GLENN YOUNGKIN'S DOE IS TRYING TO ELIMINATE QUEER STUDENT RIGHTS With your help, we can stop him

WHAT IS GOING ON?

On September 16th, Glenn Youngkin’s DOE released new draft model transgender guidelines. The model transgender policies were originally intended to protect LGBTQIA+ students, but the new guidelines only harm every Queer student. They include provisions that force schools to out LGBTQIA+ students, deny students access to school counselors, forcibly misgender transgender students, and ban transgender students from using the correct bathroom. 

These new guidelines represent the single largest threat to Queer student rights in Virginia in years. The original model transgender policies were the cornerstone of Queer student rights in Virginia. These guidelines don’t just remove those protections, but they codify hate and undermine every student’s ability to thrive in school. Moreover, every school district is required to implement these guidelines.

However, it is important to know that we can still stop these policies. They are still just drafts, and the DOE can revoke them.

PUBLIC COMMENT GUIDE

A public comment is a comment written by a citizen or organization stating their position on a specific issue. While public comments alone are unlikely to stop regulations, they do play a critical role in making our opposition clear.

The most important part of these comments is to clearly state your opposition to the model transgender policies draft. This can be as simple as making the subject line “I oppose these policies.” 

Beyond that, your comment can be as long or as short as you’d like. A good comment, however, will:

  • Include your personal stories. It is completely valid to share personal experiences and anecdotes that demonstrate why these new policies are harmful.
  • Share personal stories on the positive impact of inclusive regulations.
  • State an opposition reason clearly. This can be as long or as simple as you’d like. An example opposition reason would be “As a student, I oppose these policies because they hurt my peers. I want all my peers to be able to attend safe and affirming schools, but these policies target Queer students.” 
  • Highlight specific provisions that you oppose in the policies. You can learn more about the specific provisions in these policies here.
You can submit a public comment by clicking on this link: tinyurl.com/DOEComments. At the top left of the page, there should be a “Enter A Comment” option at the left of the page, next to a green dot. All you have to do after clicking on the “Enter The Comment” option is write a comment and click submit!