September 28, 2022

The walkouts were held throughout the day and organized by the Pride Liberation Project, a statewide LGBTQ youth advocacy group, The Washington Post reported.

The new policy reverses a state order enacted two years ago by Gov. Ralph Northam (D). Northam’s policy mandated that transgender students be granted access to restrooms, locker rooms, changing facilities and school programs that match their gender identity. It also required schools and teachers to accept and use students’ gender pronouns and identities.

Here's what Youngkin wants:

[The guidelines] say trans students must access school facilities and activities, including restrooms and sports teams, that match their sex assigned at birth. The guidelines also make it difficult for students to change their names and pronouns at school and say teachers can refuse to use transgender students’ names and pronouns if it violates their beliefs. And the guidelines suggest parents should be told about students’ gender identities, no matter if the student wants to keep it private.

A 30-day public comment period on the new guidelines began Monday. After reviewing the comments, the state’s Department of Education may make edits to the guidelines before they are finalized by the state superintendent, NBC4 Washington reported.

More than 20,000 comments had been submitted in the first two days. The Washington Post notes, “Already, Democratic legislators are vowing defiance, and Youngkin’s guidelines may be vulnerable to legal challenges.”

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