blanket endorsement of views like these, the VDOE has gone far beyond the path the General Assembly prescribed. The model regulations infringe the First Amendment rights of parents to raise and care for their children. Schools have a duty to protect the bodily privacy and dignity of all students. No child should be forced to share showers, locker rooms, hotel rooms or other intimate settings with a member of the opposite biological sex. Many children would feel uncomfortable when they encounter a member of the opposite sex – particularly adults – in gendered facilities or when entering a shared hotel room as part of an overnight school activity. Children, particularly adolescents, can experience hypersensitive and traumatic reactions to these situations. Schools should not be accommodating the especially harmful view that youth is an appropriate time to be encouraging, in some cases, irreversible “gender transitions”. The Department’s proposed policies would pit children against their parents when it comes to important questions about sex and gender identity.


STRONGLY OPPOSE!

Strongly Oppose! We are all created either male or female.  This is a scientific fact. Anyone who deviates from this is greatly confused or misguided. Don't expect the rest of us to jump on that crazy train. It is immoral to suggest to a child that they are not what their gender is. It is child abuse to sexualize children! The government becomes immoral when it forces the overwhelming majority of its citizens to embrace immoral and perverse agendas and lies. Will those who pass these laws, let their daughters use the bathroom with boys and vice versa?? I bet not. So don't expect us to.


Transgender

"After legislating gender, if a dude pretends to be a woman, you are required to pretend with him."  This from Dave Ramsey. Has everyone gone nuts?  Saying I am a milk cow does not make me one.  Saying I am a girl does not make me one. Do any of you really believe that a man is a woman because he thinks he is or says he is?  Or the opposite?  Certainly there are people who think this to be true; that is sad and worthy of consideration and treatment and even, to a limited degree, even accommodation.  However, forcing everyone to pretend along with them is a lot sadder and is not worthy of consideration or accommodation.  It is just plain stupid.


LIVE NOT BY LIES!!!

Gender cannot be altered: Any law which insists otherwise is tantamount to a state-mandated article of religious dogma given that there is no evidence for this assertion of gender shape-shifting. GEN der pertains to the mechanism by which GEN etic material is passed through healthy GEN itals (ideally in the context of the GEN erous act of a man/husband/ GEN tlemen (this would be the sperm-wielder for those of you who are confused) coming together with a woman/wife/lady (this would be the egg-wielder for those of you who are deceived) to GEN erate the next GEN eration of our society, nay, our vary civilization. No one has the "right" to adulterate the foundational truths which under-gird a functional civilization. LIVE NOT BY LIES! Don't sew seeds of chaos and anarchy.  Choose truth.  Choose goodness.  Choose beauty.  Choose reality.  For the love of God, choose what is right, and do it now before it's too late to recover this sinking ship.


Vote No to Insanity

Please refer to me by the pronoun "There is no such thing as Transgenderism".


Strongly opposed

This proposal is anti-science, and anti-nature.  With all due respect to those who struggle with sex identity as distinct from biological sex, there is a truth to the matter and ignoring this truth will bring self-inflicted harm to those engaged in denying it.


I fully support Trans Youth!

I have witnessed first hand what happens when schools don’t know how to treat and respond to Transgender students.  My child was verbally harassed daily. The bullies were never punished.  This was just the beginning of our troubles.  The school district wouldn’t take some of our legal documentation provided for record changes.  I felt the Principle’s response to students harassing my child actually reinforced the harassment. In the end we had to change schools for the safety of my child.    The Model Policies are very important for schools to have a uniform understanding on how to treat and support Transgender students.


Strongly Opposed.

It is wrong to FORCE teachers or students who do not believe in the ability change ones sex/gender to use pronouns that they inherently disagree with. Although kindness is to be shown to every human being, the teacher or student can refer to someone by their first or last name, not using pronouns. This way, those of us who hold strong religious or scientific beliefs/facts in only two sexes/genders, are not forced to go against what we hold sacred. By only using the person's first or last name, teachers and/or students are showing the individual respect while still keeping their personal beliefs.  We all have rights in this Country and you can't take away our rights just because you have a different opinion.


STRONGLY OPPOSE

STRONGLY oppose this infringement of parental rights.


Strongly Opposed.  My child's rights are being trampled

There is no changing ones sex/gender.  Man or woman, boy or girl. That's it. No matter what someone does on the outside to change their appearance, it does not change who they are on the inside...down to DNA and skeletal structures.  Can't be done...sorry. God created man and woman. Done. You can't change that just because it's 2021. God did not put an expiration date on His teachings. Respect the student, of course.  We all deserve kindness and love. But allow the person to be called by their name instead of others being forced to use a pronoun they know is wrong.  By forcing this on students - along with permitting transgender students to use whichever restroom or changing room they choose - is just going to create problems for everyone.  Use a private bath or changing room. Creating punishments for teachers and students is just going to create an environment of resentment and many more problems for everyone involved. Think strongly before acting on this. Allow the use of first and/or last names to be acceptable.


STRONGLY OPPOSE

Strongly oppose proposed transgender policies


Strongly OPPOSE

-this is child abuse


Just because President Childsniffer is now president doesn't mean VDOE can join him in his pedo crap. Just because the president is a kiddie piddler, a nonce, a child rapist, doesn't give you the right to mandate pedophilic, pedosadist policies.


VDOE should fire everyone behind these policy proposals - they are obviously sexual deviants who desire to sexual abuse children. These policies are grooming policies. They want these policies so that they can fondle and rape your children. These people are evil. THEY ARE PEDOPHILES. THEY SHOULD NOT WORK IN EDUCATION. FIRE THEM!!!


We elected Ralph "Kill the Babies" Northram to Governor, now he wants them all to be sexually abused too. He's probably doing both in the Governor's palace right now. Yes, gotta make the government make sure all the kids get sexually abused with policies like this. Now that we have a child rapist as president, they are pushing for making sure all the kids get sexually abused. That's what these policies are about. VDOE just wants to take your children and rape them. That's what all the bureaucrats want to do. They are sick, vile, disgusting, people, and they should not be allowed to continue as 'civil servants.' These people really just want to rape children and that's why they are doing all these grooming policies. They want child brothels at every street corner. They want eunach boys to shove their members in. That's what these deviants want. That's why they are pushing this transgender nonsense. These people are filled with hate and want to rape your children to death and mutilate their genitals. That's what these policies are ultimately about. That's the world they are trying to create. They should be opposed at every level and in every way possible. These people are evil, vile and disgusting and they want to rape children because they are sick and twisted like that. And all you people supporting these sick sadistic policies are either equally evil or absolute lunatics who don't know what's going on.


Dr. Samantha Hollins, shame on you, you support pedos, you should be fired, issue a formal apology.

Dr. Samantha Hollins, shame on you, you support pedos, you should be fired, issue a formal apology for this sick and disgusting model policy you have here.


Shannon McKay, shame on you for your pedosadistic policy proposals


Emily Webb shame on you for your pedosadistic policy proposals


Emily Sproul shame on you for your pedosadistic policy proposals


Vee Lamneck shame on you for your pedosadistic policy proposals


Ted Lewis shame on you for your pedosadistic policy proposals


Darrell Sampson  shame on you for your pedosadistic policy proposals


Joseph Wharff shame on you for your pedosadistic policy proposals


Rebecca Askew shame on you for your pedosadistic policy proposals


Shame on you Senator Jill Vogel

This is unthinkable, that the government would potentially usurp a parent's authority or influence over their child(ren).  What were you thinking?


Perversion at its worse. Psychopaths at best.

What is wrong with these people? Government workers are the lowest possible individuals in our society. These compromised individuals think they can raise and influence our children emotional needs?  What happened to teaching reading , writing and arithmetic? School staff are incompetent in the basic skills they are hired to do so they deflect and focus my children sexuality. Really?


Strongly oppose

This is bad policy. Horrible from the beginning. There are two sexes only, male and female. There is no evidence otherwise. Just misguided cognitions of people repurposing their supernatural belief systems on others.  Unevolved thinking and uncontrolled emotions working in overtime.


Toxic and pernicious to our children and society

Opposed. This is terrible formulation of policy. All reference material used in the formulation of this policy were one sided in favor of the transgender delusion.  Parents and adults should remain firmly grounded in reality and evidence based facts. There are only two genders. But as children flirt with other ideas and values they should know that parents and adults remain stable and emotionally grounded. Traveling on this adolescent adventure with your children is toxic and pernicious for all.


Paulette McElwain, CEO, Virginia League for Planned Parenthood

Protect trans youth

The Virginia League for Planned Parenthood stands in full support of legislation to protect the health and well being of all students in Virginia schools. We know that transgender students are more likely to experience harassment, bullying, and violence at their schools due to their gender identity. This must change and policies must be implemented in schools to allow all students to grow and thrive.


Reject

The implication that parents are doing violence against their own children if they connect sex and gender is utterly anti-evidentiary. Sex and gender are interconnected. For nearly every human being born, biological sex will correspond with genital development in the womb. And gender, contrary to the idiotic, pseudoscientific paganism of the gender theory set, is not some free-floating set of biases we bring to the table. Males and females have different qualities in a variety of functions, attitudes, desires and capabilities. In every human culture — indeed, in every mammalian species — meaningful distinctions between male and female remain. To reduce children to genderless unicorns simply awaiting hormonal guidance from within piles absurdity upon absurdity.


STOP this blatant indoctrination and HELP the confused kids who need counseling.

How can anyone support this legislation in good conscience?  NO WAY does this belong in our society, and certainly not in our taxpayer funded schools.  Stop this nonsense and actually help the poor kids who are gender confused, rather than promote the fantasy and confusion, for which data is clearly mounting results in high young adult suicide rates.


Drain the VDOE swamp

It clearly takes more than one presidential term to drain the swamp at the Federal and State levels.  Let's get rid of these fools who are proposing such damaging garbage to our children and society, removing the rights of those to object who have good reason.


LBGT Youth

As a grandparent and a person of the faith community we in the Commonwealth of Virginia must continue to take the lead in recognition and special needs- emotional/ social of this population Being a youth at anytime is rough but especially in this time of Covid19 we must provide the support to the youth and family that they need


Reject

Dear Sir or Madam: The model regulations infringe the First Amendment rights of parents to raise and care for their children.  Please reject HB 145 and SB 161. Our children in elementary, middle, and high school have more important things to worry about than their gender. And it goes against a parent's right to lead and guide their own children.


Transgender Students

There are 2 genders....male and female. Gender is genetically determined , upon egg fertilization by the sperm. Genetic gender determination DOES NOT CHANGE ! That is GOD's policy, and cannot be changed!


Strongly Oppose Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public School

RE: Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools (Model Policies) Please do not pass this legislation of “Model policies” for the treatment of transgender students in Virginia’s Public Schools.  This policy will have a negative impact on our society. There are ample studies that conclude that children and adolescents do not have the cognitive, psychological, emotional, and moral developmental capacity to determine their gender identities. Parents should be involved in any life-changing moments of their child. Perhaps a forum could be developed to help a child discuss these issues with their parents. A concerned citizen


Transgender

strongly opposed! God made man and woman, clearly stated in the Bible. Give them a confused bathroom.


Support of Model Policies Regarding Treatment of Transgendered Students

As a high school administrator, I strongly support the model policies regarding treatment of transgendered students.  These changes to school policy and culture are long overdue in order to promote an inclusive environment in public education.


Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students - comment

I am a forty-year educator in public middle and high schools. It is critically important for the well-being and education of all children that they be provided a "safe and supportive learning environment free from discrimination and harassment." Pre-eminently among this learning environment issues is the nature of the identity of the student from the student's own perspective and practice, not the perspective of the school administration. The issue of identity, access, rights, and participation go far beyond such aspects as bathroom use, of course. However, since opponents of rights measures turn to bathroom issues, we must address them. Schools have many procedures in place to ensure the safety and physical and emotional comfort of our students. Students cannot just go where they please and do what they please, and bathrooms are among the areas of greatest focus. Boys (and girls, for that matter) cannot just go where they please; if there is any harassment anywhere, teachers and administrators are on it to stop it immediately and ensure it does not happen again. To continue following the most common false scenario presented, that boys will have "unfettered right" to enter the girls' bathrooms: the issue here is identity, not whim. Schools do not allow any student unfettered right to do anything, and schools are also thoroughly engaged with minors with regard to their consistent, self-proclaimed but also fully-lived identity. A boy who decided to "give it a try" going into the girls' rooms would be reported by the girls, disciplined by the administration, and - frankly - have a lot more to explain to his peers about his supposed identity than any rule book would require. To be more succinct: we are not that naive, and we have procedures in place to prevent such false equivalencies. In the meantime, in real classrooms, schools, and bathrooms, transgender youth (in particular boys) suffer real emotional and physical abuse by those who bully them in those bathrooms with which adults have forced them to identify. The trauma of identity is already deep enough; to add the truly unbearable load of further abuse by those peers who are intolerant of non-norm behavior is cruel and dangerous. It leads certainly to an environment in which the transgender child cannot concentrate on learning; in horrifying cases all too common, to self-destructive behaviors. We must, as a country which proclaims its dedication to freedom to at the very least allow individuals the freedom to discover and live their own identity. We in the schools are prepared to support and protect all children, both as they learn who they are and as they learn whom others are, and how to treat them with dignity and respect. Let's begin with our laws backing up what we say we believe in.


Transgender dictate

My children are being raised to be accepting, but my values do not get overridden by liberal, godless dictates. Strongly opppse!


STOP THIS NOW

As an educator sincerely concerned for the welfare of all children, I cannot support this bill in any way. Not only is it detrimental to the mental health of all children (trans, not and undecided)  bringing serious crisis to our most impressionable, but it also contributes to the ever-increasing confusion children in our society are having forced upon them. If this is passed, America and its most precious resource, our children, will be dealt a blow from which future generations will not recover.


I oppose this legislation

I do not want anatomical boys in anatomical girls bathrooms/locker rooms or vice versa.  I feel if kids are able to choose whatever gender they want, it is inviting alot of trouble.  There is a huge loophole in your legislation that invites those with mal intent to take advantage.  Bullying, rape, teen pregnancy, and the list goes on.....  We have separate bathrooms for safety and privacy.  You can not remove the rights, privacy and safety of the majority for the "hurt feelings of a few.  There needs to remain bathrooms that are anatomically specific so kids that prefer to identify with their born anatomical gender (the majority) can feel safe knowing there are boundaries to areas where they are physically vunerable.


Transgender bathrooms

Strongly disagree! Bring bibles back to school! God help us all!


House Bill 145 - Senate Bill 161 Transgender In Schools

I very strongly oppose the proposal transgender polices. It violates my rights as a parent and the rights of my child. It is not appropriate to have a boy changing in a girls locker room or using a girls bathroom.


full support of equal rights for students

The issues addressed by the proposed policies are not questions of 'special treatment' or 'preference', as some opposing comments on this forum state. What is at stake in these policies is a basic issue of human rights: the right of students to access public education without having to sacrifice their identity, or their safety. In considering this policy, it is also important to think of what not passing this legislation means. The alternative to ratifying this document is not a neutral stance, it is an active choice to discriminate against and marginalize students on the basis of gender. The importance of this policy extends beyond its direct effect on the inclusion and well-being of transgender students. Public schools are where most kids learn the social skills, values, and practices that come to define and shape their adult selves. Passing this policy would be a meaningful step towards developing learning environments that model acceptance, allyship, and compassion, not just for trans students but for all members of the community. For these reasons, as well as those that have been listed by other contributors, I am in full support of this legislation.


Support

I am writing in support of the Model Policies on the Treatment of Transgender Students because students who feel safe and are validated at school learn more and can better contribute to their communities and careers. As a graduate of Virginia public schools who has worked directly with Charlottesville City students, I can speak first-hand to the importance of safe and welcoming classrooms. Young people who don’t feel safe at home often need school to be a warm and supportive environment - these Model Policies are an important step to ensuring that can happen for trans and nonbinary students in the Commonwealth of Virginia. GLSEN's 2019 National School Climate Survey shows that transgender and nonbinary students feel less safe at school and miss school more often because of feeling unsafe compared to their cisgender peers. Transgender and nonbinary students also report higher rates of victimization and discrimination than their peers, especially regarding respect for their names and pronouns and access to bathrooms and locker rooms. Transgender and nonbinary students should feel safe and included in their learning communities. No one deserves to be bullied, harassed, or discriminated against in their school, which is a place where they are supposed to be able to learn and be a part of a community that accepts them for who they are. Schools teach students how to succeed but they also teach students how to treat each other. This proposed rule will make Virginia schools a better place to learn for transgender and nonbinary students, which creates a better learning environment for all.  Thank you for your commitment to ensuring safe and welcoming schools for all Virginia students. Sincerely, Courtney Fox


Strongly Against This Bill

I am strongly against this bill. This is not right at all and one of the many issues with this world today. Do not pass this bill!!!


Model policies for the treatment of transgender students in public schools

Strongly oppose!


Absolutely not - totally against.

No! Absolutely not.


OPPOSED

I strongly oppose this proposal which seeks to eradicate any biological distinction between male and female, subverts parental rights and responsibilities, and threatens to punish those who cannot in good conscience acquiesce to this moral insanity.


No!

Strongly Disagree


Strongly against

This is completely wrong. Please use your moral compass and correct judgment.


No from Vinton Va

Strongly oppose!


Strongly disagree

strongly disagree


Strongly oppose

shaye Strongly against it and it is hurting my children.


Strongly Opposed

This is not safe.


Very Concerned Parent - Oppose

Very concerned and frustrated parent in FCPS. This is complete overreach by the state. There are multiple ways to protect transgender students without 99% of the ideas listed here.  The last year has completely exposed how little you care about students and education and showed how very agenda driven everything is. The loyalty is certainly not with any children or their families. To say I am shocked and disappointed with VA and FCPS is an complete understatement. These guidelines are not about protecting transgender students, or anyone really. This is a power grab. We simply won't be sticking around to find out how much further you can go. Like many of our friends with kids have already done this year, we'll move out of state if this continues. Please just stop. Its getting to be too much and ridiculous.


Totally Against this!

Not in favor!


Strongly Support

Protect trans kids. Trans people aren't dangerous, and the Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools would be very helpful for normalizing the existence of trans people and especially trans kids. Being trans is real, and it's very important to let trans people be who they want to be. As a trans person I truly just want to be able to be myself without being scared for my safety, and that doesn't hurt anyone. Please support trans students. I want them to be able to grow up in environments that allow them to explore their identities safely.


Strongly Opposed

Unconstitutional


In favor of students making their own choices

Most opposition to this movement comes from a religious perspective and that cannot affect our school policies. We must have policies against transgender discrimination in our schools. A person's gender expression should be their own choice and school policies should allow trans boys to be treated as boys and trans girls to be treated as the girls they are.


Not in Favor

Strongly against it!


My Right to Decide, not Yours!

Certainly all students have the right to feel comfortable in school, but your mission is to educate students in academic matters.  Matters regarding sexual orientation and preference fall under the domain of the child's parent(s).  The vast majority of students do know their sexual orientation, and their rights to privacy may not be overridden for the benefit of a few. Respect should be given to all. I object to this proposal. Thank you.


Whole-heartedly disagree

Such policies actually support no one. What you are doing actually creates an uncomfortable environment and can lead to resentment on all sides as well as endangerment. If you wish to help these children, then supply transgender facilities separate from male and female facilities. Then anyone who wishes can use those without taking away another student's rights. In essence you are taking another's freedom and violating it, all the while claiming you are being inclusive.  This is not inclusion. This is violation and dictation.  Also, the government did not birth these children, it is not their responsibility to raise them.


Totally Against

I could put a lot of things but i am totally against it!


Support

I support this guidance for safety and inclusion of our transgender and non-binary students.


Strongly opposed

Not in favor at all!


Strongly Oppose!!!

Children should ONLY be allowed to use the bathrooms and locker rooms with others that share their biologically born sex.  To allow otherwise completely violates the rights, psychological  and physical security of the major majority of the student body.


FULL SUPPORT!

Trans liberation is human rights. Equal treatment among all students is IMPERATIVE for a safe learning environment.


Not in Favor

Strongly oppose this bill.


Support for Model Treatment for Transgender Students

I am writing in support of this to protect youth who are transgender.  They have a hard enough time in school without putting up with outdated attitudes.  All students should be treated equally.


Oppose!

A person’s gender is determined at conception! Just because a person disagrees with God’s creation of their sex does not mean that they should be treated any differently!


STRONGLY oppossed

The transgender ideology encourages small children, ESPECIALLY homosexual children who often live in a homophobic environment and believe that they could only love the same sex if they change their gender, to mutilate themselves. The best thing you can do to "protect transgender kids" is to prevent them from falling into this, prevent them from mutilating themselves.


Opposed

I support any anti-bullying measures regarding Transgender children, but I DO NOT support not telling parents, referring parents to CPS if they do not fully get on board with their child’s transition, the whole bathroom/locker room thing, etc.  Transgender individuals should be viewed with complete  acceptance, but the schools should not interfere in the parent/child relationship and should not allow people who say they identify with another sex be treated as that sex.   Let’s follow the science called biology.  Everyone is born with chromosomes making them male or female.   Nothing is going to change that.  Express yourselves however you want or - be a masculine female or an effeminate male, dress the part of you like, but at the end of the day you either have XX chromosomes or XY.  Use that pronoun, use that bathroom, compete with others who have the same chromosomes as you.


Basic Human Rights Are Not A Lot Ask For

Please consider expanding the “rights” of trans youth to include the ability to use the bathroom that affirms their gender. I can’t believe this is even up for discussion in 2021, but of course it is sigh. I have hope that the majority of our representatives will recognize how important the ability to use the correct restroom is to trans kids; to deny them this basic right would be one more system telling them they don’t belong in public spaces and can’t live freely as themselves. I fully support any and all efforts to permanantly secure these rights and hope our elected officials consider how their kids would feel were they in the same boat.


Support Trans Youth

As a secondary teacher, I see the discrimination against trans students firsthand. Many school policies cause irreparable emotional damage to trans students. We MUST provide a safe environment for ALL students and treat students with respect.


Strongly Oppose

I want to keep it like God created it... Male and Female.


I support protecting children

Full support for this policy. No support for the people that don't believe in protecting children. They're the ones who are sick and don't want to protect our students here in VA. They claim to be for a God that is good and created everything in His image but refuse to understand that every child, male, female and everything in between. Please review the science. Please review your religion. Please remember that there are more religions than Christianity in this country and also, review the first article of the US Constitution regarding separation of church and state.


Protect ALL Children not just a few

Parents nor their underage children should be making decisions about gender! There is no decision to be made. The confused state of a child or parent should not be forced upon other children. ...what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right these days and we all will suffer for it.


treatment of transgenders

Follow the science.  DNA science tells us the sex of a person.  When the person's mind does not agree with scientific facts, the person needs psychological counseling.


I support, here's why you should too!

I strongly support this initiative. All school children deserve to be treated respectfully and with consideration, regardless of age, gender identity, or gender expression. This can only foster better learning. I have a response for those that oppose. Those that oppose have a few reasons. 1. Trans women in bathrooms and changing rooms will endanger young cis girls. This has been addressed time and time again in public restrooms as being a non issue, why would it be any different in high school? Also stalls offer plenty of privacy. 2. If you're born male, you are a man and if you are born female, you are a woman. This has been disproved by scientist and the average person is not more qualified than scientists and peer reviewed research to make this type of statement. 3. It goes against the Bible! First off, seperation of church and state is essential and secondly, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”  (Galatians 3:28). Lastly 4. You are taking away my right as a parent in how I raise my child. As many have mentioned, that is what other options like home schooling are for. No one if infringeing on your rights by fostering an inclusive learning environment.


Strongly Against

Certainly Opposed to this bill.


Strongly support

I absolutely support the guidance document. I think it will help foster education and gender inclusion in a school setting. Please don't cave in to those ignorant folks who complain about bathrooms; there is no factual basis to that argument. Support trans kids -- they are just as important as cis kids, and they are at higher risk for  suicide, addiction, running away. They deserve better.


Strongly Oppose

Regarding the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) draft model policies for the treatment of transgender students - I strongly oppose this. All of this. It is subjective and completely removes parents from things that involve their children, their children’s safety and mental well being.


Strongly Against

I have granddaughters in school and this scares me!


Strongly Oppose

No comments.


Strongly Support

All the people opposing don't truly know how it feels to be an outcast. Trans kids should all have the same protections that everyone else deserves and this is the first step towards the end of their wrongful discrimination.


Strongly Support

My stepdaughter is almost 16 and recently realized they are non-binary. They've been through so much with their parents divorce and now my divorce from their father. They already struggled with depression and anxiety, and as they are discovering themself, I want them to be able to do so as safely as possible. They were previously bullied, and I want any and all protections there can be in place for them.


I support the guidance

Trans rights are human rights. I support the guidance.


This bill will save lives!

As a public school high school coach for over 15 years of both girls and boys sports, I fully support this bill. My heart breaks when I read a lot of the other comments and all the ignorance that surrounds this issue.  Students need love and support, especially those who feel different, and are looked at as different by society. I feel any argument against this bill would be an argument copied and pasted from arguments against allowing African American's to be treated as equal, to allow white students and black students to date and eventually marry, to allow students who are homosexual to god-forbid use the bathroom with other students.  For a student to come out as transgender, is more difficult and braver than anything these negative commenters have ever done in their life.  They aren't risking all the horrible things they will be subjected to by these negative commenters so they can go into a different bathroom.  They are risking it all because they have to be true to themselves.  Please support our students, all of our students! Be on the right side of history.


100% fully support

Trans rights are human rights.


Strongly Oppose

It goes against all common sense. I don’t have children that is school age now but i do have grandchildren. I will pay for them to go to christian school personally if this goes through.


NO NO NO

THIS IS TERRIFYING TO ME AS A VICTIM OF RAPE BY A CROSSDRESSING MALE SELF IDENTIFIED WOMEN IN A SCHOOL BATHROOM. IT WILL! HAPPEN! TO YOUR KID! IF YOU LET THIS LAW PASS!


Full Support

I am in full support of this Bill. ALL students, including Trans students deserve to feel safe, protected, and equal. Students can only thrive in an environment which supports them fully and wholly.


Advocate for equality and inclusion

Transgender students need support, starting at the youngest age possible! The earlier we display to our youth that transgender people are people who deserve respect, the sooner it will be normalized (as it should be!). This is not impacting students who are not transgender and it is not promoting students to change but rather it is a way to demonstrate respect and support for those who are going through the process of changing. I support! This can make for a bettter tomorrow and a more inclusive generation! - This is coming from a straight, cisgender, college aged female who believes in basic human rights!


I am strongly opposed

Against this!


Strongly support inclusion and safety of children

Children should feel included and supported in schools as this is where they are most of the time, they should feel safe as well so providing protection to these students allow them to express themselves regardless age. Yes I see how bathrooms could be an issues to handle however everything has a start. As someone who has faced discrimination based on my ethnicity, I would not want to wish this upon anyone who has a different cultural background, sexual orientation, religion, etc. Protect the children and give them the safe environment they have the right to have! Next step to a more inclusive environment!


Oppose

So much evil within our country. To think that we would allow a child to decide that they should choose their sexual orientation and then allow them to enter into locker rooms with opposite sex also teachers of the opposite sex.. we are asking for trouble. What makes it ok for a teacher, for example a male to be in a locker room with a child(ren) that are female that identify as male.. does the teacher become a sex offender???? This is ridiculous.. our tax dollars are being spent on the wrong things.


Strongly oppose - find another solution

I am concerned at the scope of this action/policy. We need to find a way to encourage and love EVERYONE, and that includes those who are both for and against the sexual identity movement. I'm concerned that these policies take away student privacy, encourage questioning about one's own identity, and prevent a true change of heart. First, I'm struck by the tone and reach of these policies. They seem very punitive rather than encouraging. When did we stop talking to each other and encouraging mutual respect?  Now it seems we write policies to penalize people for having differences of opinion. We replace teaching each other how to be respectful, courteous and loving with policies that force people to fall in line.  You simply cannot change the heart through overbearing policy. I'm concerned that this is an attempt to normalize transgender when this situation is not at all normal. Many kids need to work through a period of sexual questioning before they are comfortable in their own bodies. It's part of growing up and maturing. Those who are older and make the choice to transition can certainly make that choice, but this is not something that should be actively encouraged and pushed on to our children. I'm concerned about the privacy issues as well. I certainly don't want my children sharing bathrooms with people of the opposite sex just because they claim they identify as the same sex. People (kids) will take advantage of ambiguous gender boundaries, and it will be difficult to discern who's faking it and who is not. I'm in favor of fully transitioned people using the same bathroom as the sex they've transitioned into. That makes sense. But until then, keep bathrooms and sleeping arrangements, etc. separate to protect the privacy of others. I feel like you all are doing this to accommodate a few at the cost of the majority of students who identify simply as male/female. Unfortunately those students will end up being shamed for their own identity and penalized for not using all the correct identifying terms. In addition, you are undermining the parents' relationship with their children. Parents should be having these conversations with their kids, not the school. The school needs to immediately inform a parent if any student expresses sexual identity questioning or a desire to transition. Perhaps with that notification, the school can help guide parents to resources that would help the discussion, but the parents need to be the main voice to the child here. Not the school. This is a VERY slippery slope. I am in favor of finding some solution to ensure that people who feel the need to transition are embraced with love. But I am not in favor of any of these actions, and I fervently oppose adopting this policy. Finally, I close by saying that you all need to focus more on teaching our students than this type of initiative. Please do your jobs!


No,No,No

I strongly disagree with these policies, kids need to be kids!!! If you want to accommodate, that’s one thing,but putting to much on children,and to much at risk, to much can and will go wrong with this policy, Remember we are the parents let’s act like it,teach at home,  I vote NO it’s morally and ethical wrong on so many levels.


Strongly support

As a Virginia educator, I strongly support the protection and equal treatment of all students.


Protect trans kids

I strongly support any guidelines that help to protect Virginia’s trans and nonbinary kids. These children are especially vulnerable to bullying, violence, abuse and hate (see some of the Opposed comments on this bill) and they need help just to stay alive.


I support this policy

As a genderqueer Virginian, I support this policy to make the lives of trans kids easier.


this is anti science

basic biology tells us that if a person has an xx , they are female. if they have xy, they are male. no ammount of mutilation or hormones will change this.


God help us oppose these radical and tyrannical mandates, and watch over this country, all our teachers, all our children, all our political leaders, and all those opposed and in favor of this mandate.  Draw us closer to yourself, Lord, and help us to have the courage to love as you love.  Amen.


Strongly oppose

I strongly oppose this bill. This allows school personnel to insert themselves into the life of a child and drive a wedge between them and the parent. Not using correct pronouns is not violence and should not be a reason to contact Child Protective Services. Also, I do not want boys to be allowed to enter a girls bathroom without being stopped. This opens the door to all kinds of issues. If there is a transgender kid and they would prefer a different bathroom, give them access to a completely separate private bathroom. They should NOT under any circumstances enter the bathroom of the opposite sex. This will protect all parties. Another consideration is if a female who feels they are a boy enters the boys bathroom could be hurt by the biological males. They need to be protected as well and should use a separate bathroom if they do not want to enter the girls bathroom. All this to say, is the transgender conversation should happen at home with parents and should not be influenced by school personnel AND all parties (females, males and transgenders) should be and feel protected in school bathrooms.


STRONGLY AGAINST THIS

TRANSGENDERS ARE PEDOPHILES OBSESSED WITH MUTILATING THE GENITALIA OF CHILDREN


Support

According to the Trevor Project's 2020 LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health Survey, the largest of its kind, more than 50% of transgender and non-binary youth have seriously considered attempting suicide within the past year, over 60% have engaged in self-harm within the past year, and over 75% have experienced symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder within the past two weeks.  When it comes to protective factors, studies show that LGBTQ+ youth who attend schools with a Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and anti-bullying policies, who can use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity, and who have their chosen name and pronouns respected report better mental health outcomes (up to 50% decrease in suicidal ideation).  These findings are consistent with the abundant social science research out there that substantiates the need to create and adopt policy guidelines like the ones we are presented with today--ones that celebrate gender diversity instead of stifling it. In my work with transgender and non-binary youth, I often hear accounts of experiences with hostile teachers, administrators, and counselors.  It infuriates and saddens me that, instead of affirming the identities of an already marginalized and vulnerable group, many adults in our education system are fighting for the right to discriminate against them.  The bullies in our kids' lives sometimes turn out to be the very adults who are supposed to be educating, guiding, and protecting them.  We must have policies in place that hold all school districts accountable to the same standards of equity and inclusion so that all young people can get an education while being their authentic selves.  This will also help ensure that rural youth can enjoy the same protections and supportive environments as urban youth. These guidelines will not only actively foster inclusive environments for transgender and non-binary students, but they will also provide binary, cisgender people (adults and youth alike) with meaningful opportunities to examine and discuss their own privileges related to gender identity and expression.  I strongly support these guidelines as a non-profit professional who works with youth at an LGBTQ+ center in Virginia, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, as an academic with a graduate degree in gender and sexuality, and as an activist who has fought and organized for LGBTQ+ liberation for the past two decades.


SUPPORT

As a parent of children in Virginia's public schools, I strongly support these policies. I can't imagine how much better my life would have been with such policies in place. I am so, so glad my children are growing up in a time when they and their peers can exist as themselves. We must ensure that all children are safe and supported in school so that they can receive an equitable education. We cannot allow discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and schools should be a place where children are safe from the bias expressed in some of these comments.


Transgender document

Oppose!!


Strongly oppose

Teachers and school administrators should not usurp the role of parents. Excluding parents from the lives of their children, even where difficult issues are involved, is not in the best interests of the child in the long run.


Strongest Oppose!

Gender dysphoria is clearly mental illness.  It should no more be accommodated than of a student who thinks he's a fried egg.   We don't give frying pans to persons who think they are eggs....  We should definitely not encourage delusions to those with XX chromosomes to pretend they are men, nor those with XY chromosomes to pretend they are women.  The state has no duty at all to go along with personal delusions of a very few people, rather it does have a duty to protect children...  The state also has a duty to protect women's sports--from biological men, who seek unfair advantage.


Oppose

The proposed policy is highly offensive. Gender is biological, not self-determined.


Trans rights are human rights.

All transgender children deserve to feel safe and accepted in public spaces.


Fully support

I fully support policies being developed so that transgender students can feel safe and accepted in schools.


ABSOLUTELY

As a member of the LGBTQ+ Community I am tired of seeing my transgender friends and family be discriminated against. There should be rules set in place to protect them. They are humans just like you and I. There should be no question whether they have protection or not. I 100% support this, TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS!


Strongly oppose

I do not think this is a wise decision and I strongly oppose


Strongly support

No one should be prevented from getting a quality education because they are fearful of teasing and bullying. Overwhelmingly, transgender/non-binary kids are the subjects of this bullying. I strongly support any legislation that will afford them the protections they need for their mental and physical well-being while they pursue their education.


Strong support for implementation of these policies

The good, evidence-based measures recommended by this document have my strong support for implementation. The support these policies provide for transgender students is critical and comes bitterly late -- but better late than never. They are necessary if we take seriously our duty to treat all people as created equal, including transgender children. Please implement them broadly and post-haste. And as Jesus Christ would say to the horrific negative comments posted here: "Let the kids take a in peace, God damn."


Support

As it is now, transgender students face a myriad of issues in school, such as harassment by students and inadequately developed resource programs. As a student myself, I have seen the struggles my friends encounter daily. Since many staff may not now how to properly treat or interact with a transgender student, I believe that model policy is absolutely necessary in helping improve the treatment of these children in schools. Trans students, and every student in general, deserve an education that is enjoyable and free of harassment. It is difficult to develop a love of learning if your place of learning is not a welcoming environment for you.


Whats next? Allowing Women to Vote?!

Who would want to support these children risking life and death to live their truth?  What's next? You're gonna tell me its safe to allow women to vote? That we should allow blacks in our schools? I'm scared I tell you.  Who knows what would happen!  Should we just allow people to marry animals?  That's what you're saying right? Thats what's gonna happen!  If you tell me that the public school system is allowing an openly gay student to use the bathroom with straight students, you might as well know that everyone in that bathroom is coming out gay!  This is not what God intended.  White-Jesus would be rolling in his tomb right now if he hadn't died for all the sins of our good white Christian men to allow this ridiculous act of unconditional love.  I say we stop this now and bring back conditional-only love for our students in our schools.  Bring it back! Bring it back! Bring it back!


Transgender students in VA schools

Strongly oppose


STRONGLY Oppose

JUST Stop with this nonsense! When is it going to end? You all know this isn't about changing their gender. It's more about what happened to this poor kid what he or she went through. You need to work with their soul not body parts! And make them more confused.  This will lead kids to depression and suicide??. Please stop in Jesus name and turn to him he can help ask him he'll answer. GOD LOVES Avery One of You. But he hates sin that you want to make it legal in Schools. If God  against it then I'm ?? % Oppose. GOD BLESS America and Forgive her sins ??


I Support the Virginia Department of Education Model Policies.

I support the Virginia Department of Education model policies. As a transgender Virginian, I know first hand how important it is for students to live safely in their authentic gender. Data from the National Center for Transgender Equality and other researchers show that the ability of transgender people to live in thier authentic gender is a powerful protection against suicide. But those same researchers have amply documented the heartbreaking effects of violence and discrimination directed against transgender people, especially in schools. All children have the right to an education in a safe environment. These policies are an important element in fufilling that right.


Strongly support

This will save lives!


Totally Oppose

Totally oppose this document and its "guidance".


Oppose - and the bathroom is the LEAST of my concern

Its everything else. Removing parents rights, forcing language, and so on... Stop. How about you open school normally first.


Strongly Support

It is unfortunate many in our state do not realize the government shall make no law respecting an establishment of a religion, or prohibiting the free exercize thereof...if the reason to not endorse this legislation is based on religion, it can not stand.  Attending school with a transperson does not infringe on the religious rights of the cis person.  If this is a matter of competing in sports, or using restrooms, I suggest constituents educate themselves. Trans people are NOT trying to sneak into a bathroom to rape members of the opposite sex.  They are not trying to outsmart school sports to compete at an unfair advantage.  They are trying to be who they truly feel they are without bullying, attack, or exclusion.  Most kids are savvy enough to know a trans kid in the bathroom versus a predator.  This idea that a young CIS man can't follow a young woman into the restroom during class when halls are empty and then rape her is naive.  It can happen, and shaming trans kids won't stop it from happening.  Let us value kids and their lives and try to prevent transphobia.  Sex education is taught in schools, not just reading writing and 'rithmatic.  Lets not pretend those are things learned exclusively at home.


Strongly oppose!

Strongly oppose!


NO NO NO

ABSOLUTELY NOT


Strongly opposed ,school system should not engage in social issues

School should be academic ,reading ,writing etc,social and political agendas have no place in education system.its solely should stick to education ,if there has to be a bathroom it should be separate from others or it's discrimination against herto- sexual and those of Christian faith.


Everyone deserves a safe learning environment.


Support of Inclusive GuidanceI support the guidance

I support the guidance. Trans and non-binary students should be treated equally and with respect in public schools.


Rejecting trans people alienates LGBT+ people and allies

It's a verifiable fact that bullying and lack of support increase suicide rates for all LGBT+ youth. Anything that helps marginalized people feel safe and supported will benefit society at large. Trans people don't want special treatment, they want the same respect afforded to cis people.


Full support for trans students!

I recently graduated from a Philadelphia highschool, so I know first hand that many students still have backwards hateful views of trans people. Guidelines like these are the beginning of making the lives of trans students more bearable. Our country's schools should work to create and promote progressive thinking and the first step is to treat trans people like people. It isn't immoral, it doesn't promote sexual assault, it simply states that we should do the bare minimum and treat these living breathing people as people. Support trans students now and forever.


Strongly Support!

I am writing to express support for these policies. As a high school student in the 1990's, my life was changed by a health teacher who taught us that both gender and sexual orientation exist on (different) spectrums, and that most people are somewhere in the middle. It was the only support I received as a queer, nonbinary person in my entire education, and it is the most important thing I ever learned in school. This important policy will remind trans students that they are perfect as they are, and supported, despite what other discrimination and bullying they might face.


This is the opposite of protecting the children!!! Vote NO!!!

This exposes all students to exploitation by all students, total lack of privacy, total lack of responsibility in behavior and dress in what is supposed to be a learning environment and is illegal in violating a parents right to information about their children. This law will create more confusion and sexualize our children when they should be learning about reading, writing and arithmetic and science. This agenda has no place in schools. It is a private matter for families to handle. It violates religious freedom, the entire reason many people immigrate here in the first place, and forces the religion of transgenderism on innocent children and young people who haven’t even a need to be thinking about those topics yet! STOP SEXUALIZING CHILDREN!!!


Strong Support

I strongly support this call for equality. Trans rights are human rights. All schools have a responsibility to ensure a safe experience for all students.


Disagree

I disagree with the proposal. School is meant to educate children on core subjects, and not to impose opinions and more regulations on families and educational staff.  The subject of gender preference is  subjective  topic, which doesn't belong in a public school setting.  It is distracting from true education and violates the separation of church and state in  schools. These are social issues that are for parents to educate their children on, not the schools.  It would be better to spend the funding and time on improving the level of math , science, geography, history, true language arts, music, and PE in our schools to make our children more competitive in the world.


In support

I strongly support these measures. Trans equality now.


STRONGLY OPPOSE!!

You job as elected officials is to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Exposing young girls and young women to biological men in bathrooms, dressing rooms and locker rooms is the opposite of that and opens them to the abuse of having to see biological men's naked bodies at very least, and rape and sexual assault at the worst. Do the right thing and don't pass this policy. God is watching and will hold you accountable for your actions here.


Opposed

While I believe that every human being deserves to be treated with dignity, this policy seems to be one sided, not taking into account the responsibility of parents in raising children. I think a better policy could be produced if other voices were included in the process.