High School Parents Protest Lavatory, Locker Room Access Based on “Gender Identity”

US — Staunton, Virginia. On July 1, 2021, hundreds of parents showed up at the Augusta County Government Center to protest the Virginia Department of Education’s new policy, which instructs school districts throughout the state to end as many sex-segregated activities and programs as possible. As a result of the state department’s “Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Virginia’s Public Schools,” the Augusta County School Board is looking to align its policies with state law. As outlined in the policy (pdf), schools “frequently maintain separate restrooms, locker rooms or other facilities for males and females. Students should be allowed to use the facility that corresponds to their gender identity.” (Italics added) Among other concerns, parents spoke of their fears over sexually-abused children being re-traumatized, and of individuals taking advantage of the policy to harm children.

I’m not here to label transgender as an evil person or a bad person at all. But, who knows when someone that isn’t transgender would use it as a cover to harm our children? Even if it happens one time, that’s one time too many. – Danielle Showalter, expressing unease about the new policy

However, Rodney Young, the School Board’s attorney, stated that the Board will be in direct violation of the law if it does not pass the policy. If it violates the law, the Board could face potential lawsuits, and a loss of funding:

Local school boards have pre-eminent authority with regard to the supervision of the schools in the school division. That does not give local school boards the authority to violate clearly existing law.

The Board is expected to make a decision on the new policy prior to the start of the new school year.