Virginia Faith and Freedom would like to express our support for HB 1387. This bill asks that every student participating in public elementary or secondary school sports have an athletic eligibility form signed by the approved medical professionals, as listed in the bill, confirming ability to participate in athletics and confirming biological sex. Then that child will be allowed to participate in sports that are allowed for their biological sex. This bill is for the protections of women's sports and to ensure that there is no unfair biological advantage. We want the Commonwealth to have protections for our female athletes so they can strive for the highest athletic achievements without worry of being ousted by males. It is not discriminatory to have sex segregation in athletic competition. As females, having to compete against males is unsafe, unfair, and takes away opportunity for these women and girls. It is a misconception that this is not an issue. 18 states have already taken action on this issue and passed similar ‘Save Women's Sports’ Bills. Virginia needs to take action to give women and girls fair play.

oppose bill HB1387 it sounds like it will complicate things and do harm. I think it's fine that everyone has different body types and abilities, they should still get to do sports as their gender

oppose HB1387 I agree with my family members who explained it to me and I believe we should oppose it

oppose HB1387 it is the option with less administrative work

OPPOSE HB1387

OPPOSE 1387, vote no keep it simple

OPPOSE HB 1387, please. I urge you to not create another barrier for young people, girls & boys, based on their gender. It is the path of least resistance to stop this bill. It 's time effective & cost effective to stop this bill now. Imagine how much administrative work would be added to put this into practice.. Transgender girls are girls & transgender boys are boys. That makes it so simple! When trans girls compete in girls sports, only girls are competing. We don't need to worry about children's body parts. Scientists have repeatedly said there is no single biological factor that determines sex, and sex assigned at birth is not the sole determinant of gender. Everyone has a range of different physical characteristics, like people who are disabled, transgender, or intersex. Many people who are not trans have hormone levels outside of the range considered average. Trying to measure this would be odd & exhausting for schools, teachers, admin, students. Important: suicide in youth: This is a life and death matter. Suicide is the 4th -largest cause of death in 15- to 19-year-olds globally. Transgender teens are *7.6 times more likely to attempt suicide*. Wow. Data indicate that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves and 40% have attempted suicide, with suicidality highest among transgender youth. A protective factor is supportive community opportunities. ALL kids need safe places where they can be their true selves to literally decrease the risk of death. Like sports teams. Anti-transgender state policies contribute to increased suicide attempts, here is how- Perez-Brumer et al. (2015) studied bills introduced to state legislatures July 2019-July 2020. 51 states/territories, 52-weeks, 2,652 observations. States’ passing of anti-trans rights bills were linked with more suicide &depression related Internet searches. Defeated anti-trans bills was linked with less suicide &depression related searches. (Cunningham et al 2022). In California & Connecticut with inclusive policies- all girls’ sports participation has increased by almost 14% in California 2014-2020. States with policies that exclude transgender youth from sports- see less engagement by all girls in sports. (CDC, 2020). I have heard talk that the trans sports ban HB 1387 would hurt all the non-trans girls, and my first thought was- doesn’t that reinforce stereotypes that women & girls are weak, in need of protection? We know that girls & women are strong, capable, & facing sexism. President Joe Biden issued an executive order calling on the federal government to fully implement the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, explicitly stating that “children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, locker room, or school sports.” People use sports to cope, these kids are no different, sports literally save lives. We all need to feel included in a safe space! I am sure some of you found comfort in playing sports and making friends on the field even if you felt lonely other places. Oppose HB1387 please.

While I am temporarily not living in Virginia, I grew up in Fairfax County, did K-12 and undergrad there, and will return in the not too distant future to grow old there, so I have a vested interest in what this legislature decides. As a mental health professional who specializes in caring for LGBT+ individuals, I know the lifelong harm that can be done by efforts--by the individual or by institutions, peers, and yes, parents--who try to suppress a young person's natural gender or sexuality. And that is for the young people who survive; many, sadly, do not. And to be clear, when I say "natural gender" I am referring to a phenomenon that, with current science, we cannot determine except by the report of the person experiencing it. No one--not a doctor, not a parent, and certainly not a legislator who's never met them--can say what signals a child's nervous system is sending to the oldest and deepest parts of their brain; we can only determine it from the words and behavior of the child themselves, when they say "I am a boy," "I am a girl," "I am neither." And if modern science cannot determine it better than the child can, what can highly simplified, grade school biology based on science that was already outdated decades ago do? In short, the child is the world's top, and only, expert on their own gender. Anyone--parent, teacher, legislator, therapist--who declares otherwise is speaking about a topic on which it is impossible for them to have any knowledge; it is not a belief but pure foolishness. Worse than foolishness: we know that dismissing a transgender child's statements about their gender, trying to repress that and treat them as the gender some doctor declared after a few seconds of examination without consulting the world's only expert (who, admittedly, was probably either in the womb or crying at the time), dramatically increases that child's risk of depression, trauma- and stress-related disorders, and suicide. (The origin of that infamous "40 percent" statistic--it drops to levels comparable with the child's cisgender peers if their gender is accepted by their family and community.) Every time an institution insists on treating the child as their assumed gender rather than the one they know themselves to be--as school sports programs would be mandated to do by HB1387--is an act of harm toward that child. It is bad enough when laws allow schools to harm children; how much worse is a law that requires it? Which, like HB1387, HB2432 does as well. Again, speaking from my experience as a mental health professional who works with LGBT+ individuals, sometimes parents hurt their children. Many of my clients were mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically harmed by parents who rejected their identities, and there is no one in a better position to gauge that risk than the child themselves. If a child feels safe revealing their identity to a teacher, counselor, or coach, and unsafe revealing it to their parent, there is very often a good reason. For the health and safety of the child--which must always take precedence over the rights of the parent, because children are people, not property--educators must be bound by confidence when the child reveals things that, if told to the parent, could bring the child to harm. In summary, please vote no on HB1387, no on HB2432, and yes on keeping trans children safe, healthy, and thriving.

I fully SUPPORT HB1387. My previous comments on the physical and physiological differences in both pre- and post-pubescent males stand. Males have an advantage over females, even after testosterone suppression — that is clear from vast amounts of scientific evidence. My concern, however, is the blatant misrepresentation of the intent of this bill. On January 30, Delegate Jeff Bourne announce the following on Twitter: “This morning I testified against legislation that would have prevented Virginia's transgender kids from playing in school sports.” As you know (and contrary to many of the comments on this site), HB1387 says nothing about preventing any individual from playing in school sports. The bill simply restricts who may play sports designated for women and girls — that is, only women and girls may play on women’s and girls’ teams. I respectfully ask that you 1. Recognize an appeal to emotion in comments opposing this bill and 2. Recognize that when a delegate either intentionally or unintentionally misleads the public on the intent of legislation, the public cannot respond on an informed basis. Furthermore, I strongly urge you to consider the application of HB1387 in its original scope —that is, it should apply to K-12 + institutions of higher education. Scholarships are at stake. Please do not enable men to take them away from women.

I am writing IN SUPPORT of HB1387 as it specifically applies to athletics in general and swimming in particular. In my opinion, those who maintain that biological females can fairly compete against biological males in swimming are denying the significant physical advantages that males have, starting as early as the 11-12 age group. In fact, when looking at local swim league records, comparing males and females, in 11 to 18 year old events, there is not a single overall record held by an individual female or relay team. Even in the 6 to 10 year old events there are only 5 individual records and 1 relay record held by females out of a total of 34 events. Four of those records are held by one exceptional female. In total, out of 82 sex specific events in our local swim league, only 6 overall records are held by females. The same is true with USA Swimming Age Group Records. There is not a single overall record held by an individual female or relay team in 11 and over events. It is impossible to deny the impact of testosterone on physical performance. We do not knowingly allow a youth athlete to participate in an age group that does not correspond to their biological age. It's obvious that the reason we have different age groups is that we clearly recognize the physical differences between, say a 10 year old and a 16 year old. I submit that sex differences are just as significant. This comment should not be interpreted as discriminatory against anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. They should all be treated with respect and compassion afford to all. However, allowing biological males to compete as females clearly discriminates against biological females participating in female athletic events by putting them at an obvious disadvantage.

Our family supports this bill and believes that sports should be based on biological sex. Children and adults identifying as another sex are welcome to compete in their own leagues. There's room for all but the insistence that biological sex does not come into play in sports is absurd and a disservice to all who want to compete.

Vote no on this bill as it harms some of the most vulnerable of our children.

I urge you to oppose HB2432 and HB1387! These bills are harmful to trans students. Our schools and communities should strive to nurture and support our kids, not put measures in place that will cause them harm. As a parent myself, I know how important it is to make schools safe for ALL students.

Every student should be viewed with compassion and caring - no matter what his/her beliefs. Transgender youths do not impose their lifestyles on others, do not harm others, and should not be singled out or victimized. Their lives are difficult enough without adding more complications. Why single someone out when one IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE THEM? As a legislator, YOU should be acting in a moral and responsible manner - representing ALL of your constituents. This is NOT DOING SO!

As a Virginia resident, I am writing with grave concerns about HB 1387 (Greenhalgh), an anti-transgender bill that would harm transgender youth and prevent them from participating in school athletics in K-12 schools as well as higher education club sports. I'm also concerned about HB 2432 (LaRock), as this bill would require public school personnel to contact a student's parent if they believe that the student could be transgender and/or nonbinary. When the House Education Committee meets on Wednesday, I urge you to reject these bills. We can agree that transgender youth exist and live here in Virginia and attend public schools and colleges in Virginia. Transgender students, like any other student, deserve the same chances to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership and self-discipline, and to build a sense of belonging with their peers through sports. Both the Virginia High School League and the NCAA have policies that allow transgender students to play in sports, and these policies are working just fine. HB 1387 is unnecessary and would prevent trans athletes from accessing the benefits of sports. Forcibly outing transgender youth also creates a unwelcoming school environment. Trust between school staff and students is necessary to provide adequate mental-health support. If students feel that their communications are not confidential, they will be less likely to disclose important information to their school counselors and teachers. Additionally, too many LGBTQ youth still face significant challenges fighting discrimination, misconceptions, and abuse by peers, family members, and others in their communities. Up to 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. Of these, 46% ran away because of family rejection. HB 2432 would place LGBTQ+ youth at risk for housing insecurity. This is not a bill that will help LGBTQ+ youth. Transgender students already face disproportionately high rates of bullying and rejection, and the mere introduction of this legislation is making it even worse. It essentially amounts to state-sponsored bullying. The legislature should be focused on real priorities that all Virginians are facing, not manufacturing a problem where none exists. I strongly believe that every Virginian should be treated with dignity and respect, including transgender young people. HB 1387 and HB 2432 are wrong for Virginia. Please reject them.

Please reject HB 1387. Trans young people deserve the same opportunities to play sports as everyone else. The rules for school sports are fair only when they include trans students. Please also reject HB 2432. Trans kids deserve to be treated with kindness and respect, and that means allowing them to come out to their parents when they feel ready and expect that they will be safe in doing so. Schools should not meddle in family relationships by outing children to their parents.

Please vote NO. Trans youth deserve respect and to be safe

Good morning, My name is Christina Villafaña Dalcher, and I am a resident of Norfolk, Virginia. I do not represent any organization; I merely write to the committee as a concerned citizen and an advocate for female athletes. The emotional arguments opposing this bill are strong, but they do not trump the primary objective argument supporting it (which also has to do with strength) that biological males are stronger than biological females. No amount of testosterone suppression can take away the advantages that male puberty affords. No amount of name-changing or identifying can alter the fact that males possess more muscle mass, heavier bones, less body fat, larger skeletons, increased lung volume, etc. Physical and physiological differences are a reality that cannot be identified or transitioned out of. It is not offensive, mean-spirited, or hateful to state this. What is offensive, and what is mean-spirited, is the idea that any girl or woman should be forced to compete with an individual against whom she has no chance of winning. We have seen this play out over the past few years with the University of Pennsylvania’s swim team, where Lia Thomas, who once competed on the men’s team, moved up in ranking after shifting to the women’s team. How much did Thomas move up? In the 500-yard freestyle, Thomas had ranked 65th when swimming with men during the 2018-2019 season. In 2022, competing against women, Thomas ranked first. Thomas also moved from 554th on the men’s team to 5th on the women’s team in another event—the 200-yard freestyle. How are we to explain this sudden shift in ranking other than in the patently obvious way: that Lia Thomas benefits from being born male and that Thomas enjoys the advantage of immutable physical traits. That this did not occur in Virginia, or that similar situations have not yet taken place in the Commonwealth, is not an argument. For every biological male who earns a place on a women’s team, wins a medal in a female division, or is offered an athletic scholarship to play as a woman, someone loses that place, or medal, or scholarship. And the person who loses is a woman. Allow me to put this in simple terms: across-the-board inclusion in women’s and girls’ sports is tantamount to exclusion of precisely the people for whom these sports are intended: females. Today, there may be a small handful of transgender athletes in Virginia. Again, this is not a valid argument in opposition to this bill. The magic number is not three or ten or five hundred. The magic number is one. One woman. One opportunity lost to an individual who already has a place in the athletic community: the men’s team. Please support House Bill 1387. Thank you for your kind attention.

As a Virginia resident, a former Virginia public school board member, and the proud parent of a non-binary Virginia college student, I am writing with grave concerns about HB 1387 (Greenhalgh), an anti-transgender bill that would harm transgender youth and prevent them from participating in school athletics in K-12 schools as well as higher education club sports. I'm also concerned about HB 2432 (LaRock), as this bill would require public school personnel to contact a student's parent if they believe that the student could be transgender and/or nonbinary. When the House Education Committee meets on Wednesday, I urge you to reject these bills. <P> Thousands of transgender students live here in Virginia and attend Virginia public schools and colleges. Transgender students deserve the same chances as any other student to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership and self-discipline, and to build a sense of belonging with their peers through sports. Both the Virginia High School League and the NCAA have policies that allow transgender students to play in sports, and these policies are working just fine. HB 1387 is unnecessary and would prevent trans athletes from accessing the benefits of sports. <P> Forcibly outing transgender youth also creates a unwelcoming school environment. Trust between school staff and students is necessary to provide adequate mental-health support. If students feel that their communications are not confidential, they will be less likely to disclose important information to their school counselors and teachers. Additionally, too many LGBTQ youth still face significant challenges fighting discrimination, misconceptions, and abuse by peers, family members, and others in their communities. Up to 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. Of these, 46% ran away because of family rejection. HB 2432 would place LGBTQ+ youth at risk for housing insecurity. This is not a bill that will help LGBTQ+ youth. <P> Transgender students already face disproportionately high rates of bullying and rejection, and significantly higher rates of attempted suicide compared to their cisgender peers. The mere introduction of this legislation is making things even worse. It essentially amounts to state-sponsored bullying. <P> The legislature should be focused on real priorities that all Virginians are facing, not manufacturing a problem where none exists. I strongly believe that every Virginian should be treated with dignity and respect, including transgender young people. HB 1387 and HB 2432 are wrong for Virginia. Please reject them. Thank you for your time.

To the Education Committee, Please vote NO on all four bills --- to support the young people who would be affected. To protect their privacy .,respect their dignity and defend their rights. Barbara Morris Falls C hurch, Va.

Hb1387 no Hb1707 no Hb2137 no HB2432 yes

As a mother of a transgender child, I urge you to allow trans athletes to participate in sports that align with their gender identify. Sports have been life-saving for my child. There was a time when my child was so depressed that he could not get out of bed. Participating in physical activity is so wonderful for our physical and mental wellbeing and allowing children to be themselves and participate helps foster healthy lifestyle choices and promotes positive self image and mental health. Sports helped my child feel comfortable and accepted, and participating on a sports team has improved his mental health considerably. Good mental health has contributed to his excellent engagement in school and improved wellbeing in general. If he is no longer allowed to participate, I am concerned about the impacts on his mental and physical well-being. He now feels seen and accepted. Being excluded will be devastating and the effects will run much deeper and wider than the sports field. How would you feel being excluded from a beloved sport? Plead choose to include those in our society that are already feeling marginalized. Thank you.

I strongly oppose all of these bills. Transgender rights are human rights. Any regulations imposed by the government is government overreach. These bills do not put the mental health and well being of youth first. Did you know that on average 40% of trans youth die by suicide. These bills threaten to drive that frightening statistic higher. Please don't threaten the lives of transgender youth in our state!

I urge you to vote NO on HB 1387 & HB 2432. Both bills are fueled by hate and ignorance. Stop dividing all of us with dirty boots on the ground. NO on HB 1387 & HB 2432

Dear Board Members and Staff, I write to you as a resident of Virginia, a former teacher and a parent. I write to you as a firm believer in personal freedoms for all regardless of a person's age, race, color, ethnicity, political affiliation or economic status. By personal freedoms I mean the right to safely going about one's life without targeted harassment, without being labeled; to be able to feel save with one's identity. These proposed bills serve not to protect individual rights but to limit the rights of a group of children and adolescents who are in the process of discovering who they are and building their character. By limiting their ability to participate in school activities such as sport teams or by forcing them to share their most personal feelings about their identity and gender these bills, the actions that school staff, teachers and administrators will be forced to take will serve only to make them targets of discrimination and ostracism. Life is difficult enough for any teen or preteen trying to figure out where they fit in this world; they are all under such intense pressures to meet standards of academic performance, to have the "right" clothes, to have the latest tech item, to stave off peer pressure to experiment with drugs and alcohol and sex -- to add to all of that the fear of being called out, of being "outed" before the child is really ready to share that part of themselves with their peers or members of their family for fear of being rejected is just untenable; it's cruel and absolutely unnecessary. Then, for those students who have found the courage to share with the world their gender identity, to tell them that they cannot participate in school sports in a way that is in line with that gender identity is, essentially, telling them that they do not matter, that they do not have a place in the community, that they are unwelcome and less than human. To rob those students of the many life lessons and chances to build character and leadership skills and make what can be lifelong friends through sports on teams that match their gender identity is simply cruel and unnecessary. Transgender kids competing on teams that match their gender identity do not present threats to the potential achievements of their peers any more than non transgender teammates and opponents. We want all students to learn to respect themselves and to respect others, even others who look different, act differently and think differently. It is in learning how to interact respectfully with people who are different from us that we learn the important lessons that help us be good citizens of our local communities and the world. It opens so many doors of opportunity to explore different careers, different ways of serving our community and country. These bills will serve to teach kids that they do not have to be respectful of others who have gender identities that differ from their assigned sex at birth. What's next-- people who have different accents? different skin tones? from different neighborhoods? different wealth brackets? I implore you to think beyond the politically motivated sound bites and think of the mental, emotional and physical welfare of all students, trans, binary, nonbinary, -- all of them and vote NO on these bills. Thank you. JCMC

Dear Members of the Virginia House Committee on Education: I am a graduate of 2 Virginia public universities (B.S.Ed. UVa 2007, M.S. JMU 2016) and a mother of 2 young children whom I hope will attend Virginia public schools in a few years. Given this context, I write to express my strong opposition to the 2 anti-transgender bills up for vote during your meeting on Feb 1, 2023. The diverse student bodies of my undergraduate and graduate experiences were important components of the world-class education I received at UVa & JMU, and sexual orientation and gender identity are important components of this diversity. This diversity enriched my life and helped prepare me for my careers as a research administrator at UVa and now a speech-language pathologist serving adult rehabilitation inpatients. Furthermore, my children (3 years and 9 weeks old) are too young to have concepts of sexual orientation or gender identity, and they may grow up to be LGBTQ+. If my children identify as transgender or non-binary when they are older, my husband and I will fully support them. This will include ensuring they are educated in a safe and supportive environment. The anti-transgender bills I write to oppose [HB 1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB 2432 (LaRock)] would make public school inherently unsafe and unsupportive for my (and many other Virginia) children if they grow into trans or non-binary youth. This would force my husband and I to seriously consider not sending our children to Virginia public schools, which would make me a *very unhappy constituent.* I urge you to focus on important educational issues facing Virginians, such as improving compensation, morale, recruitment, and retention of teachers, bus drivers, and other staff; increasing mental health supports for students; and reforming our educational system to refocus away from success on standardized testing and toward training children for a creativity- and skills-based economy rather than manufactured issues around LGBTQ+ children and youth. Sincerely yours, Janice Dean

Children should not be pawns in your political agenda! Every child deserves an environment of encouragement, respect and opportunity. Our schools should not foster hatred and fear.

I am writing to oppose HB 1387 and HB 2432 and any anti Trans legislation that might come before the education committee. Access to athletics is important for all children and access to clubs is also important. Trans girls should have equal protection and be able to participate in the team building and leadership lessons that come with being on a sports team. And likewise kids should not be threatened with being outed in order to participate in any club. Stop targeting trans kids. All Kids need to be protected. Trans kids deserve equal treatment. Vote NO on HB 1387 and HB 2432 and all anti Trans and anti LGBTQ+ legislation. Support ALL Children and ALL families.

I urge your to vote NO to both of these bills As a parent, grandparent, and former educator in the US and abroad and in secular and religious education programs, I want to live in a state whose education system supports ALL of our students as they grow and evolve into the people they are born to be. That's the point : they are still growing and becoming. Adolescence is already a difficult time for them. Sexuality is complex, making it highly questionable to force students to identify in a rigid manner. They need understanding and support, not rigid, punishing laws. Let's be open and reasonable, treating all students with respect, and trusting that with wise adults watching over them, they will in time come to a good place regarding their self-confidence, sexual identity, and competence. Please vote NO to these two bills.

I oppose HB 1387 and HB 2432. They harm our youth and our communities. I ask that you oppose them as well, Marit Simenson

I oppose all four of the above bills that will hurt our trans youth, who are already one of the most at-risk groups in our state for mental health problems and attempting suicide. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia, a small business owner in Herndon, and the parent of two children in Fairfax County Public Schools, one of whom is non-binary. As a therapist, I also regularly work with trans and non-binary students who fear for the safety at school and sometimes at home. Why is our state legislature trying to make the state LESS safe for our most vulnerable youth? As both an expert professional and a mother, I urge you to vote NO to all four of the proposed laws that would hurt our children.

Reject these horrible bills!! These are clear transphobia. This is putting trans youth in harm's way. All this bullying has to STOP!! Seriously. Stop hurting kids and actually do some good for a change. You have better things to do. Trans rights are human rights!

I am a native of Virginia and currently live in Arlington. I am appalled that the House of Delegates is actually considering adopting either HB 1387 (Greenhalgh) or HB 2432 (LaRock). I beg you to please reject both of these bills on Wednesday when the House Education Committee meets. My transgender son would be directly impacted by these bills. His ability to play sports would be imperiled by HB 1387, which unnecessarily and unfairly prevents all trans kids from being able to participate in sports. The VA HSL and NCAA have policies that allow transgender athletes to play sports. Please let those policies stand and reject HB 1387! HB 2432 needs to also be rejected. Many transgender students do not have the supportive home environment which my son enjoys. This bill will hurt kids and hurt supportive school communities. It will fuel violence against transgender kids and further divide families. Please reject this bill! Thank you.

As a Virginia resident, parent and educator, I am writing with grave concerns about HB 1387 (Greenhalgh), an anti-transgender bill that would harm transgender youth and prevent them from participating in school athletics in K-12 schools as well as higher education club sports. I'm also concerned about HB 2432 (LaRock), as this bill would require public school personnel to contact a student's parent if they believe that the student could be transgender and/or nonbinary. When the House Education Committee meets on Wednesday, I urge you to reject these bills. Transgender youth exist and live in Virginia and attend public schools and colleges in Virginia. Transgender students, like any other student, deserve the same chances to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership and self-discipline, and to build a sense of belonging with their peers through sports. Both the Virginia High School League and the NCAA have policies that allow transgender students to play in sports, and these policies are working. HB 1387 is unnecessary and would prevent trans athletes from accessing the benefits of sports. Forcibly outing transgender and nonbinary youth also creates a unwelcoming school environment. Trust between school staff and students is necessary to provide adequate mental-health support. If students feel that their communications are not confidential, they will be less likely to disclose important information to their school counselors and teachers. Additionally, too many LGBTQ youth still face significant challenges fighting discrimination, misconceptions, and abuse by peers, family members, and others in their communities. Up to 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. Of these, 46% ran away because of family rejection. HB 2432 would place LGBTQ+ youth at risk for housing insecurity. This is not a bill that will help LGBTQ+ youth in fact it will put many of these youth in grave danger. Transgender students already face disproportionately high rates of bullying and rejection, and the mere introduction of this legislation is making it even worse. It essentially amounts to state-sponsored bullying. The legislature should be focused on real priorities that all Virginians are facing, not manufacturing a problem where none exists. I strongly believe that every Virginian should be treated with dignity and respect, including transgender young people. HB 1387 and HB 2432 are wrong for Virginia. Please reject them. Thank you for your time.

Honorable members of the House of Delegates, Jesus Loves the Little Children and so do I! Please vote no against these ugly, disgusting anti-children bills! Thank you!

This is the time to provide an inclusive environment for our youth. All young people deserve to feel safe, respected and included. LBGTQ+ youth are especially vulnerable and the one place they can feel accepted is in a school setting. Please don't take this away and make life more difficult. Sports provide so many skills that all kids deserve. There is no threat. Instead it is an opportunity for the Commonwealth of VA to continue to shine. We should not be taking away the rights of people or "outing" students to their parents. I am a long time VA resident (and Voter) and grew up in Northern VA in the 70's. I am contacting you now because I am very concerned about Human Rights in VA including LBGTQ+ and Women's Rights. I want to continue to be proud to live in Virginia. Please do the right thing and welcome all types of people in the education system. Provide a safe and inclusive environment for all. Respectfully, Cassandra Kudej

Before voting on HB1387 and 2432 I would insist that you visit with at least 20 transgender youth and ask them how they feel about these bills. My guess is you are carrying a bill you know nothing about and care little about but to score political points with a certain group. Virginia has real issues like housing and food insecurity and that is where the focus should be put. I oppose both of these bills as a resident and taxpayer of Virginia.

Trans youth (and all youth) deserve equal access to activities (including sports) and deserve to have their privacy rights respected. Legislators need to focus on protecting trans youth and on educating all youth to understand and respect peoples of different gender identities and sexual orientations, not on banning some students from sports and not on outing students to potentially transphobic guardians.

As an educator with over 35 years of teaching experience & of working with LGBTQ youth of all ages, I urge you to reject these bills that will only harm trans kids. Trans kids already face innumerable challenges at school & there is no valid reason that sports has to be yet another one. Please let these kids be themselves. Let them play for their respective teams. Allow trans kids to live their lives to the fullest. When we support trans kids, we support all kids .

As a resident of Virginia, and a proud parent of both a transgender child and a nonbinary child, I urge the committee to reject HB1387 and HB2432. These bills are attacks on an already marginalized community of Virginia youth. HB1387 would place barriers in the way for student athletes who happen to be transgender, prohibiting them from obtaining the benefits of playing sports with their peers. The VHSL already has procedures in place to allow transgender athletes to play sports fairly; these existing VHSL procedures work well, making this proposed bill a solution looking for a problem. HB 2432 would place transgender youth in possible danger; outing youth to parents who may be unsupportive could lead to homelessness and an increase in mental health crises. Additionally, it could prevent youth from feeling safe at school and stop them from reaching out for help from school counselors and staff. This bill would harm, not help, an already marginalized community. Virginia schools should make the safety and well-being of all students the top priority; these two bills would do the opposite, by making life harder and more dangerous for youth who identify as LGBTQ+.

As a Virginia resident and parent of a transgender child, I strongly oppose HB1387 and HB2432 in the interest of keeping my child and all the Commonwealth’s children safe from discrimination and harm.

My name is Nancy Kunkel. I am mother to four graduates of Virginia public schools: Three daughters and one son. One of my daughters is Transgender. Like probably many of you, I never imagined I would have a transgender child, but I am grateful for her courage, and that she is still alive. I live with the constant fear of losing my trans daughter to violence. She lives in fear she will be shamed, denied health care; physically attacked; or murdered just for being herself. Trans kids have the same inalienable rights as everyone, including the right to privacy. I want to see all children have the same chance to thrive, and that requires treating all children with dignity and respect. In addition, if we accept oppression of trans kids, we also open the door to oppression of many kinds of people who can be scapegoated in a similar fashion. As a Christian, I believe we are all members of the same human family. I pray that our shared humanity spurs the Virginia House of Delegates to show empathy and compassion, as well as follow best practices in the treatment of transgender children, by voting NO to the anti-trans bills HB 1387 and HB 2432. Thank you.

As a resident of Henrico, parent of two teenagers in public school, and Licensed Professional Counselor, I oppose the following harmful bills: HB 1387 (Greenhalgh), HB 1399 (March), HB 1707 (Durant), and HB 2432 (LaRock). Please join me in protecting trans rights.

I implore the House Education Committee to vote NO on HB-1387 and HB-2432. My children are not trans, but a small number of their friends are, and they are not publicly out to their parents yet, so these bills affect our lives in substantive ways. There is NO REASON for the state to interfere in a child or family's affairs in this way. It's biological fact that gender identity doesn't always align with biological sex. These bills would out children to potentially hostile parents which has real-world consequences in terms of mental health and physical safety. This is unnecessary and harmful interference in childrens' lives, and also puts teachers in situations they shouldn't be involved in. The party of "small government" has no right to demand these things be legislated and controlled by the state.

These proposed bills are transphobic, prejudicial and just plain harmful to transgender and/or non-binary youth of Virginia. While debate may ensue about transgender athletes leave it up to the individual schools. Regarding forced “outing” of students to parents by teachers and school staff this is an absolutely horrendous and potentially very harmful proposal! Earlier this year I went to a Fairfax County School Board meeting re this very topic. It was so sad and scary and absolutely heart wrenching to see young people who got up to testify against this proposed bill NOT for themselves but rather “for my friend who would be kicked out of their house tonight if their parents knew they were transgender”. Schools are supposed to be a place where students not only go to learn from books but also care, respect, support and tolerance FOR & FROM others! The young people who feel it is safe to share with their parents will, those that do not should be able to have sanctuary. Our immediate neighborhood has already lost one young person to suicide due to this scenario - do we need more on our hands? PLEASE VOTE NO!

I’m writing in opposition of HB 1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB 2432 (LaRock), both of which target transgender youth and make our schools less accepting. As a gay man who grew up in Southwest Virginia, I know how hard it can be to navigate understanding your identity and place when those around you aren’t always accepting of those identities. Schools should support all LGBTQ youth and create welcoming environments, especially for trans kids who already face hurdles and hate outside of school. Both of these bills punish trans youth who wish to have a normal school experience learning, playing sports, and connecting with peers. HB 2432 in particular also places new burdens on parents, teachers, school personnel, and students, while also forcing the government into the private lives of Virginians. I urge the committee to reject both of these hateful, divisive, and unneeded bills which create new problems and burdens instead of solving issues facing Virginians.

Hi! My name is Erin, and I am the mom of a seven-year-old nonbinary kiddo. Ever since my child could speak, they have insisted to us that they are not, in fact, a boy like we originally thought. They have turned into a fierce, fun-loving, dress-wearing, tree-climbing kid, who loves colorful leggings, Legos, headbands, playing with their friends (all girls), and playing soccer. My child did not choose their gender. They are clearly expressing a consistent gender experience, that while different than my husband and I expected, is no less real to them than their red hair or missing front teeth. They corrected us for years ("not sweet boy, sweet CHILD! Don't you remember, I'm not a boy!?") until we finally got the message, and adjusted their wardrobe and pronouns accordingly! My child loves to play soccer. It has already been a bit tricky, as most kids' teams separate by gender, and my first grader does not fit into either gender box. All of their friends are girls, the look and dress like a girl, and we are fortunate that our local soccer organization allows them to play on the team where they most closely identify. It is worrisome to think that at some point this may no longer be an option. My kiddo loves school, and has had incredible teachers in their VA public school for Kindergarten and first grade, that have fully supported who they are. We are incredibly lucky, but I know that this is not the norm. These bills that have been introduced (the trans sports ban and others), are not in the best interest of my child, or others like them. They are unnecessarily isolating, and increasing the likelihood of bullying and discrimination (and the resulting mental health challenges) during their school experience. Please consider bills that would instead focus on keeping everyone safe at school, and not further marginalizing kiddos who are already facing an uphill battle as it is. My kiddo just wants to be a kid. And wear a dress. And play soccer. Thank you for your time! ~ Erin Brown

I am writing as the parent of a trans young adult. I fully understand the reasoning behind these bills but those who support them don’t fully understand and appreciate the results we will see. According to the NIH 82% of trans young people consider suicide and 40% have attempted suicide. These numbers VASTLY outpace the general population. The leading reasons for these increased statistics is rejection and mistreatment from friends, family and community. Coming out is a deeply personal and emotional time for the vast majority of trans people. Uncertainties around who will accept them and the danger they are in from those who do not can not be understated. Providing confidentiality with teachers or other school staff gives the students a trusted adult to help them navigate this freighting and uncertain time and the support to maintain their mental health. Of course the goal of these adult will be for the young person to talk to their parents but many times this disclosure is dangerous for the trans person and having outside support is imperative to keeping these kids healthy and safe. Children do not belong to their parents. They are autonomous individuals who are allowed to disagree with their parents beliefs. I have been through this coming out as a parent and can promise you how one reacts from the jump is VITAL to the wellbeing of the child. It’s not an easy time by any stretch, but forcing a student out and not giving them time to process and talk through this period with a trusted adult who is not their parent only does harm to the child. The sports ban is just simple window dressing. You are playing politics with kids for show as none of the science backs any kind of advantage for trans people in athletics. Firstly it is a TINY, minuscule percent of the population that this subject is even applicable to. Second, the point of youth sports is to build sportsmanship, team building, camaraderie, and healthy outlets for physical exercise. I promise you no boy is going to go through the incredibly emotionally difficult transition to fake being a trans girl. It completely defies logic. Thank you for your time and please consider that fear mongering around an already very vulnerable group is truly distasteful and abhorrent.

As a public school parent in Virginia, I urge you to oppose HB 1387 and HB 2432. Please let Virginia students be themselves in a safe space, which may be school and not home. Let them participate in sports just like every other student. Gender diverse kids like mine just want to have a normal school experience like everyone else. I strongly oppose these bills and hope you will do the right thing in voting against them.

As a registered voting Virginia resident, I am writing with grave concerns about HB 1387 (Greenhalgh), an anti-transgender bill that would harm transgender youth and prevent them from participating in school athletics in K-12 schools as well as higher education club sports. I'm also concerned about HB 2432 (LaRock), as this bill would require public school personnel to contact a student's parent if they believe that the student could be transgender and/or nonbinary. When the House Education Committee meets on Wednesday, I urge you to reject these bills. We can agree that transgender youth exist and live here in Virginia and attend public schools and colleges in Virginia. Transgender students, like any other student, deserve the same chances to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership and self-discipline, and to build a sense of belonging with their peers through sports. Both the Virginia High School League and the NCAA have policies that allow transgender students to play in sports, and these policies are working just fine. HB 1387 is unnecessary and would prevent trans athletes from accessing the benefits of sports. Forcibly outing transgender youth also creates a unwelcoming school environment. Trust between school staff and students is necessary to provide adequate mental-health support. If students feel that their communications are not confidential, they will be less likely to disclose important information to their school counselors and teachers. Additionally, too many LGBTQ youth still face significant challenges fighting discrimination, misconceptions, and abuse by peers, family members, and others in their communities. Up to 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. Of these, 46% ran away because of family rejection. HB 2432 would place LGBTQ+ youth at risk for housing insecurity. This is not a bill that will help LGBTQ+ youth. Transgender students already face disproportionately high rates of bullying and rejection, and the mere introduction of this legislation is making it even worse. It essentially amounts to state-sponsored bullying. The legislature should be focused on real priorities that all Virginians are facing, not manufacturing a problem where none exists. I strongly believe that every Virginian should be treated with dignity and respect, including transgender young people. Forcibly outing students will increase the strain on the current mental health provider shortage: “93 of Virginia’s 133 localities are federally-designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas; 37% of Virginians (3.2 million) live in them. Two localities have no licensed BH professionals; 35 have no trained BH prescriber (Psychiatrist, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner). It will take a variety of short- and long-term strategies over a number of years to address Virginia’s significant shortage of licensed BH professionals." : Oswalt, 2022 Executive Director Virginia Health Care Foundation. HB 1387 and HB 2432 are wrong for Virginia. Please reject them. Thank you for your time.

I strongly oppose the above listed anti trans Bils which encourage discrimination and hatred of those who happen to be different. We should be accepting and supportive and ashamed to be devaluing our fellow human beings , especially our pr.ecious children

I am writing to ask that you No on these bills. They are squarely in opposition to Virginia's values. If we cannot abide by Patrick Henry's cry of "give me liberty or give me death," then what good are we. Not allowing our trans youth to live authentically and privately is tyrannical and dangerous.

I support HB1387. I ask that the Education Committee and (later) the House of Delegates support this bill as well. This bill would protect females in sports from unfair and unsafe conditions. The average biological male is scientifically proven to have greater bone density, more muscle, more weight, and be taller than the average biological female. During athletic competitions, this provides an unfair advantage to biological males when competing against biological females, even if the biological male identifies as female. Not only do biological males have a competitive advantage, but in contact sports against biological females they are also more likely to injure female competitors due to the difference in respective muscle mass, height, weight, and bone density. There are also many safety, security, and privacy concerns in regards to allowing transwomen (biological males) to share locker rooms and/or bathrooms with biological females. I think it is much safer to keep locker rooms, bathrooms, and other "private" rooms intended for females, solely for biological female use. I understand that the main counterpoints to HB1387 are that transgender people, especially teens/children, are likely to commit acts of self harm or commit suicide if they are not accepted for their identified gender. Additionally, critics may state that there are not enough transwomen competing in female sports to cause any major concerns in terms of fair competition, safety, or biological females being excluded from team sports due to having their spot on a team being taken by a transwoman. In terms of the first issue, in regards to self harm: I think allowing transwomen to compete in female sports due to fear of self harm/suicide is dangerous because it does not actually address the propensity for self harm. It instead avoids dealing with that important and dangerous issue. It puts the responsibility of the safety and self esteem of the transwoman on the shoulders of the female teams and leagues, instead of with the transwoman and their loved ones. I think focusing instead on solving the propensity for self harm due to lack of acceptance by others, is much more important than avoiding the subject altogether by instead focusing on acceptance in female sports. In regards to the second item, transwomen in sports being so few as to not substantially effect the female teams or leagues: that makes little sense to me. Even if only one transwoman plays in a female league, their unfair advantage during competition changes the game and experiences of every female they play. No matter how minute that change may seem to be, it would be wrong to allow, as those leagues were originally meant for (biological) females to play in. Those leagues were all solely constructed so that biological females had a safe, fair, and rewarding environment to compete in. This bill does allow for both trans students to play in "coed" or "male" leagues. So, for those trans athletes who feel they would miss out on sports, they should be aware that HB 1387 does not stop them from competing. It also does not stop them from creating trans leagues, similar to the NHL's trans hockey tournament that was popularized around Nov/Dec 2022. Lastly, I am confused by the critics of this bill...namely the majority of the Democrats in the HoD. They claim to be "champions of women's rights", but they don't seem to be listening to many biological women now.

I fully support this bill

Comments Document

HRC Opposition to HB 1387 and HB 1399

To the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Virginia House, My name is Makenna “Mak” Atkins. I am transgender college student attending a public state university, VCU. I am concerned about the bills HB 1387 and HB 1399, which would bar students in all levels of education from participating in school sports. I ask that HB 1387 and HB 1399 are voted AGAINST and NOT passed. I have been involved in the sport of rowing since middle school, and have continued through college. Rowing is a sport that requires extreme cooperation and unity; as many as 8 people are moving a boat together. We often prize it as “the ultimate team sport”. I first did a summer camp, to try it out before joining the high school team in the fall. I fell in love with the sport; being out on the glassy water and in green nature on gorgeous sunny days, while moving a boat yourself, is a refreshing way to spend the afternoon or morning. I was on my high school team for all four years, being a leader as a coxswain. A coxswain is the leader of larger boats who steers, gives instructions, and helps the coaches run practices. I also have been a part of a collegiate aged summer team, as well an adult, or masters, team. I am now a part of VCU's rowing team, with an opportunity to compete nationally against other college club rowing teams, especially in this spring semester. Personally, for me my teams have been a huge part of my social life for the last 5 years and will continue to be a great source of friendship, as well as mentorship from older teammates and from coaches. My position within the sport has also helped me develop leadership and communication skills. It has also forced me to confront my anxiety to some level, and I have been able to develop confidence. Having other people depend on me and have a common goal to work towards together also helped my confidence as well fueled my motivation to work hard at something. I have been able to earn numerous ribbons, as well as two medals; one during a scholastic state championship and one during a national summer competition. I still have strong connections to my past and current peers and teammates, many of whom are my best friends. I could not imagine my life without this sport! There are many trans rowers and coxswains, who are integral part of the sport at every level, before and during higher education, and are welcomed in our community. Without being able to be on either my high school or collegiate team, I would have not found a wonderful and unique sport, nor a tight knit group of friends who are like family. For many kids and young adults sports are an accessible way to connect with other people and exercise, which helps our mental health, but also to put work towards a goal and achieve. If HB 1387 and HB 1399 are passed, myself and other transgender kids and young adults would be denied these benefits and opportunities, and would be isolated from our peers. I beg you to let transgender children and young adults of all ages be able to join and continue to be on our schools’ scholastic and collegiate teams, in ALL sports. It benefits us in all realms - mentally, emotionally and physically, and we benefit and strengthen our teams and communities, just as any other person does. HB 1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB 1399 (March) would bar this opportunity from us. I ask you to please NOT vote for these harmful and devastating bills. Thank you, Mak Atkins (he/they)

HB 1387 and HB 1399 would harm transgender youth and prevent them from participating in school athletics- in K-12 schools and higher education club sports. I urge you to reject these bills. Thousands of transgender youth exist and live here in Virginia and attend public schools and colleges in Virginia. Transgender students, like any other students, deserves the same chances to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership and self-discipline, and to build a sense of belonging with their peers. Both the Virginia High School League and NCAA have policies that allow transgender students to play in sports and these policies are working just fine. These bills are flawed solutions in search of a problem. Transgender students already face disproportionately high rates of bullying and rejection, and the mere introduction of this legislation making it even worse. It essentially amounts to state-sponsored bullying. The legislature should be focused on real priorities that all Virginians are facing, not manufacturing a problem where none exists. Every Virginian should be treated with dignity and respect, including transgender young people. HB 1387 and 1399 are wrong for Virginia. Please reject them.

I urge you to vote NO on Bill 1387 & Bill 1399. These bills are going to isolate the most vulnerable members of our student bodies. Please do not contribute to the hate any longer. It’s not only harmful to the human beings you targeted but it’s harmful to everyone in our community with dirty boots on the ground. Our teachers, parents, children, sheriffs, realtors, farmers, pharmacies. You are destroying the very communities you are trying to grow. Vote NO on Bills 1387 & 1399 and let our communities heal.

As a resident of Virginia, I urge you to oppose HB1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB1399 (March). I am worried about the continuing legislative attacks on transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people in our state. These two bills trying to ban transgender kids and young adults from sports are harmful, discriminatory, unnecessary, and frankly the opposite of good sportsmanship. Sports leagues like the NCAA have policies in place to ensure a level playing field while allowing opportunities for everyone to participate. Passing these two bills would be government overreach in an area that already has working policies to keep sports fair. Also, as someone who played on girls soccer teams growing up, I would have been happy to have a transgender girl on the team or to play against one to let her join in the joy and activity of the sport as herself. Every girl is an individual with different skills, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses--whether she is cisgender or transgender. Physical variations are vast, especially among kids and young adults as they are growing. Some sports favor small builds and flexibility, while others favor strength and speed. Being transgender doesn't necessarily provide you with any advantages or disadvantages. I always hear in arguments for bills like these about how transgender girls have higher testosterone, which supposedly gives them an advantage. As someone with PCOS, I have a higher level of testosterone than what is considered "average" among cisgender girls; I was still able to play sports and I was nowhere near the best player on my teams; I was never the fastest or strongest. The mere introduction of these bills causes distress to many of Virginia's citizens, both children and adults, athletes and nonathletes by rejecting an essential part of who they are. I want to live in a Virginia that is welcoming and supportive of all people, not discriminatory or even just tolerant. So I ask you to support our transgender, nonbinary, and intersex children and neighbors and encourage them to be themselves. Please say no to HB1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB1399 (March). Thank you.

Oppose HB1387 and HB1399! Don’t single out trans students and essentially ban them from school sports. You are taking a group of KIDS already facing many challenges including possibly dealing with harassment and bullying, and taking away a chance to make friends and be a part of a team. The only thing you’re doing with these bills are increasing the divide between cis and trans students and trying to stop a problem that only exists due to hatred and misinformation.

I am writting to oppose HB1387 and 1399. As a Christian minister, I have worked with several teens and college age students who identify as trans. Some of them are athletes. As they struggle to claim and live into their identify, they face many challenges and struggles. The pressure of living genuinely leads to anxiety, depression and sometimes attempts of suicide. Anti-trans rules for athletics just increases these students' stresses. They have to choose whether their identity as a team member and athlete is more important or their gender identity that they are struggling to share and live into. It is ridiculous to think that any student would lie about their gender identity in order to excel at a sport. Please, put the safety and mental health of our trans students first as your priority and reject this bill.

I'm the mother of two transgender children who attended public school in Virginia. One of them participated in high school sports. People often focus the discussion about transgender youth participating in sports on concerns that at the elite level, transgender girls have an advantage over cis-gendered girls. This is a terrible misfocussing of the discussion and bars ALL transgender youth from participating in sports despite the fact that the vast majority of public school sports participants do not compete at an elite level. Participating in sports gives students a sense of belonging that our transgender youth desperately need. There are other solutions for concerns about elite level athletes. They can include science-based limits on testosterone levels and the same sort of "cooling off" period that the NCAA uses for MTF transgender athletes. Our commonwealth has advertised that "Virginia is for Lovers" since 1969. Let's find a way to love our transgender youth, not hate them and tell them that they are "less than."

I urge your committee to pass Delegate Greenhalgh's HB 1387 and send this Bill for a vote. Her bill directly, clearly and accurately places the rights of parents's in proper standing. No person knows a child better and has the responsibility and judgement to make the best decisions for a child than their own parent or guardian. Allowing other's, no mater their title or education, to hide important psychological aspects of a child from their parent hurts the child, wrongly intrudes upon Parental Rights and breaks down the most cohesive structure of our society - the family.

I would like to voice my opposition to HB1387 and HB1399, both of which discriminate against trans and nonbinary/gender independent students. I am a teacher at one of our state’s pediatric mental health hospitals, and many of my students are transgender or gender independent/nonbinary. They often speak of not being accepted at their schools and feeling unsafe. I see the result of schools not supporting these students. They are in the hospital for attempted suicide, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and the list goes on. We know statistics show that LGBTQ+ students have a higher rate of dying by suicide than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. When students are denied opportunities to fully express themselves in supportive environments, they suffer. Our society is beginning to understand that gender is a construct that our society has created and that gender identity has nothing to do with biological sex. In addition, that construct is limited, allowing only for two genders, when in fact there are many. I know it can be very difficult for some to understand and accept this. Raising our consciousness can be at times difficult and time consuming work. But it is necessary for societies to become better. Let me remind you that you are being asked to determine how we will treat children and adolescents who are still developing cognitively, emotionally, and socially. It is our responsibility to provide safe environments in which they can be supported to develop and grow. I have heard some talk about the safety risk that allowing trans and gender independent individuals to play on the team that matches their gender identity poses to non-trans/non-gender independent students. Remember when we used to not allow black students and other students of color to attend school with white students out of fear that white students would be harmed? Another decision steeped in discrimination and based on another construct-race. What seemed so clearly right turned out to be profoundly wrong. I can understand that it can be very hard to get past the fear, often expressing itself in the form of anger, of something new. Maybe some of you are scared of what might happen as these brilliant and brave students ask us to allow them to do something never allowed in our schools before. But, I also imagine that all of you became politicians to affect change and to help Virginians, youth not excluded. I would say that whether we are ready for it or not, our society is changing, and trans/gender independent students are leading the charge. In 50 years, or less I hope, don’t you want to be the people who helped support what is right and just? Please support trans and nonbinary students, and all students, by allowing this very harmful legislation to die in this subcommittee.

I love my nephew, who is transgender and attends public high school. Students deal with so many stressors in school, including worries about school violence. Hearing that powerful lawmakers want to exclude them from sports makes life even harder for students like my nephew. I hope you think about the many Virginia public school students like my nephew. Please don't advance HB1387 and HB1399.

Good Morning, My name is Alanna and I am commenting on behalf of the gross government overreach that these bills would require. HB1387 would require a health provider to conduct a genital inspection and sign off on that? Call it whatever you want but that is exactly what "The bill requires identification of the student's biological sex on an athletics eligibility form signed by a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant to be submitted by any such student who desires to try out for or participate in an interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic team or sport" would mean. It seems that there are many members of this General Assembly that are more pressed with taking individual rights away than creating policy that means something. The minors that these bills represent, just want to enjoy sporting activities or clubs, why gender needs to be brought into this is beyond me. I played baseball when I was a child and was heartbroken when at age 10 I had to play softball because "that's what girls played." Its not the same and removes the joy out of even playing any sport when one can't play what they chose to do. One final statement, my niece lives in the very Red State of Ohio and has enjoyed playing on the girls wrestling team for many years. What does Delegate March have against female wrestlers in HB1399. These bills are poorly written and flat out discriminatory.

HB 1387-NO HB1399 NO HB 1800 - NO HB 2272- yes

Please reject HB 1387 and HB 1399. It's cruel to exclude trans young people from playing sports with their peers. Like all kids, trans kids need to exercise, make friends, and learn the lessons about teamwork, discipline, and persisting through setbacks that sports can teach. Banning trans kids from sports denies them these important opportunities for growth. Worse, it sends them the message that they are unwanted. It sends other children the message that there is something wrong or bad about trans kids. It certainly doesn't serve the cause of fairness. My son's best friend growing up was trans. She was a kind, smart, funny kid that anyone would be happy to have their child play with. It hurts my heart to think of children like her being treated this way. Again, please oppose HB 1387 and HB 1399. Thank you, Anna Hebner Henrico

Dear members of the Higher Education Subcommittee, My name is Virginia Pannabecker. I live in Roanoke. I am writing to oppose HB 1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB 1399 (March), bills that would ban trans athletes from playing on the school sports teams that align with their gender identity, including in college-level club sports. I’m a Virginia community member and a parent of a college student and a high school student. I also work at a higher education institution. Many people I care about, family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors, identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, including some who are transgender. Beyond fun and the challenge of athleticism, sports offer opportunities to connect with fellow students and to grow important life skills like: leadership, confidence, self-respect, and teamwork. Teamwork is important to me - from when I was on my high school swim team, to today when I team up with colleagues or neighbors to work together towards shared goals. Being on a team where your teammates respect and appreciate you for who you are is also affirming and increases our connections to each other across our communities. All students deserve a chance to play sports, including trans youth and young adults. I would be proud to join my family, friends, and community to cheer for teams that include transgender athletes, whether K-12 or college. The Virginia that I see is a state that welcomes and accepts people. Where we all belong. I urge you to oppose these bills, HB 1387 and HB 1399. Thank you for your time.

Dear Chairman Freitas and members of the House Higher Education Subcommittee, Equality Virginia is the leading advocacy organization seeking equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people in Virginia. We respectfully submit our strong opposition to House Bill 1387 and House Bill 1399. There is simply no to back up the concerns that proponents of these bills claim to have. A small percentage of people identify as transgender in Virginia, and not all of them are interested in playing sports, and even fewer of them are elite level. There are real issues with gender parity in sports when it comes to funding, resources, pay equity, and more. Promoting baseless fears about trans athletes does nothing to address those real problems. Transgender people do not have an inherent competitive advantage in sports by virtue of their transition. In reality, transgender women and girls compete at levels similar to all women. No female transgender athlete has qualified for the Olympics, despite rules permitting participation that have been in place for more than a decade. At the high school level, 20 states already allow trans kids to compete in sports consistent with their gender identity. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was about opening up opportunities for people to be able to benefit from true, meaningful opportunities to participate in sports. Allowing transgender people to participate in sports doesn’t change that – it is part of that. Research from the Center for American Progress published in February 2021 highlights the “physiological, social, and emotional” benefits of youth sport participation. Their work also stresses how transgender youth are more likely to struggle with depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. There are two main takeaways from their report: 1) trans exclusionary sport regulations “deprive an already vulnerable group of the benefits of sports,” and 2) this sort of exclusion is likely to exacerbate the struggles of trans and gender nonconforming youth. Because allowing trans girls to compete in girls’ sports doesn’t hurt anyone, advocates for women and girls in sports such as the National Women’s Law Center, the Women’s Sports Foundation, Women Leaders in College Sports, and others support trans-inclusive policies and oppose efforts to exclude transgender students from participating in sports. Several local and national sporting institutions – including the Virginia High School League and NCAA – have adopted policies allowing transgender athletes to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity, designed to guarantee there is no competitive advantage conferred by transition. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) – an organization dedicated to athletic competition at the highest level –has even adopted a policy that allows transgender athletes to compete consistent with their gender identity. Moreover, HB 1387 and 1399 are part of a larger trend -- fueled and funded by national-level organizations -- to influence and interfere with state politics, particularly around youth identity. All of these bills seek to single out transgender young people and subsequently increase bullying and harassment by preventing them from participating in the sports they love. The Virginia I know and love is not one that passes legislation that puts kids in danger. I encourage you to oppose these bills.

1387 & 1399 VPEP Opposes There are only 9 transgender athletes in the entire state. This is a waste of State resources. VHSL already has a policy addressing this so State involvement is not required The IOC admits trans athletes under guidelines Because the VHSL and other leagues are capable of making their own policy, the only reason to enact a ban at the State level is to bully a portion of the population through legislative abuse.

I am writing this to oppose both 1397 and 1399. I am a transgender woman athlete and at the age of 41 I have competed against cisgender women almost the entirety of my life. I grew up riding horses and showing at equestrian competitions over fences. For the last three years I have played on a local roller derby team as well as the state all star team. I am also one of five trans women on quad roller skates that is a sponsored aggressive park skater in the entire world. You can read this and assume that I have all of this because I am a trans athlete. However, the truth of the matter is I have had to work harder at this than I have at anything else in my entire life. People have focused on trans athletes, and whether we have fair or unfair advantages when the fact is that there are only 25 at most trans athletes in VA schools at this present moment. You sit there and focus on the athletic side of things, while not actual taking in the factors of why people assume I would have an advantage. I can guarantee you what you’re doing is not saving women’s sports. I can also guarantee you that me having had testosterone through puberty doesn’t guarantee I have an advantage in sports. The only advantage I would have possibly had if I grew up in normal sports is the ability to have had more time put into the building of my athleticism. Growing up as a male, I would have had access to better equipment, better coaches, and more experience/expectations that what I do in sports in grade schools could lead to more options later in life. Women, whether trans or not don’t have that access still. Yet what you don’t see is the cis women I competed with growing up, and the teammates I have now are family. We do life together. We eat together, we train together, we celebrate each other, and we cry together. They come to me with questions and deep thoughts because they can trust me. By limiting sports for trans athletes you’re limiting social experiences for them as well. Now in my opinion that’s one of your goals because when you say “no kid left behind” that only means for the socially accepted kids that fall in line with what you believe. Again there are a max of 25 trans athletes in the entirety of Virginia public schools right now, and not a single one of them have “dominated” any sport. So tell me again why is this so important that we have 230 some anti trans bills in the United States as of this very moment, with over a dozen here in this state other than some agenda that is being pushed. These transgender athletes and kids basic human rights should always come before you’re inability to maneuver around being uncomfortable. Thank you for your time.

Strongly OPPOSE these bills. These bills essentially ban kids like mine from participating in sports. This type of legislation singles out trans youth and robs them of the many opportunities athletics provide: Being on a team, connecting with peers, and building confidence through physical activity.

The percentage of student athletes who identify as Transgender is negligible at best. These are more examples of Bills that are a waste of Taxpayer dollars, looking for a solution to a non-existent problem, and once again unnecessarily targeting a group of students.

VOTE "NO" HB 1387 and HB 1399 Here are my three reasons to oppose these trans athlete ban bills: 1) There is a perceived (though credibly debatable) “advantage” that trans girls would have in sports competitions against cis girls. Following this logic, it would make NO sense to exclude trans boys from male sports. My trans son played both soccer and baseball and it was so SO important for him to have that experience. And for his peers to experience him as a team member. (So, no, marginalizing [and outing] trans athletes into their own leagues is NOT acceptable.) 2) These days MANY trans girls NEVER go thru a “male” puberty. It is blocked from the start, and when they are ready, they go thru the correct female puberty. So, again, the above logic of the perceived “advantage” would not apply. 3) Also puberty arrives at different rates throughout the K-12 schooling years. So, even without hormonal intervention, many students (especially middle thru lower HS) would still not have this perceived advantage. 4) The only context where the perceived male-puberty advantage would come into play is for athletes in late-to-post testosterone puberty. There ALREADY exists a robust set of guidelines for such trans athletes thru the Virginia High School League (which middle schools also adhere to). The policy has guidelines for hormone levels and transition progression. Anything more robust than the VHSL guidelines is NOT appropriate and is simply discriminatory.

My name is Heather Massey and I’m a resident of Glen Allen, VA 23060. As the parent of a K-12 public school student, I’m writing to let you know that I oppose HB 1387. Categorically banning transgender youth from participating in sports singles out trans youth and robs them of the many opportunities that athletics provide: being on a team, connecting with their peers, and building confidence through physical activity. All youth should have an equal opportunity to participate in sports.

School sports should be based on biological sex because it clearly places female athletes at a disadvantage. Biological males are clearly stronger than female athletes and no science is really needed to prove that. It is common sense. Because of this, biological females simply cannot compete for college athletic scholarships and other professional awards if they are competing against male athletes. They will lose every time. This bill will put common sense back in sports.

As a Virginia resident who has enjoyed the passion, camaraderie, and invaluable life lessons gained through scholastic sports, I cannot imagine those experiences having been denied to me because of my gender identity. Transgender people — especially children and young adults — are just as deserving of these formative experiences as their cisgender peers, and they deserve to have them on a team that represents and shares the gender that they align with. I am strongly against HB 1387 and HB 1399.

Our trans students deserve to participate in the sports of the gender they identify with. This legislation would involve such an incredibly small number of kids, it is not at all necessary. Trans kids already face such bullying that they don't feel welcome to participate in sports. For those brave enough to follow their athletic dreams, they should be allowed to play.

HB1387 and HB1399 are both travesties in waiting that would target Virginia's transgender and queer students by barring them from participating in school sports safely. These bills would force trans students to play for teams that don't align with their gender, and that would create environments of bullying, intolerance, and discrimination. Our trans students need to be able to be safe and themselves in order to prosper in education, and they should not be made into tools in some political game. As a transgender woman myself who went to Virginia's public schools, I know that we should be working to promote safety and inclusion for transgender students, not forcing them out of public life and into the closet.

I oppose HB1387. Participation in sports should not be politicized. K-12 and college students are doing a better job than their parents at appreciating diversity and getting along with others, rather than creating divisiveness for attention. Please let transgender students participate in sports with their teammates.

Comments Document

In summary of my spoken statement, "biological sex" is a meaningless category when transgender individuals become involved, as a result of the way hormone replacement therapy affects trans people physiologically and the fact that many trans youth have not progressed through puberty enough to benefit from sexual dimorphism. I urge the Committee to consider the statements of experts, which support the fact that biological sex is not necessarily a predictor for athletic capacity: I cite the peer-reviewed article “Race Times for Transgender Athletes” by Joanna Harper and the Expert Declaration of Joshua D. Safer in the case Hecox v. Little in the Idaho District Court in particular; I have attached both of them for your review (the documents have been combined into one PDF for submission).

Re: HB1387 & HB1399. These bills promise to do irreparable harm to transgender youth across the state of Virginia, denying them safe, affirming access to intramural, club, and collegiate sports. While the bills' language does not explicitly mention transgender students, by defining and explicitly separating students on antiquated and oversimplified notions of biology and sex, the bills impact not those who align those notions, but rather stigmatizes, alienates, and denies equal access to those whose identities do not align with sexual binaries. Transgender athletes are a minority who pose no threat to their cisgender peers; instead the exact opposite occurs, as trans students are systematically and individually targeted by other people. As with any other student and athlete, we seek to play sports without having our identities threatened and pathologized by the state. Equal access does not stop at biological sex- for trans athletes to participate as our full selves, we must be allowed to play with the gender we identify with, not with the sex the state has imposed upon us. Transgender athletes DESERVE to participate with their peers, and reap the benefits of sports in public education.

I am strongly opposed to gender segregate youth sports and athletics clubs. Whether girls want to play on boys teams or transgendered students want to play on the sport group that aligns with their preferred gender. Please let us move forward as a society and not continue to go backwards due to fear and misinformation!

These bills are nothing but transphobic bigotry wrapped in the guise of “protecting women’s sports.” There is no scientific evidence to support the idea that trans athletes have a competitive advantage over their cisgender competitors. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5357259/ ) The only purpose they serve is to drive vulnerable trans youth out of public life, while pandering to the right-wing hate mob. I urge all delegates - particularly those who claim to be “pro-life” - to listen to the science and oppose these harmful bills.

Thank you for keeping our sports safe and fair, by continuing designated teams, based on your birth gender. I have a daughter is the goalie for women’s lacrosse. She made the JV team as an eighth grader. She was getting changed in the high school dressing rooms, and traveling alone on school buses with her female lacrosse team all over the Northern Virginia area. I wouldn’t have felt safe, knowing that there were biological males, choosing to identify as a female on her team, traveling and changing with her. I also wouldn’t feel comfortable having those same athletes shoot against her. At the end of every game, she already has many bruises from defending the goal against these high school young ladies. I can only imagine what the bruises would look like trying to defend from a 6 foot biological male, who chooses to identify as a female and use their full strength to hit the ball against her. Similarly, I have a son in middle school, who also plays sports and would not feel comfortable having biological females on his team, traveling with him. Nor would I like to see him being able to compete with biological women on a female team. Thank you for designating the teams as all female/all male/coed, giving everyone an option.

Requiring students to pass a genital check before participating in any sport is a violation of privacy. Yearly general pediactric examinations do not already include genital inspections, nor do they examine secondary sex characteristics, such as breasts. This bill would require students to either visit a practitioner who conducts these tests, or require general pediatricians to perform atypical tests that unnecessarily violate a student’s privacy.

Banning a specific group of people based on their gender is discrimination. The mere thought of having the audacity to enact such a bill is absolutely disgusting, and it is humiliating that laws like this are even being discussed in a country like the US. This is a country that was founded on differences in belief, ideals, and backgrounds with the purpose for a freedom of expression. Refuge to those who are in need and those of diversity, is encouraged not demolished. Equality, rights, and independence is the basis of who we are. Just as the state has no interlude to the ideals of the church, the state should hold no opposition to the identities of its own people and how these people choose to participate in organizations specifically developed for wellbeing and team-building. A sport organization should be able to decide for themselves who they want in their team. Proposing a law such as this is authoritarian and against the very nature of why this nation exists.

Please vote to defeat bills HB 1387 and HB 1399. Youth and young adults learn a lot of important lessons in sports: sportsmanship, leadership, confidence, self-discipline, self-respect, and what it means to be part of a team. All students deserve access to this kind of enrichment and growth. Transgender students want the opportunity to play sports for the same reason other students do: to be a part of a team where they feel like they belong. We shouldn’t discriminate against young people and ban them from playing sports with their friends just because they’re transgender. Appropriate locally based procedures already exist to manage the very few instances statewide of transgender students seeking to participate. There is simply no purpose to statewide legislation to address a circumstance that is already being handled in the few cases that exist. The mere introduction of these bills has a negative impact on our community. Please support transgender and nonbinary students by rejecting these bills that would take away their right to an equal and unencumbered educational experience.

Trans youth have a right to participate in sports just like everybody else. Allowing students to play on teams that align with their gender identity will simply even the playing field for both boys and girls. The range of body types will widen and it will all balance itself out. Frankly, it is shameful that this is even an issue on the table.

This is complete nonsense. Transgender athletes deserve to compete. As a transgender person and a parent of a transgender child I am so disgusted by this. We always say we're a free country and shit like this makes that the biggest lie I've ever heard. You are ruining transgender lives, treating us like we either don't matter or we're freaks.

The cruelty is the point. So they tell me. When my parents immigrated to Virginia, they had to catch up to a system that irrationally targeted them on the basis of their melanin. On some level we'd managed to figure out the irrationality of that. Or maybe we'd moved it to other groups. With slurs. Media portrayal. Conspiratorial perceptions. The "gay agenda" if you will. It's been three decades since my parents moved here and we've moved onto a new target. Why? I'm not exactly sure. All I know is it's impossible to legislate people out of existence. Everytime we try it ends with suffering and a inability to atone. The kids are the scapegoat. The kids are taught to hate themselves. Because the cruelty is the point. And maybe, maybe it shouldn't be. tl;dr let the kids play ball

I opposed to these two Bills!

I oppose these transgender athlete bans because sports participation is about so much more than winning. These bans will effectively prohibit transgender students from ever being part of a team and a school community based only on their identity. And so much more goes into athletic performance anyway than only your biological makeup: access to elite coaches and teams, nutritionists, time and transportation to practice, inner motivation and determination, mental grit, even networking connections that might get you on a team or seen by a college coach, all make a difference. Boiling down participation on a sports team at any level simply based on biology at birth will not level the playing field. It discriminates against transgender athletes simply because of who they are. Please vote no on these bills.

Banning a specific group of people based on their gender is discrimination. The mere thought of having the audacity to enact such a bill is absolutely disgusting, and it is humiliating that laws like this are even being discussed in a country like the US, a country that is supposed to represent a refuge to those who are in need, a country that was supposed to be a place where diversity is encouraged not demolished, a country that was built on the proposition that all people are equal and their equal rights should not be infringed. On top of that. It is not the state's business to decide who gets to participate in organized sports. A sport organization should be able to decide for themselves who they want in their team. Proposing a law such as this is authoritarian, against the very nature of why this nation is founded.

Comments Document

OPPPOSE HB 1387 and HB1399 Please see the document below with a personal story about a student athlete in Henrico County Public Schools. Thank you, Shannon McKay

Bills like this have been directly linked to an increased suicide rate among these children, who aren't hurting anyone. Please ask yourself: is that really worth it, does that sound like an equitable trade to you? Transgender students have been participating in Virginia sports with NO issues for years and years. Of all the things our legislature could be doing to address the state of Virginia right now such as education, gun violence, economic stability, infrastructure, etc it fills me with anger to see that any of my money is going towards trying to make sure a few kids cant play U10 soccer. This bill is blatant discrimination, its hateful, and goes against the recommendation of every major medical organization. Every child in Virginia should have access to sports, this bill is a violation of their rights and major government overreach. Land of the free? OPPOSE THIS BILL.

Being trans should not exclude students/children from participating in school sanctioned sports. You are taking someone who is already vulnerable to exclusion by their peers and further excluding them with law. This is an opportunity for all students to participate in team building, getting exercise, and being apart of a community and it would be incredibly cruel to use the power of the law to forbid them from doing so should they wish.

I urge the committee to vote NO on HB 1387 and HB 1399. Both bills seek to ban transgender students from participating in sports as their genuine selves. They go far beyond banning students from being on teams that compete against other schools. They ban transgender students from participating in any sport at any level—including clubs and intramurals. They ban schools from competing against other schools and clubs that don’t have similar bans. And they include vague “bounty” provisions that encourage legal action against any club, any school, and anyone who doesn’t go along with these bans. These provisions aren’t just for K-12 schools. They also apply to Virginia’s public universities. Universities would suddenly be in the business of checking the birth certificates of everyone signing up to play in the women’s intramural softball league or join the men’s rugby club. Our universities would also be banned from competing against private universities that also don’t have similar bans, wreaking havoc on schedules and participating in tournaments. These draconian bans are purported solutions in search of a problem. The Virginia High School League and the NCAA already have policies in place for transgender students to compete in sports. Those policies work. And as a practical matter, transgender student athletes are literally not a problem. About 75,000 girls play on high school sports teams in Virginia and are under no threat from the 9 transgender students who applied for VHSL approval to play. More fundamentally, these bills tell transgender children and young adults that they do not matter. That they are a threat. That they are a problem. That they do not belong. That they do not deserve the opportunity to participate in sports—at any level—with their friends. We should encourage children and young adults to participate in sports, not ban them. Please vote NO on HB 1387 and HB 1399 and instead spend your valuable time focused on the legitimate problems and challenges facing higher education in Virginia.

My name is L.F. Brown and I write in OPPOSITION to House Bill 1387 (Greenhalgh) and House Bill 1399 (March) as both bills infringe on the rights of SUPPORTIVE PARENTS, as well as, gender expansive, non-binary, and transgender students who seek to participate on K-12 and college level sports teams that align with their gender identity. Every school district in Virginia allows for student participation in ALL clubs within the structure of the school environment. Singling out transgender athletes in such a ban would negatively impact the shared excitement and camaraderie experienced being a part of a team. Team sports provide an opportunity to develop leadership skills, self-discipline, in addition to the important life lesson of resilience following team defeat. Notedly, the policies of the Virginia High School League (VHSL) ensure a level playing field for all students. These established processes have operated for many years without challenge. In my opinion, House Bill 1387 (Greenhalgh) and House Bill 1399 (March) serve as a solution in search of a problem. I strongly OPPOSE these bills.

I OPPOSE HB1399 and HB1387 for so many reasons including that it goes against NCAA and VHSL standards. In a time, where children are struggling with anxiety, depression along with childhood obesity, I can't see taking sports away is going to help any of that, especially from any child in k-12. All children deserve to play sports on a team that makes them feel safe and accepted. Forcing a transgender child play on a team of the opposite sex not only doesn't affirm them as their true selves, but it puts them in harms way and outs them to their peers. In the last 6 years the VYSL has only had 26 variance requests. This year there was maybe 4 requests for a trans athlete to play sports, we aren't talking about a problem, you're creating a problem by banning them from sports. Don't create a problem when their isn't one. Focus on a legacy that includes accepting all students regardless of their gender identity, not their worth as a political pawn for your career. Again, I oppose HB1387 and HB1399!

We oppose these bills. These bills would ban trans athletes from playing on the school sports teams that align with their gender identity, effectively banning them from school sports entirely. This can have serious long-term negative impacts on these students’ health, education, and well-being. Thank you for your service to our Commonwealth and for the opportunity to provide feedback.

I writing to ask you to vote no on HB 1387 and 1399 - banning trans kids from participating in sports. My question to you is this - why do we have sports in schools? There is a lot of research on how sports help build key life skills for kids as well as improve their physical health. We also have sports to promote values of teamwork, perseverance, and ethical behavior in competition. Engagement in sports has been shown to improve self esteem, focus, and executive functioning skills. Sports programs in public education are NOT supposed to be farm schools for professional sports or scholarship programs to get into colleges. While we know that is a common feature of our schools, we need to keep those considerations out of decisions on who gets to play. In fact, excluding trans Virginia students violates the very values those programs are designed to promote. If the concern is "fairness" - remember that - unlike professional sports - Virginia has an obligation to educate and support ALL kids - yes, even the trans ones - in the Commonwealth. ALL kids in our school system are supposed to be welcome to engage in sports. And ranges of skills and body types are inherent in sports at this age. Teams may be made up of a 120lb 5 foot tall kid who hasn't hit puberty yet and the 6ft tall, 200lb kid who hit it early, even when they both have the same sex. Coaches work hard to make sure everyone is able to play safely together. In addition, these bills reinforce false beliefs that all boys are *always* better at sports than all girls, and the reason girls need their own teams is because they cannot compete with boys. These false beliefs are why these bills do not ban trans boys from boys teams, and only bans trans girls from girls teams, regardless of whether those trans girls have gone through male puberty, been on blockers, or have started HRT. This false belief in male superiority in sports is not even true with fully grown adults in professional sports, let alone in middle or high school. In addition, professional sports organizations have existing regulations and standards for trans athletes already, most of which allow trans athletes to compete if they meet specific criteria. This proposed law does not even follow the example of these organizations who determine who competes at the highest levels! Finally, where is the evidence of *actual* harm from allowing trans girls to participate in girls sports? Where are the injuries or lost scholarships? Feeling icky about trans people does not count as actual harm. And if you cannot provide *actual examples of harm*, why are you trying to pass this law? You have an obligation to protect and support ALL students in Virginia - including the trans kids. Vote no on these bills.

I am writing to ask the committee to pass this anti-trans bill by indefinitely because it is harmful to the students competing in intramural sports regardless of gender. I am a bisexual cis gendered woman and play collegiate rugby. There I have found more love and community than anywhere else in my love from both the men’s and women’s teams. My entire freshman year we couldn’t afford a women’s coach so we had to practice together as one club which wouldn’t have been possible had this uptick in public political transphobia begun a few years earlier. So, I ask that now you reject this bill in order to provide more young people with the opportunities that I had.

I am writing in opposition to HB1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB1399 (March), which would ban transgender children and young adults from competing on school athletics teams that align with their identified gender. These bills are solutions in search of a problem. Transgender athletes are not, as their adversaries would claim, destroying girls' and women's athletics. Trans athletes are actually underrepresented in athletics in general, and are particularly underrepresented on medals platforms - in either men's or women's divisions. The notorious "winning" trans female athletes are rare, and there is no indication they will become any less rare. I am not aware of are any competitive trans athletes in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Lawmakers traditionally do not enact legislation unless there is a demonstrated need or issue. In this case, no such need or issue exists. All that exists is a moral panic relating to a few athletes in other parts of the country, the most notorious of whom are no longer involved in competitive athletics. What these bills actually do is to stigmatize and "other" members of the transgender community, tarring them as cheaters and reducing transgenderism to nothing more than an excuse to cheat. The notion is patently ridiculous that anyone would profess membership in such a ruthlessly oppressed minority in order to win at athletics. There are much, much easier ways for athletes to be competitive that do not involve the innumerable deep sacrifices and personal costs one must endure to transition to the non-birth gender - namely training. Finally, these bills aren't just about transgender athletes. They impact the entire transgender community by vilifying its people, inducing and reinforcing moral panic against them, and carving out a slippery slope by which other civil rights may be eroded away. These bills are a way of eroding transgender dignity. They are a way of punishing transgender people for being different. And they are a way of telling them that they are not welcome to participate fully in society. America is the so-called "Land of Opportunity," and yet we seek daily to deprive many of our people of opportunity. A "level playing field" first requires all athletes should be allowed simply to step onto the field. These bills give different rights to different classes of people, and that's simply un-American. I urge the subcommittee to oppose HB1387 and HB1399.

Regardless of where you stand on gender politics, trans kids are still just kids. They are beloved children, friends, classmates - and teammates. Every student deserves the opportunity to find a space where they feel they belong and participate in an after-school activity that they find meaningful. Why would we deprive young people of the opportunity to find a space where they can flourish and live up to their fullest potential? Sports teams can provide a young person with a support system, collaboration skills, discipline, and long-lasting life lessons. Are we going to rob students of this valuable opportunity simply because we do not understand the way they dress or the pronouns they use? Individual expression and non-discrimination are values we hold onto dearly, but do these values not apply to trans students? Every student deserves the opportunity to participate in enriching activities that help them to build a happy, healthy life.

I am writing to urge you and, if necessary, beg you to not ban transgender kids in k-12 from participating in sports and in club sports for older kids. Sports is an outlet they desperately need for their health and mental well being. There is little to no evidence of their participation limiting non trans kids from participating. It has been our experience that people encourage and welcome trans kids to be part of teams. Furthermore, everyone learns and benefits and becomes more compassionate humans because of it. Thank you for reading and seriously considering my comments and experiences. A. Cahill Amanda

Transgender youth and adults deserve the the same rights to participate in sports and other activities as cisgender youth and adults.

Women's sports are more than just athletics: they boost confidence and teach working with others, especially women. It's unfair and discouraging to women to see podium spots go to males they're competing against. Women's divisions must be kept female to be kept fair.

I strongly oppose both proposed bills. Trans athletes deserve to be able to participate in any college sport of their choosing, if the team aligns with their declared gender identity. Sports teams are already not particularly inclusive places where locker room language often stops LGBTQ+ folks from taking part in team sports, let's allow this to be a team or school decision not enforce a ban statwide - republican beliefs should support the stance of delegating this choice to teams.

Female sports were created by women to give women and girls a fair and safe way to participate and compete in athletics. Men and boys are not better or more skilled athletes; however, the differences between male and female bodies put them on a different playing field than women and girls. Allowing male athletes to identify as female will force women and girls out of our own sports. It also puts women and girls at serious risk of injury in contact sports. Male can never become female or vice versa. Women are not small men or men with low testosterone. We are fully embodied beings. Our female bodies are powerful and have unique strengths and needs. This is plainly obvious in sports.

Comments Document

OPPOSITION for HB 1387, a bill to deny participation in public school athletics activities to transgender students

Its unbelievable that there is now a need to BEG legislators to recognize what a Boy or Girl in fact is in reality. The SICKO special interests which controls the atmosphere as well as the democrat party are disgustingly responsible for funding a socially constructed perverted CULT which knowingly intends HARMS purposely using MINORS as BAIT. Every one of you should’ve taken a stand against Stripping Female rights to safety, privacy, dignity and language while nothing but total dishonesty has fueled self hatred amongst Children to the point kids are now being branded with sex habit/fetish labels in effort of spreading a fashion that seeks to disqualify actual birth rights while drugging them into the delusion that it’s their choice to sterilize, mutilate and misrepresent the reality that personality and outfit choice do not determine male or female !! It’s very obvious who is sincere and who lies at ANY cost knowingly !!!!

Sports must be separated on the basis of sex for the protection and empowerment of young women.

Article 7 of the Declaration on Women's Sex-Based Rights states that "women have a right to the same opportunities as men to participate actively in sports and physical education." This statement is consistent with Article 10 (g) of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, as well as with the Title IX Education Amendments of 1972. In accordance with these principles, I urge you to vote in support of this bill. It would prevent the incursion of males who claim to be women into female sports. These males tend to go on to outperform actual female athletes; you may remember this notably occurring in the case of the swimmer Will "Lia" Thomas. This bill would prevent such unfair mockeries of athletics and ensure integrity in women's sports. Vote YES to HB 1387!

I support HB 1387. Please vote yes for common sense and biological reality. We have single sex sports for a reason. Women and girls have the right to fair competition. Allowing males to compete as females against females is ridiculous not to mention unsafe. Imagine how daunting it must be for a female athlete to spend so much time training only to be forced to compete against a male, knowing you don’t stand a chance. I can’t help but think anyone who would vote no to this bill must really not care about women and girls and has zero respect for women and girls boundaries. Please vote yes to HB 1387. Vote yes if you respect women and girls rights, privacy and safety. Only a fool or a misogynist would vote no.

This bill would clarify Virginia school sports as being segregated by sex. Why does this matter? Because, physiologically, male and female bodies are very different. In relation to their bodies, males have larger individual muscle fibers than women, making them capable of greater absolute force production. They also have proportionally larger lungs and greater lung volume, allowing their muscles to access more oxygen. On average, a male has 12% more red blood cells than a woman. Because of the structure of the pelvis and subsequent angle of the femur, there's more gravitational pressure on women's knees, which makes them more susceptible to ACL and other knee injuries. The list of physiological differences between men and women goes on, but the point is that male and female bodies are structurally different at all levels. These differences give males a categorical advantage in athletic competitions. This advantage is not erased when a man says he "feels" like a woman. This feeling is not observable. Only the material body is. Women and girls have the right to athletic competitions that they actually have a shot at winning. Allowing males to take women's spots on the basis of an alleged "feeling" is unfair, demoralizing, misogynistic, and a denial of material reality that is frankly delusional. Women across all political parties (I'm a Democrat myself) urge all the subcommittee members to vote YES to Bill 1387, and help protect the fairness and integrity of athletics across the state.

Sports are separated by sex because men's bodies have physical advantages over women of similar fitness and age. Men, regardless of their levels of testosterone or estrogen retain these physical advantages which includes more fast-twitch muscles, lower body fat ratios, larger lungs and hearts, slimmer pelvis, height, weight, muscle mass, body fat, skeletal structure and aerobic capacity. As a group, women do not run, jump or swim as fast as men. Women are also more prone to certain types of athletic injuries from men when competing against them in contact sports. Concussions in particular have higher potential for brain damage in women because of our skull thickness. Any boy or man who takes a spot from a woman, even if that spot is the lowest ranked on the team, means a cascade of discrimination, starting with that one woman he bumped off to the woman below her, below her, etc. We need to base sports separations on sex, not subjective sense of gender identity (which is not measurable nor an objective material state). Sex is simply defined as male or female. There is no third sex, no third gamete. Please respect the science and don't let male bodies discriminate against females.

Sports are separated by sex because men's bodies have physical advantages over women of similar fitness and age. Men, regardless of their levels of testosterone or estrogen retain these physical advantages which includes more fast-twitch muscles, lower body fat ratios, larger lungs and hearts, slimmer pelvis, height, weight, muscle mass, body fat, skeletal structure and aerobic capacity. As a group, women do not run, jump or swim as fast as men. Women are also more prone to certain types of athletic injuries from men when competing against them in contact sports. Concussions in particular have higher potential for brain damage in women because of our skull thickness. Any boy or man who takes a spot from a woman, even if that spot is the lowest ranked on the team, means a cascade of discrimination, starting with that one woman he bumped off to the woman below her, below her, etc. We need to base sports separations on sex, not subjective sense of gender identity (which is not measurable nor an objective material state). Sex is simply defined as male or female. There is no third sex, no third gamete. Please respect the science and don't let male bodies discriminate against females.

This bill protects female sports and indemnifies institutions which do the same. I support female athletes. Please end the insanity of biological men athletically competing with women and support it too!

Commenting as a mother of four sons who’ve been schooled in Hanover County K-12, the youngest now at Maggie Walker, addressing these three bills with common sense and zero fear of the “woke” and “cancel” crowds: HB1379: absolutely parents need to have easy access to understand what materials are accessible to children within our schools! There should be no reason our schools would want to hide this information. And parents are right to demand sexually explicit materials be removed. Our children are in school to be nurtured and learn reading, writing, arithmetic, science, technology and the arts. They are not there to be sexualized. HB1387: without a doubt biological sex must determine whether the child is on the boy’s or the girl’s team. As a mother of four boys, all of which played sports - and having previously operated a dance studio with girls from 3-18yrs old - I have years of experience and common sense to know that girls and boys need to be separated for sports due to many reasons including: rate of physical development, general strength, potential strength, and during pre-pubescent and puberty for emotional and hormonal differences. If I had a daughter in high school that was subjected to a male in her team’s locker room or on the court/ field - I’d be livid. No female, especially our youth should be subjected to such a ludicrous situation. Our young ladies (biological females to be specific) need us to provide THEM safe places to learn, grow and develop. If someone wants to “identify” as anything other than their biological sex, they should seek co-ed teams. HB1397: I strongly believe the parents need to be the ones deciding how to manage THEIR children’s health. While I personally support fully-approved, long-standing vaccines such as the polio vaccine, I am against forcing any vaccine simply because the government decides to mandate it. I didn’t have an opinion prior to the COVID-era “emergency approval, skip the longitudinal studies, mandate the vaccine,” followed by areas of the country going down the path of “show your papers” to receive services. Now I have a strong opinion - parents are the ones responsible for their children, not the government.

I support this sensible bill.

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

I support these bills and they deserve a vote!

Please support Bill #1396! So important for the children of the Commonwealth of Virginia!

I am fully in support of women's sports and it starts in school where girls prepare to compete to hopefully get a scholarship or train to be in the Olympics. putting biological boys who want to be girls in girls sports give biological boys an unfair advantage. There are some sports that don't rely on physical strength and If you want those sports to include all genders then make them CO-ED sports and keep the biological genders in separate locker rooms by biological gender.

As a man I am not threatened by people who were assigned female at birth participating in men's sports with me. My fiancee feels the same about women's sports. Also people who have medically transitioned to another gender have the same hormone levels as that gender and therefore the same ability to build muscle. HB1399 march does not represent the wants or needs of the people of Virginia, it represents the fear that men in the government have of a woman being stronger than them. Get over it. Lift weights to make yourself feel better instead of being sexist and transphobic. Why should especially youth athlete's teams and competitions be determined by people not living that life. There are also intersex people who may have other chromosomes than xy or xx (such as xxy) that were not assigned female or male at birth. now they can't play sports? they can't play with their peers and feel like a normal child of no fault of their own? You're demonizing children and adolescents who did not choose what body they were born into. There is no statistical evidence showing that transgender or intersex individuals have had any historical advantage in sports. In fact, there is more evidence that within people who were born male, there are more outlier biological advantages such as with Michael Phelps who has an unusually increased lung capacity, height, hand and foot size, and arm span to height ratio. This action again would do nothing for athletes but would only exclude children trying to live a healthy lifestyle by getting outside, exercising, and engaging in fun competition with friends. I play on a co-ed team where the women show up the men all the time because they have put time and effort into the sport. Even those who also play on the women's team as well are not threatened by men because they are strong and talented athletes. Don't diminish women's abilities, don't exclude children from getting a normal life, don't be the creep who's first thought when their child looses is what genetalia the winning child had. That's gross and creepy. Let kids be kids. Let talented athletes speak for themselves, we are perfectly capable of such without your unwelcome intervention.

I believe HB 1399 is the best legislation to address the sports issue in Virginia. Despite having to work through the gauntlet that HB 145 and SB 657 in 2020 created for girls and women in interscholastic sports, Delegate March's bill seems to find a way to determine the truth without invasive medical exams or embarrassing questions. At birth, no one knows how the child will identify later in life, and so the only thing a doctor can put is what is immediately observed: the child's biological sex. And to close the loophole created by SB 657, the bill's language makes it clear how to determine an accurate statement of biological sex: what was filed on the birth certificate at or near the time of birth. It also uses the term "biological sex at birth." So there is no question what is intended by the term and how it can be verified. There's no weaseling around this one. Vote yes for HB 1399 and vote to protect the integrity and fairness of female sports.

Comments Document

HRC Opposition to HB 1387 and HB 1399

To the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Virginia House, My name is Makenna “Mak” Atkins. I am transgender college student attending a public state university, VCU. I am concerned about the bills HB 1387 and HB 1399, which would bar students in all levels of education from participating in school sports. I ask that HB 1387 and HB 1399 are voted AGAINST and NOT passed. I have been involved in the sport of rowing since middle school, and have continued through college. Rowing is a sport that requires extreme cooperation and unity; as many as 8 people are moving a boat together. We often prize it as “the ultimate team sport”. I first did a summer camp, to try it out before joining the high school team in the fall. I fell in love with the sport; being out on the glassy water and in green nature on gorgeous sunny days, while moving a boat yourself, is a refreshing way to spend the afternoon or morning. I was on my high school team for all four years, being a leader as a coxswain. A coxswain is the leader of larger boats who steers, gives instructions, and helps the coaches run practices. I also have been a part of a collegiate aged summer team, as well an adult, or masters, team. I am now a part of VCU's rowing team, with an opportunity to compete nationally against other college club rowing teams, especially in this spring semester. Personally, for me my teams have been a huge part of my social life for the last 5 years and will continue to be a great source of friendship, as well as mentorship from older teammates and from coaches. My position within the sport has also helped me develop leadership and communication skills. It has also forced me to confront my anxiety to some level, and I have been able to develop confidence. Having other people depend on me and have a common goal to work towards together also helped my confidence as well fueled my motivation to work hard at something. I have been able to earn numerous ribbons, as well as two medals; one during a scholastic state championship and one during a national summer competition. I still have strong connections to my past and current peers and teammates, many of whom are my best friends. I could not imagine my life without this sport! There are many trans rowers and coxswains, who are integral part of the sport at every level, before and during higher education, and are welcomed in our community. Without being able to be on either my high school or collegiate team, I would have not found a wonderful and unique sport, nor a tight knit group of friends who are like family. For many kids and young adults sports are an accessible way to connect with other people and exercise, which helps our mental health, but also to put work towards a goal and achieve. If HB 1387 and HB 1399 are passed, myself and other transgender kids and young adults would be denied these benefits and opportunities, and would be isolated from our peers. I beg you to let transgender children and young adults of all ages be able to join and continue to be on our schools’ scholastic and collegiate teams, in ALL sports. It benefits us in all realms - mentally, emotionally and physically, and we benefit and strengthen our teams and communities, just as any other person does. HB 1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB 1399 (March) would bar this opportunity from us. I ask you to please NOT vote for these harmful and devastating bills. Thank you, Mak Atkins (he/they)

I urge you to vote NO on Bill 1387 & Bill 1399. These bills are going to isolate the most vulnerable members of our student bodies. Please do not contribute to the hate any longer. It’s not only harmful to the human beings you targeted but it’s harmful to everyone in our community with dirty boots on the ground. Our teachers, parents, children, sheriffs, realtors, farmers, pharmacies. You are destroying the very communities you are trying to grow. Vote NO on Bills 1387 & 1399 and let our communities heal.

As a resident of Virginia, I urge you to oppose HB1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB1399 (March). I am worried about the continuing legislative attacks on transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people in our state. These two bills trying to ban transgender kids and young adults from sports are harmful, discriminatory, unnecessary, and frankly the opposite of good sportsmanship. Sports leagues like the NCAA have policies in place to ensure a level playing field while allowing opportunities for everyone to participate. Passing these two bills would be government overreach in an area that already has working policies to keep sports fair. Also, as someone who played on girls soccer teams growing up, I would have been happy to have a transgender girl on the team or to play against one to let her join in the joy and activity of the sport as herself. Every girl is an individual with different skills, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses--whether she is cisgender or transgender. Physical variations are vast, especially among kids and young adults as they are growing. Some sports favor small builds and flexibility, while others favor strength and speed. Being transgender doesn't necessarily provide you with any advantages or disadvantages. I always hear in arguments for bills like these about how transgender girls have higher testosterone, which supposedly gives them an advantage. As someone with PCOS, I have a higher level of testosterone than what is considered "average" among cisgender girls; I was still able to play sports and I was nowhere near the best player on my teams; I was never the fastest or strongest. The mere introduction of these bills causes distress to many of Virginia's citizens, both children and adults, athletes and nonathletes by rejecting an essential part of who they are. I want to live in a Virginia that is welcoming and supportive of all people, not discriminatory or even just tolerant. So I ask you to support our transgender, nonbinary, and intersex children and neighbors and encourage them to be themselves. Please say no to HB1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB1399 (March). Thank you.

Oppose HB1387 and HB1399! Don’t single out trans students and essentially ban them from school sports. You are taking a group of KIDS already facing many challenges including possibly dealing with harassment and bullying, and taking away a chance to make friends and be a part of a team. The only thing you’re doing with these bills are increasing the divide between cis and trans students and trying to stop a problem that only exists due to hatred and misinformation.

I am writting to oppose HB1387 and 1399. As a Christian minister, I have worked with several teens and college age students who identify as trans. Some of them are athletes. As they struggle to claim and live into their identify, they face many challenges and struggles. The pressure of living genuinely leads to anxiety, depression and sometimes attempts of suicide. Anti-trans rules for athletics just increases these students' stresses. They have to choose whether their identity as a team member and athlete is more important or their gender identity that they are struggling to share and live into. It is ridiculous to think that any student would lie about their gender identity in order to excel at a sport. Please, put the safety and mental health of our trans students first as your priority and reject this bill.

I'm the mother of two transgender children who attended public school in Virginia. One of them participated in high school sports. People often focus the discussion about transgender youth participating in sports on concerns that at the elite level, transgender girls have an advantage over cis-gendered girls. This is a terrible misfocussing of the discussion and bars ALL transgender youth from participating in sports despite the fact that the vast majority of public school sports participants do not compete at an elite level. Participating in sports gives students a sense of belonging that our transgender youth desperately need. There are other solutions for concerns about elite level athletes. They can include science-based limits on testosterone levels and the same sort of "cooling off" period that the NCAA uses for MTF transgender athletes. Our commonwealth has advertised that "Virginia is for Lovers" since 1969. Let's find a way to love our transgender youth, not hate them and tell them that they are "less than."

I would like to voice my opposition to HB1387 and HB1399, both of which discriminate against trans and nonbinary/gender independent students. I am a teacher at one of our state’s pediatric mental health hospitals, and many of my students are transgender or gender independent/nonbinary. They often speak of not being accepted at their schools and feeling unsafe. I see the result of schools not supporting these students. They are in the hospital for attempted suicide, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and the list goes on. We know statistics show that LGBTQ+ students have a higher rate of dying by suicide than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. When students are denied opportunities to fully express themselves in supportive environments, they suffer. Our society is beginning to understand that gender is a construct that our society has created and that gender identity has nothing to do with biological sex. In addition, that construct is limited, allowing only for two genders, when in fact there are many. I know it can be very difficult for some to understand and accept this. Raising our consciousness can be at times difficult and time consuming work. But it is necessary for societies to become better. Let me remind you that you are being asked to determine how we will treat children and adolescents who are still developing cognitively, emotionally, and socially. It is our responsibility to provide safe environments in which they can be supported to develop and grow. I have heard some talk about the safety risk that allowing trans and gender independent individuals to play on the team that matches their gender identity poses to non-trans/non-gender independent students. Remember when we used to not allow black students and other students of color to attend school with white students out of fear that white students would be harmed? Another decision steeped in discrimination and based on another construct-race. What seemed so clearly right turned out to be profoundly wrong. I can understand that it can be very hard to get past the fear, often expressing itself in the form of anger, of something new. Maybe some of you are scared of what might happen as these brilliant and brave students ask us to allow them to do something never allowed in our schools before. But, I also imagine that all of you became politicians to affect change and to help Virginians, youth not excluded. I would say that whether we are ready for it or not, our society is changing, and trans/gender independent students are leading the charge. In 50 years, or less I hope, don’t you want to be the people who helped support what is right and just? Please support trans and nonbinary students, and all students, by allowing this very harmful legislation to die in this subcommittee.

I love my nephew, who is transgender and attends public high school. Students deal with so many stressors in school, including worries about school violence. Hearing that powerful lawmakers want to exclude them from sports makes life even harder for students like my nephew. I hope you think about the many Virginia public school students like my nephew. Please don't advance HB1387 and HB1399.

Good Morning, My name is Alanna and I am commenting on behalf of the gross government overreach that these bills would require. HB1387 would require a health provider to conduct a genital inspection and sign off on that? Call it whatever you want but that is exactly what "The bill requires identification of the student's biological sex on an athletics eligibility form signed by a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant to be submitted by any such student who desires to try out for or participate in an interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic team or sport" would mean. It seems that there are many members of this General Assembly that are more pressed with taking individual rights away than creating policy that means something. The minors that these bills represent, just want to enjoy sporting activities or clubs, why gender needs to be brought into this is beyond me. I played baseball when I was a child and was heartbroken when at age 10 I had to play softball because "that's what girls played." Its not the same and removes the joy out of even playing any sport when one can't play what they chose to do. One final statement, my niece lives in the very Red State of Ohio and has enjoyed playing on the girls wrestling team for many years. What does Delegate March have against female wrestlers in HB1399. These bills are poorly written and flat out discriminatory.

HB 1387-NO HB1399 NO HB 1800 - NO HB 2272- yes

Please reject HB 1387 and HB 1399. It's cruel to exclude trans young people from playing sports with their peers. Like all kids, trans kids need to exercise, make friends, and learn the lessons about teamwork, discipline, and persisting through setbacks that sports can teach. Banning trans kids from sports denies them these important opportunities for growth. Worse, it sends them the message that they are unwanted. It sends other children the message that there is something wrong or bad about trans kids. It certainly doesn't serve the cause of fairness. My son's best friend growing up was trans. She was a kind, smart, funny kid that anyone would be happy to have their child play with. It hurts my heart to think of children like her being treated this way. Again, please oppose HB 1387 and HB 1399. Thank you, Anna Hebner Henrico

Dear members of the Higher Education Subcommittee, My name is Virginia Pannabecker. I live in Roanoke. I am writing to oppose HB 1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB 1399 (March), bills that would ban trans athletes from playing on the school sports teams that align with their gender identity, including in college-level club sports. I’m a Virginia community member and a parent of a college student and a high school student. I also work at a higher education institution. Many people I care about, family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors, identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, including some who are transgender. Beyond fun and the challenge of athleticism, sports offer opportunities to connect with fellow students and to grow important life skills like: leadership, confidence, self-respect, and teamwork. Teamwork is important to me - from when I was on my high school swim team, to today when I team up with colleagues or neighbors to work together towards shared goals. Being on a team where your teammates respect and appreciate you for who you are is also affirming and increases our connections to each other across our communities. All students deserve a chance to play sports, including trans youth and young adults. I would be proud to join my family, friends, and community to cheer for teams that include transgender athletes, whether K-12 or college. The Virginia that I see is a state that welcomes and accepts people. Where we all belong. I urge you to oppose these bills, HB 1387 and HB 1399. Thank you for your time.

Dear Chairman Freitas and members of the House Higher Education Subcommittee, Equality Virginia is the leading advocacy organization seeking equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people in Virginia. We respectfully submit our strong opposition to House Bill 1387 and House Bill 1399. There is simply no to back up the concerns that proponents of these bills claim to have. A small percentage of people identify as transgender in Virginia, and not all of them are interested in playing sports, and even fewer of them are elite level. There are real issues with gender parity in sports when it comes to funding, resources, pay equity, and more. Promoting baseless fears about trans athletes does nothing to address those real problems. Transgender people do not have an inherent competitive advantage in sports by virtue of their transition. In reality, transgender women and girls compete at levels similar to all women. No female transgender athlete has qualified for the Olympics, despite rules permitting participation that have been in place for more than a decade. At the high school level, 20 states already allow trans kids to compete in sports consistent with their gender identity. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was about opening up opportunities for people to be able to benefit from true, meaningful opportunities to participate in sports. Allowing transgender people to participate in sports doesn’t change that – it is part of that. Research from the Center for American Progress published in February 2021 highlights the “physiological, social, and emotional” benefits of youth sport participation. Their work also stresses how transgender youth are more likely to struggle with depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. There are two main takeaways from their report: 1) trans exclusionary sport regulations “deprive an already vulnerable group of the benefits of sports,” and 2) this sort of exclusion is likely to exacerbate the struggles of trans and gender nonconforming youth. Because allowing trans girls to compete in girls’ sports doesn’t hurt anyone, advocates for women and girls in sports such as the National Women’s Law Center, the Women’s Sports Foundation, Women Leaders in College Sports, and others support trans-inclusive policies and oppose efforts to exclude transgender students from participating in sports. Several local and national sporting institutions – including the Virginia High School League and NCAA – have adopted policies allowing transgender athletes to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity, designed to guarantee there is no competitive advantage conferred by transition. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) – an organization dedicated to athletic competition at the highest level –has even adopted a policy that allows transgender athletes to compete consistent with their gender identity. Moreover, HB 1387 and 1399 are part of a larger trend -- fueled and funded by national-level organizations -- to influence and interfere with state politics, particularly around youth identity. All of these bills seek to single out transgender young people and subsequently increase bullying and harassment by preventing them from participating in the sports they love. The Virginia I know and love is not one that passes legislation that puts kids in danger. I encourage you to oppose these bills.

1387 & 1399 VPEP Opposes There are only 9 transgender athletes in the entire state. This is a waste of State resources. VHSL already has a policy addressing this so State involvement is not required The IOC admits trans athletes under guidelines Because the VHSL and other leagues are capable of making their own policy, the only reason to enact a ban at the State level is to bully a portion of the population through legislative abuse.

I am writing this to oppose both 1397 and 1399. I am a transgender woman athlete and at the age of 41 I have competed against cisgender women almost the entirety of my life. I grew up riding horses and showing at equestrian competitions over fences. For the last three years I have played on a local roller derby team as well as the state all star team. I am also one of five trans women on quad roller skates that is a sponsored aggressive park skater in the entire world. You can read this and assume that I have all of this because I am a trans athlete. However, the truth of the matter is I have had to work harder at this than I have at anything else in my entire life. People have focused on trans athletes, and whether we have fair or unfair advantages when the fact is that there are only 25 at most trans athletes in VA schools at this present moment. You sit there and focus on the athletic side of things, while not actual taking in the factors of why people assume I would have an advantage. I can guarantee you what you’re doing is not saving women’s sports. I can also guarantee you that me having had testosterone through puberty doesn’t guarantee I have an advantage in sports. The only advantage I would have possibly had if I grew up in normal sports is the ability to have had more time put into the building of my athleticism. Growing up as a male, I would have had access to better equipment, better coaches, and more experience/expectations that what I do in sports in grade schools could lead to more options later in life. Women, whether trans or not don’t have that access still. Yet what you don’t see is the cis women I competed with growing up, and the teammates I have now are family. We do life together. We eat together, we train together, we celebrate each other, and we cry together. They come to me with questions and deep thoughts because they can trust me. By limiting sports for trans athletes you’re limiting social experiences for them as well. Now in my opinion that’s one of your goals because when you say “no kid left behind” that only means for the socially accepted kids that fall in line with what you believe. Again there are a max of 25 trans athletes in the entirety of Virginia public schools right now, and not a single one of them have “dominated” any sport. So tell me again why is this so important that we have 230 some anti trans bills in the United States as of this very moment, with over a dozen here in this state other than some agenda that is being pushed. These transgender athletes and kids basic human rights should always come before you’re inability to maneuver around being uncomfortable. Thank you for your time.

Strongly OPPOSE these bills. These bills essentially ban kids like mine from participating in sports. This type of legislation singles out trans youth and robs them of the many opportunities athletics provide: Being on a team, connecting with peers, and building confidence through physical activity.

The percentage of student athletes who identify as Transgender is negligible at best. These are more examples of Bills that are a waste of Taxpayer dollars, looking for a solution to a non-existent problem, and once again unnecessarily targeting a group of students.

VOTE "NO" HB 1387 and HB 1399 Here are my three reasons to oppose these trans athlete ban bills: 1) There is a perceived (though credibly debatable) “advantage” that trans girls would have in sports competitions against cis girls. Following this logic, it would make NO sense to exclude trans boys from male sports. My trans son played both soccer and baseball and it was so SO important for him to have that experience. And for his peers to experience him as a team member. (So, no, marginalizing [and outing] trans athletes into their own leagues is NOT acceptable.) 2) These days MANY trans girls NEVER go thru a “male” puberty. It is blocked from the start, and when they are ready, they go thru the correct female puberty. So, again, the above logic of the perceived “advantage” would not apply. 3) Also puberty arrives at different rates throughout the K-12 schooling years. So, even without hormonal intervention, many students (especially middle thru lower HS) would still not have this perceived advantage. 4) The only context where the perceived male-puberty advantage would come into play is for athletes in late-to-post testosterone puberty. There ALREADY exists a robust set of guidelines for such trans athletes thru the Virginia High School League (which middle schools also adhere to). The policy has guidelines for hormone levels and transition progression. Anything more robust than the VHSL guidelines is NOT appropriate and is simply discriminatory.

My name is Heather Massey and I’m a resident of Glen Allen, VA 23060. As the parent of a student, I’m writing to let you know that I oppose HB 1399. Categorically banning transgender youth from participating in sports singles out trans youth and robs them of the many opportunities that athletics provide: being on a team, connecting with their peers, and building confidence through physical activity. All students should have an equal opportunity to participate in sports. HB 1399 is discriminatory and harmful to youth and young adult trans athletes; therefore, I vigorously oppose it.

I support this bill because it is time to put common sense back into sports. Biological males are clearly stronger and heavier than biological females. Females will be unable to compete against a biological male for this reason and will never win at any sport. That means no awards or scholarships or the ability to develop their own athletic skills. Female competitors are placed at increased risk of injury when competing against biological males. Please go back to using common sense instead of what is "political correctness" and protect our female students. Thank you.

As a Virginia resident who has enjoyed the passion, camaraderie, and invaluable life lessons gained through scholastic sports, I cannot imagine those experiences having been denied to me because of my gender identity. Transgender people — especially children and young adults — are just as deserving of these formative experiences as their cisgender peers, and they deserve to have them on a team that represents and shares the gender that they align with. I am strongly against HB 1387 and HB 1399.

Our trans students deserve to participate in the sports of the gender they identify with. This legislation would involve such an incredibly small number of kids, it is not at all necessary. Trans kids already face such bullying that they don't feel welcome to participate in sports. For those brave enough to follow their athletic dreams, they should be allowed to play.

HB1387 and HB1399 are both travesties in waiting that would target Virginia's transgender and queer students by barring them from participating in school sports safely. These bills would force trans students to play for teams that don't align with their gender, and that would create environments of bullying, intolerance, and discrimination. Our trans students need to be able to be safe and themselves in order to prosper in education, and they should not be made into tools in some political game. As a transgender woman myself who went to Virginia's public schools, I know that we should be working to promote safety and inclusion for transgender students, not forcing them out of public life and into the closet.

I oppose HB1399. Allowing trans youth to participate in school sports has many benefits and no costs except for the transphobia being whipped up by bills such as these. The VHSL has developed reasonable policies to allow trans youth to participate. Demonizing our kids and artificially creating conflicts has no place in education. Our trans youth deserve the same opportunities as cis-gender youth.

Comments Document

In summary of my spoken statement, "biological sex" is a meaningless category when transgender individuals become involved, as a result of the way hormone replacement therapy affects trans people physiologically and the fact that many trans youth have not progressed through puberty enough to benefit from sexual dimorphism. I urge the Committee to consider the statements of experts, which support the fact that biological sex is not necessarily a predictor for athletic capacity: I cite the peer-reviewed article “Race Times for Transgender Athletes” by Joanna Harper and the Expert Declaration of Joshua D. Safer in the case Hecox v. Little in the Idaho District Court in particular; I have attached both of them for your review (the documents have been combined into one PDF for submission).

Re: HB1387 & HB1399. These bills promise to do irreparable harm to transgender youth across the state of Virginia, denying them safe, affirming access to intramural, club, and collegiate sports. While the bills' language does not explicitly mention transgender students, by defining and explicitly separating students on antiquated and oversimplified notions of biology and sex, the bills impact not those who align those notions, but rather stigmatizes, alienates, and denies equal access to those whose identities do not align with sexual binaries. Transgender athletes are a minority who pose no threat to their cisgender peers; instead the exact opposite occurs, as trans students are systematically and individually targeted by other people. As with any other student and athlete, we seek to play sports without having our identities threatened and pathologized by the state. Equal access does not stop at biological sex- for trans athletes to participate as our full selves, we must be allowed to play with the gender we identify with, not with the sex the state has imposed upon us. Transgender athletes DESERVE to participate with their peers, and reap the benefits of sports in public education.

I am strongly opposed to gender segregate youth sports and athletics clubs. Whether girls want to play on boys teams or transgendered students want to play on the sport group that aligns with their preferred gender. Please let us move forward as a society and not continue to go backwards due to fear and misinformation!

These bills are nothing but transphobic bigotry wrapped in the guise of “protecting women’s sports.” There is no scientific evidence to support the idea that trans athletes have a competitive advantage over their cisgender competitors. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5357259/ ) The only purpose they serve is to drive vulnerable trans youth out of public life, while pandering to the right-wing hate mob. I urge all delegates - particularly those who claim to be “pro-life” - to listen to the science and oppose these harmful bills.

Requiring students to pass a genital check before participating in any sport is a violation of privacy. Yearly general pediactric examinations do not already include genital inspections, nor do they examine secondary sex characteristics, such as breasts. This bill would require students to either visit a practitioner who conducts these tests, or require general pediatricians to perform atypical tests that unnecessarily violate a student’s privacy.

Banning a specific group of people based on their gender is discrimination. The mere thought of having the audacity to enact such a bill is absolutely disgusting, and it is humiliating that laws like this are even being discussed in a country like the US. This is a country that was founded on differences in belief, ideals, and backgrounds with the purpose for a freedom of expression. Refuge to those who are in need and those of diversity, is encouraged not demolished. Equality, rights, and independence is the basis of who we are. Just as the state has no interlude to the ideals of the church, the state should hold no opposition to the identities of its own people and how these people choose to participate in organizations specifically developed for wellbeing and team-building. A sport organization should be able to decide for themselves who they want in their team. Proposing a law such as this is authoritarian and against the very nature of why this nation exists.

Please vote to defeat bills HB 1387 and HB 1399. Youth and young adults learn a lot of important lessons in sports: sportsmanship, leadership, confidence, self-discipline, self-respect, and what it means to be part of a team. All students deserve access to this kind of enrichment and growth. Transgender students want the opportunity to play sports for the same reason other students do: to be a part of a team where they feel like they belong. We shouldn’t discriminate against young people and ban them from playing sports with their friends just because they’re transgender. Appropriate locally based procedures already exist to manage the very few instances statewide of transgender students seeking to participate. There is simply no purpose to statewide legislation to address a circumstance that is already being handled in the few cases that exist. The mere introduction of these bills has a negative impact on our community. Please support transgender and nonbinary students by rejecting these bills that would take away their right to an equal and unencumbered educational experience.

Trans youth have a right to participate in sports just like everybody else. Allowing students to play on teams that align with their gender identity will simply even the playing field for both boys and girls. The range of body types will widen and it will all balance itself out. Frankly, it is shameful that this is even an issue on the table.

This is complete nonsense. Transgender athletes deserve to compete. As a transgender person and a parent of a transgender child I am so disgusted by this. We always say we're a free country and shit like this makes that the biggest lie I've ever heard. You are ruining transgender lives, treating us like we either don't matter or we're freaks.

The cruelty is the point. So they tell me. When my parents immigrated to Virginia, they had to catch up to a system that irrationally targeted them on the basis of their melanin. On some level we'd managed to figure out the irrationality of that. Or maybe we'd moved it to other groups. With slurs. Media portrayal. Conspiratorial perceptions. The "gay agenda" if you will. It's been three decades since my parents moved here and we've moved onto a new target. Why? I'm not exactly sure. All I know is it's impossible to legislate people out of existence. Everytime we try it ends with suffering and a inability to atone. The kids are the scapegoat. The kids are taught to hate themselves. Because the cruelty is the point. And maybe, maybe it shouldn't be. tl;dr let the kids play ball

I opposed to these two Bills!

I oppose these transgender athlete bans because sports participation is about so much more than winning. These bans will effectively prohibit transgender students from ever being part of a team and a school community based only on their identity. And so much more goes into athletic performance anyway than only your biological makeup: access to elite coaches and teams, nutritionists, time and transportation to practice, inner motivation and determination, mental grit, even networking connections that might get you on a team or seen by a college coach, all make a difference. Boiling down participation on a sports team at any level simply based on biology at birth will not level the playing field. It discriminates against transgender athletes simply because of who they are. Please vote no on these bills.

Banning a specific group of people based on their gender is discrimination. The mere thought of having the audacity to enact such a bill is absolutely disgusting, and it is humiliating that laws like this are even being discussed in a country like the US, a country that is supposed to represent a refuge to those who are in need, a country that was supposed to be a place where diversity is encouraged not demolished, a country that was built on the proposition that all people are equal and their equal rights should not be infringed. On top of that. It is not the state's business to decide who gets to participate in organized sports. A sport organization should be able to decide for themselves who they want in their team. Proposing a law such as this is authoritarian, against the very nature of why this nation is founded.

Comments Document

OPPPOSE HB 1387 and HB1399 Please see the document below with a personal story about a student athlete in Henrico County Public Schools. Thank you, Shannon McKay

Being trans should not exclude students/children from participating in school sanctioned sports. You are taking someone who is already vulnerable to exclusion by their peers and further excluding them with law. This is an opportunity for all students to participate in team building, getting exercise, and being apart of a community and it would be incredibly cruel to use the power of the law to forbid them from doing so should they wish.

I urge the committee to vote NO on HB 1387 and HB 1399. Both bills seek to ban transgender students from participating in sports as their genuine selves. They go far beyond banning students from being on teams that compete against other schools. They ban transgender students from participating in any sport at any level—including clubs and intramurals. They ban schools from competing against other schools and clubs that don’t have similar bans. And they include vague “bounty” provisions that encourage legal action against any club, any school, and anyone who doesn’t go along with these bans. These provisions aren’t just for K-12 schools. They also apply to Virginia’s public universities. Universities would suddenly be in the business of checking the birth certificates of everyone signing up to play in the women’s intramural softball league or join the men’s rugby club. Our universities would also be banned from competing against private universities that also don’t have similar bans, wreaking havoc on schedules and participating in tournaments. These draconian bans are purported solutions in search of a problem. The Virginia High School League and the NCAA already have policies in place for transgender students to compete in sports. Those policies work. And as a practical matter, transgender student athletes are literally not a problem. About 75,000 girls play on high school sports teams in Virginia and are under no threat from the 9 transgender students who applied for VHSL approval to play. More fundamentally, these bills tell transgender children and young adults that they do not matter. That they are a threat. That they are a problem. That they do not belong. That they do not deserve the opportunity to participate in sports—at any level—with their friends. We should encourage children and young adults to participate in sports, not ban them. Please vote NO on HB 1387 and HB 1399 and instead spend your valuable time focused on the legitimate problems and challenges facing higher education in Virginia.

My name is L.F. Brown and I write in OPPOSITION to House Bill 1387 (Greenhalgh) and House Bill 1399 (March) as both bills infringe on the rights of SUPPORTIVE PARENTS, as well as, gender expansive, non-binary, and transgender students who seek to participate on K-12 and college level sports teams that align with their gender identity. Every school district in Virginia allows for student participation in ALL clubs within the structure of the school environment. Singling out transgender athletes in such a ban would negatively impact the shared excitement and camaraderie experienced being a part of a team. Team sports provide an opportunity to develop leadership skills, self-discipline, in addition to the important life lesson of resilience following team defeat. Notedly, the policies of the Virginia High School League (VHSL) ensure a level playing field for all students. These established processes have operated for many years without challenge. In my opinion, House Bill 1387 (Greenhalgh) and House Bill 1399 (March) serve as a solution in search of a problem. I strongly OPPOSE these bills.

I OPPOSE HB1399 and HB1387 for so many reasons including that it goes against NCAA and VHSL standards. In a time, where children are struggling with anxiety, depression along with childhood obesity, I can't see taking sports away is going to help any of that, especially from any child in k-12. All children deserve to play sports on a team that makes them feel safe and accepted. Forcing a transgender child play on a team of the opposite sex not only doesn't affirm them as their true selves, but it puts them in harms way and outs them to their peers. In the last 6 years the VYSL has only had 26 variance requests. This year there was maybe 4 requests for a trans athlete to play sports, we aren't talking about a problem, you're creating a problem by banning them from sports. Don't create a problem when their isn't one. Focus on a legacy that includes accepting all students regardless of their gender identity, not their worth as a political pawn for your career. Again, I oppose HB1387 and HB1399!

We oppose these bills. These bills would ban trans athletes from playing on the school sports teams that align with their gender identity, effectively banning them from school sports entirely. This can have serious long-term negative impacts on these students’ health, education, and well-being. Thank you for your service to our Commonwealth and for the opportunity to provide feedback.

I writing to ask you to vote no on HB 1387 and 1399 - banning trans kids from participating in sports. My question to you is this - why do we have sports in schools? There is a lot of research on how sports help build key life skills for kids as well as improve their physical health. We also have sports to promote values of teamwork, perseverance, and ethical behavior in competition. Engagement in sports has been shown to improve self esteem, focus, and executive functioning skills. Sports programs in public education are NOT supposed to be farm schools for professional sports or scholarship programs to get into colleges. While we know that is a common feature of our schools, we need to keep those considerations out of decisions on who gets to play. In fact, excluding trans Virginia students violates the very values those programs are designed to promote. If the concern is "fairness" - remember that - unlike professional sports - Virginia has an obligation to educate and support ALL kids - yes, even the trans ones - in the Commonwealth. ALL kids in our school system are supposed to be welcome to engage in sports. And ranges of skills and body types are inherent in sports at this age. Teams may be made up of a 120lb 5 foot tall kid who hasn't hit puberty yet and the 6ft tall, 200lb kid who hit it early, even when they both have the same sex. Coaches work hard to make sure everyone is able to play safely together. In addition, these bills reinforce false beliefs that all boys are *always* better at sports than all girls, and the reason girls need their own teams is because they cannot compete with boys. These false beliefs are why these bills do not ban trans boys from boys teams, and only bans trans girls from girls teams, regardless of whether those trans girls have gone through male puberty, been on blockers, or have started HRT. This false belief in male superiority in sports is not even true with fully grown adults in professional sports, let alone in middle or high school. In addition, professional sports organizations have existing regulations and standards for trans athletes already, most of which allow trans athletes to compete if they meet specific criteria. This proposed law does not even follow the example of these organizations who determine who competes at the highest levels! Finally, where is the evidence of *actual* harm from allowing trans girls to participate in girls sports? Where are the injuries or lost scholarships? Feeling icky about trans people does not count as actual harm. And if you cannot provide *actual examples of harm*, why are you trying to pass this law? You have an obligation to protect and support ALL students in Virginia - including the trans kids. Vote no on these bills.

I am writing in opposition to HB1387 (Greenhalgh) and HB1399 (March), which would ban transgender children and young adults from competing on school athletics teams that align with their identified gender. These bills are solutions in search of a problem. Transgender athletes are not, as their adversaries would claim, destroying girls' and women's athletics. Trans athletes are actually underrepresented in athletics in general, and are particularly underrepresented on medals platforms - in either men's or women's divisions. The notorious "winning" trans female athletes are rare, and there is no indication they will become any less rare. I am not aware of are any competitive trans athletes in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Lawmakers traditionally do not enact legislation unless there is a demonstrated need or issue. In this case, no such need or issue exists. All that exists is a moral panic relating to a few athletes in other parts of the country, the most notorious of whom are no longer involved in competitive athletics. What these bills actually do is to stigmatize and "other" members of the transgender community, tarring them as cheaters and reducing transgenderism to nothing more than an excuse to cheat. The notion is patently ridiculous that anyone would profess membership in such a ruthlessly oppressed minority in order to win at athletics. There are much, much easier ways for athletes to be competitive that do not involve the innumerable deep sacrifices and personal costs one must endure to transition to the non-birth gender - namely training. Finally, these bills aren't just about transgender athletes. They impact the entire transgender community by vilifying its people, inducing and reinforcing moral panic against them, and carving out a slippery slope by which other civil rights may be eroded away. These bills are a way of eroding transgender dignity. They are a way of punishing transgender people for being different. And they are a way of telling them that they are not welcome to participate fully in society. America is the so-called "Land of Opportunity," and yet we seek daily to deprive many of our people of opportunity. A "level playing field" first requires all athletes should be allowed simply to step onto the field. These bills give different rights to different classes of people, and that's simply un-American. I urge the subcommittee to oppose HB1387 and HB1399.

Regardless of where you stand on gender politics, trans kids are still just kids. They are beloved children, friends, classmates - and teammates. Every student deserves the opportunity to find a space where they feel they belong and participate in an after-school activity that they find meaningful. Why would we deprive young people of the opportunity to find a space where they can flourish and live up to their fullest potential? Sports teams can provide a young person with a support system, collaboration skills, discipline, and long-lasting life lessons. Are we going to rob students of this valuable opportunity simply because we do not understand the way they dress or the pronouns they use? Individual expression and non-discrimination are values we hold onto dearly, but do these values not apply to trans students? Every student deserves the opportunity to participate in enriching activities that help them to build a happy, healthy life.

I am writing to urge you and, if necessary, beg you to not ban transgender kids in k-12 from participating in sports and in club sports for older kids. Sports is an outlet they desperately need for their health and mental well being. There is little to no evidence of their participation limiting non trans kids from participating. It has been our experience that people encourage and welcome trans kids to be part of teams. Furthermore, everyone learns and benefits and becomes more compassionate humans because of it. Thank you for reading and seriously considering my comments and experiences. A. Cahill Amanda

Transgender youth and adults deserve the the same rights to participate in sports and other activities as cisgender youth and adults.

I strongly oppose both proposed bills. Trans athletes deserve to be able to participate in any college sport of their choosing, if the team aligns with their declared gender identity. Sports teams are already not particularly inclusive places where locker room language often stops LGBTQ+ folks from taking part in team sports, let's allow this to be a team or school decision not enforce a ban statwide - republican beliefs should support the stance of delegating this choice to teams.

Female sports were created by women to give women and girls a fair and safe way to participate and compete in athletics. Men and boys are not better or more skilled athletes; however, the differences between male and female bodies put them on a different playing field than women and girls. Allowing male athletes to identify as female will force women and girls out of our own sports. It also puts women and girls at serious risk of injury in contact sports. Male can never become female or vice versa. Women are not small men or men with low testosterone. We are fully embodied beings. Our female bodies are powerful and have unique strengths and needs. This is plainly obvious in sports.

Comments Document

OPPOSITION for HB 1399, a bill to deny participation in public school athletics activities to transgender students.

Its unbelievable that there is now a need to BEG legislators to recognize what a Boy or Girl in fact is in reality. The SICKO special interests which controls the atmosphere as well as the democrat party are disgustingly responsible for funding a socially constructed perverted CULT which knowingly intends HARMS purposely using MINORS as BAIT. Every one of you should’ve taken a stand against Stripping Female rights to safety, privacy, dignity and language while nothing but total dishonesty has fueled self hatred amongst Children to the point kids are now being branded with sex habit/fetish labels in effort of spreading a fashion that seeks to disqualify actual birth rights while drugging them into the delusion that it’s their choice to sterilize, mutilate and misrepresent the reality that personality and outfit choice do not determine male or female !! It’s very obvious who is sincere and who lies at ANY cost knowingly !!!!

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

Please support Bill #1396! So important for the children of the Commonwealth of Virginia!

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

Please support Bill #1396! So important for the children of the Commonwealth of Virginia!

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

Please support Bill #1396! So important for the children of the Commonwealth of Virginia!

The Virginia Education Associations supports HB1760 . We believe that the passage of this bill would reduce teacher shortages.

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

HB 1387-NO HB1399 NO HB 1800 - NO HB 2272- yes

Comments Document

I am attaching a recent report from the Virginia Association of Scholars (VAS) that documents the amount of money spent on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Virginia public colleges in recent years. The author notes that the true cost is not available because he could only use publicly available sources. The figures cited are therefor an underestimate . That fact argues for HB 1800 so that the true cost may be known. The VAS is a state affiliate of the National Association of Scholars which has been following this topic for a number of years. Speaking personally, HB 1800 would help to expose the expanding amount of resources devoted to the substitution of propaganda for standard disciplines. DEI has no research supporting its use and indeed studies and articles appear regularly now suggesting that it is ineffective in reaching its own claimed goals.

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

To the Virginia House of Delegates Higher Education Subcommittee, I am a senior in college and I am writing to express my strongest support for House Bill 1870. I cannot begin to express how important this piece of legislation is for the future of student safety on college campuses. I believe this bill will lead Virginia on a path that prioritizes the physical, mental, and emotional health of all students. Today you have the chance to support survivors and their needs after they report incidents of sexual violence. Students should not have to deal with the fear of disciplinary retaliation from their schools if they choose to come forward about their sexual violence case. ALL students deserve an equal right to immunity from disciplinary action. Lawmakers, you must act now. I am deeply grateful to Delegate Helmer for saying enough is enough, we need to ensure that amnesty measures are written into Virginia law. Thank you for your time and energy on this bill that would improve the lives of so many students. Delegates of the Higher Education Subcommittee, please vote House Bill 1870 out of committee and into action for the students of Virginia. Thank you, Geneva Wolfe

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

HB1916 - this fixes problems when boards don't act HB2272 - this will help African Americans (and possibly other minorities too) that should they need to go on to other educational institutions to finish training/education, they don't have a huge debt already from undergrad and therefore be less financially burdened when they become employed in their field. HB2425 - Good idea.

HB 1387-NO HB1399 NO HB 1800 - NO HB 2272- yes

HB1916 - this fixes problems when boards don't act HB2272 - this will help African Americans (and possibly other minorities too) that should they need to go on to other educational institutions to finish training/education, they don't have a huge debt already from undergrad and therefore be less financially burdened when they become employed in their field. HB2425 - Good idea.

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

I hope that you will move to report the following bills as our students desperately need help. It is clear that the previous years' actions by other groups are not supporting kids to learn facts and think for themselves: becoming functional adults that contribute positively to our world. HB1555, HB1726, HB1887, HB1889, HB2277, HB2396 are all items that are before you that will be a catalyst for positive change. Thank you for your time,

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

HB1916 - this fixes problems when boards don't act HB2272 - this will help African Americans (and possibly other minorities too) that should they need to go on to other educational institutions to finish training/education, they don't have a huge debt already from undergrad and therefore be less financially burdened when they become employed in their field. HB2425 - Good idea.