Virginia Bill Would Force "Outing" of Transgender Students

The 2023 session of the Virginia General Assembly is only a few days old and Republican members are introducing bills aimed at pandering the the Republican Party of Virginia's extremist, knuckle dragging base with a view of either avoiding a primary challenge or enticing extremist primary voters to support them.  Hence the flurry of bills that have no chance of passage in the Virginia Senate that range from anti-abortion bills to gratutious anti-gay bills and bills attacking transgender students.  One such bill would force public school staff to "out" students to their parents, a number of who would likely be homophobic bible thumpers.   While school can be difficult as a gay or transgender student - I lived it as a closeted gay, so I know first hand - at the same time school teachers and counselors can often be the sole source of support for such students.  Under the bill introduced by Del. Tara Durant (R-Fredericksburg), pictured above, who is angling for the nomination for a state sente seat, these would be allies and sources of support would be mandated to out students to parents.  A a piece in the Los Angeles Blade looks at this disturbing Republican effort to boost politicians own political ambitions while potentially harming the lives of students already dealing with adverse circumstances.  Ms. Durant obviously cares nothing about the suicides the policies she is pushing could trigger if enacted.  It is disgusting, but then again, so is today's GOP.  Here are article excerpts:

RICHMOND – Virginia state Del. Tara Durant (R-Fredericksburg) on Monday introduced a bill that would require school personnel to notify a student’s parents if they are transgender.

House Bill 1707 would require “any person licensed as administrative or instructional personnel by the Board of Education and employed by a local school board who, in the scope of his employment, has reason to believe, as a result of direct communication from a student, that such student is self-identifying as a gender that is different than his biological sex to contact, as soon as practicable and in accordance with board guidelines, at least one of such student’s parents to ask whether such parent is aware of the student’s mental state and whether the parent wishes to obtain or has already obtained counseling for such student.” 

The Fredericksburg Republican who is running for the Virginia Senate introduced HB 1707 two days before the Virginia General Assembly’s 2023 legislative session begins.

State Del. Karen Greenhalgh (R-Virginia Beach) has introduced a bill that would ban trans athletes from school sports teams that correspond with their gender identity. State Del. Jason Ballard (R-Giles County)’s House Bill 1434 would ban “any school board member or school board employee from changing the name of a student enrolled in the local school division on any education record relating to such student unless the member or employee receives a change of name order for such student that was issued in accordance with relevant law.”

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin last September announced his plans to revise guidelines for trans and nonbinary students that his predecessor, Democratic Ralph Northam, signed in 2020. The Virginia Department of Education has not announced when the proposed changes will take effect.

State Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who is the first openly trans woman elected to a state legislature in the U.S., on Tuesday told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview that HB 1707 would forcibly out trans students. The Manassas Democrat who is also running for the state Senate further noted HB 1434 would “prevent trans kids from being acknowledged as who they are in school.”

“This is what happens when straight people, never in their lives, have worried about being outed to other people,” said Roem.

Hopefully, Durant and her bill will both go down to defeat.