Know your Rights
Pride Liberation Project
Know Your Rights
If you’re worried your rights have been violated or would like to connect with student advocates, please contact general@prideliberation.org. While we cannot provide legal advice, we likely can connect you with additional resources and contacts who may be able to support you.
Unfortunately, the current political environment constantly attacks LGBTQIA+ rights. As such, it is possible that the information on this page is not fully up to date, particularly if you are a student outside of Fairfax County.
Fairfax County
In Fairfax County, students are afforded some of the most comprehensive protections for LGBTQIA+ students in Virginia. The county’s website link on LGBTQIA+ rights is available here: fcps.edu/lgbtqia.
FCPS LGBTQIA+ students are entitled to the following protections. Please note this is not a comprehensive list:
- Students cannot be outed by teachers, staff members, or students. That means that staff members, like teachers and counselors, can’t share your gender identity and sexual identity with your parents or classmates.
- Students have the right to be addressed by your correct pronouns and name. Your teachers and classmates can’t maliciously misgender or deadname you in FCPS.
- You have the right to access non-stigmatizing accommodations, like bathrooms and locker rooms. A single-facility accommodation does NOT satisfy this requirement. That means administrators CANNOT force you to use a single-stall bathroom or locker rooms.
- Gender expansive and transgender students have the right to access to a school-specific support team.
- All students have the right to access single-stall bathrooms, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
- You have the right to access a support team when transitioning.
FCPS Students
If you’re an FCPS student, we encourage you to check out Regulation 2603 and Regulation 1450. If your rights have been violated, we encourage you to reach out to the Pride Liberation Project at general@prideliberation.org. While we cannot provide legal advice, we can assist with providing advocacy support, such as contacting appropriate administrators to report incidents, identifying relevant rights, and facilitating connections with more experienced movement leaders.
Virginia Students
If you are not a FCPS student but a Virginia student, you should also be entitled to most of the rights outlined above because of the model transgender policies. The model transgender policies are a set of minimum requirements set by the Virginia Department of Education that every school district is required to follow. Unfortunately, many school districts in Virginia have declined to implement these regulations and the Department of Education has indicated that it will not enforce these policies. Nonetheless, if your school district has implemented model transgender policies, your school district should:
- Include LGBTQIA+ students in non-discrimination protections.
- Not out transgender and gender expansive students.
- Respect your correct name and pronouns.
- Use your correct name and pronouns in school records.
- Allow you to dress in a manner consistent with your gender identity and expression
- Allow you to participate in non-sport extracurriculars that align with your gender identity. Transgender students are still permitted to participate in sports that align with their gender identity, but those rights are not outlined in the model transgender policies.
- Allow you to use facilities, like restrooms and locker rooms, that align with your gender identity.
Sports in Virginia
Sports in Virginia are governed by the Virginia High School League (VHSL). According to the VHSL, transgender athletes are eligible to participate in a sport that alligns with their gender identity should they meet any of the following requirements. More information is available on the following page: https://www.vhsl.org/eligibility/
- Undergone sex reassignment before puberty.
- Be verified by appropriate medical documentation as having a consistent identity different from the gender listed on the student’s official birth certificate or school registration records.
- Receive hormonal therapy appropriate for the assigned sex that has been administered in a verifiable manner and for a sufficient length of time to minimize gender-related advantages in sports competition.
