Tell the VDOE's Superintendent of Public Instruction: No anti-trans policies in Virginia's schools

Act Now

Last September, Governor Youngkin's Department of Education (VDOE) proposed updated policies on the treatment of transgender and nonbinary students in Virginia's public schools. These policies were a rollback of existing affirming policies, which were designed to ensure the inclusion and safety of trans youth in our schools. The new proposed policies do the exact opposite: they attempt to erase trans and nonbinary youth from the classroom.

These policies ignore evidence-based best practice and greenlight harm to trans and nonbinary youth. Despite extensive public comment highlighting these harms and opposing the policies, the Department has opted to move forward with them anyway, defying the will of the majority of Virginians who commented.

It's imperative that the Youngkin administration knows that Virginians do not support these policies and wish to see them rescinded. Send a message to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Lisa Coons, and tell her: Harming trans and nonbinary students to advance a dangerous political agenda while ignoring the will of Virginians is unacceptable.

Message Recipients:
Governor Youngkin
Superintendent Lisa Coons
Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera

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Your Message

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Subject Rescind harmful policies and stop attacks on trans youth

Last year, Virginians turned out in droves to oppose VDOE's proposed model policies on the treatment of transgender and nonbinary students in Virginia's public schools. Despite this opposition, you opted to move forward with implementing these harmful policies, endangering the wellbeing of countless trans young people in our Commonwealth. As a Virginian, this deeply concerns me.

These policies at best invite - and at worst, require - discrimination that violates state and federal law. They contradict evidence-based best practices for the treatment of transgender and nonbinary youth, which may result in lower school attendance, lower self-esteem, higher rates of depression, and higher rates of physical and sexual assault. They even allow schools to forcibly out students who are not safe to be themselves at home, putting a political agenda before the safety of children.

Message Body

I urge you to listen to the thousands of Virginians who have and continue to speak against these harmful policies and rescind them in full. I urge you to stop using trans and nonbinary youth as pawns to advance a political agenda and commit instead to using your authority to protect them. I remind you that you were appointed to serve all of Virginians – not some.

Please do the right thing, rescind these policies, and make our schools a safe and affirming learning environment for EVERYONE.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Tell the VDOE's Superintendent of Public Instruction: No anti-trans policies in Virginia's schools

Act Now

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