The Governor of Virginia has recently proposed transphobic policies that would restrict transgender students from being able to use the pronouns/name they prefer, and from using the bathroom they wish to use. 

Transgender teens are more likely to develop mental health issues such as depression, and are more likely to harm themselves or commit suicide due to transphobia. These new policies would increase the amount of trans teens that fit these statistics. Constantly being deadnamed and misgendered and not being able to use the bathroom that affirms one’s gender can have a detrimental impact on the mental health of trans teenagers and it is essential that we protect the proper usage of pronouns and the ability for students to use the bathrooms they prefer in order to prevent the suicide/self-harm/mental illness rates in trans teens from increasing. 

I am trans myself and I can personally speak to the fact that even just the proposal of these policies has significantly increased my anxiety, and it has had similar effects on other trans teens I know. So many kids are unable to be out to their parents or have transphobic parents who don’t respect their name and pronouns. As a result, school is their safe place. It’s where they can be themselves without fear of being judged.

Also, restricting access to using the bathroom that affirms a student’s gender poses a health risk to trans students. Trans students will often forgo using the bathroom throughout the entire school day due when they’re not allowed to use the bathroom of their choice due to the dysphoria it causes them, which leads to bladder infections more often than not. Protecting students’ rights to their preferred bathrooms will reduce this risk significantly.

YOU have the power to stop these harmful policies from being signed into law, just by signing this petition. It’ll take you 2 minutes, max, but you’ll be making a big difference in the lives of so many kids. Don’t stay silent.