Youngkin Targets Cruelty on Transgender Students

Adopting the game plan of the cruel and toxic governors of  Florida and Texas - and proving why he is the darling of the Family Foundation, one of Virginia's most vicious hate groups - Glenn Youngkin's regime is targeting transgender public school students to win political points with homophobes and haters in the MAGA base, no doubt seeking to position himself for a potential 2024 presidential run.  The new rules promulgated by Youngkin's regime seeks to make the life hell for transgender students and have the potential to force teachers to "out" students which if they have homophobic/right wing "Christian" parents could have dangerous consequences.  Like his Florida and Texas brethren,  Youngkin does not care.  It's all about self-promoting with the Virginia GOP and national MAGA Base. In the up is down, black is white world of today's GOP one local anti-gay delegate had this to say "This new standard ensures all students have the right to attend school in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying" when in fact it will do the exact opposite.  The Washington Post looks at Youngkin's cruel new policies:

In a major rollback of LGBTQ rights, the administration of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) will require that transgender students in Virginia access school facilities and programs that match the sex they were assigned at birth and is making it more difficult for students to change their names and genders at school.

Under new “model policies” for schools’ treatment of transgender students released Friday evening, the Department of Education is requiring that families submit legal documentation to earn their children the right to change names and genders at school. The guidelines also say teachers cannot be compelled to refer to transgender students by their names and genders if it goes against “their constitutionally protected” free speech rights.

And the guidelines say schools cannot “encourage or instruct teachers to conceal material information about a student from the student’s parent, including information related to gender” — raising the prospect that teachers could be forced to out transgender students to their parents.

School districts must adopt the new state guidelines or “policies that are more comprehensive,” after a 30-day comment period that will begin on Sept. 26, the Education Department said. The Board of Education will not have to vote to adopt the policies.

The model policies reverse guidelines published in 2021 by the administration of Gov. Ralph Northam (D). Those guidelines mandated that transgender students be allowed to access restrooms, locker rooms and changing facilities that match their gender identities, stipulated that schools let students participate in sports and programs matching their gender identities and required that school districts and teachers accept and use students’ gender pronouns and identities without question. . . . The Youngkin guidelines state the Northam-era policies are dead: they “have no further force and effect.”

The Northam guidelines were developed in accordance with a 2020 law, proposed by Democratic legislators, that required the Virginia Education Department to develop model policies — and later required all school districts to adopt them — for the protection of transgender students.

[I]n a move that is likely to draw legal challenges — the Youngkin administration has used that same law to issue its own version of the Education Department guidelines. The 20-page document released Friday states it is being issued “as required under” the 2020 legislation.

The reaction from Democratic lawmakers was swift. “These new policies are cruel and not at all evidence based,” tweeted Del. Marcus Simon, who was a co-sponsor of the Northam-era law. “If enacted these policies will harm Virginia children. Stop bullying kids to score political points.”

These policies will encourage abuse and could well lead to student suicides and/or homelessness for students discarded by their "godly Christian" parents.  Youngkin, proving he is amoral, does not care.