New VA trans policies for schools

[Anonymous]

There are so few trans people. I wish we could stop spending so much time talking and fighting about them. Republicans enact restrictive policies and democrats fall all over themselves with speeches, social media posts and virtue signaling. Leave trans people alone to do what works for them and let’s focus on other things relating to education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so few trans people. I wish we could stop spending so much time talking and fighting about them. Republicans enact restrictive policies and democrats fall all over themselves with speeches, social media posts and virtue signaling. Leave trans people alone to do what works for them and let’s focus on other things relating to education.

What about this is "working for them"?
If trans people were saying "Hey, we're fine, please leave us to figure this out," that would be one thing. That's not happening. People are begging for help. We would not need to "spend so much time talking about them" if Republicans were not attacking them.

And, trans issues are just the pointy end of the spear: attacks on gay kids are already following, and after that it will be cis girls being told they can't wear pants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any school districts responded yet?

From Superintendent Duran's twitter: "We are currently reviewing the model policies. I oppose any policy that infringes upon the rights of our students and threatens the safety and well-being of our LGBTQIA+ students. APS will continue to uphold our core mission and policies to ensure that every child receives equal educational access and opportunities. We fully support our transgender and LGBTQIA+ students and value the many diverse identities within our schools, where every student can authentically express themselves. As it stands now, our current PIPs in support of transgender and gender fluid students and staff remain fully in effect."

No mention of parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any school districts responded yet?

From Superintendent Duran's twitter: "We are currently reviewing the model policies. I oppose any policy that infringes upon the rights of our students and threatens the safety and well-being of our LGBTQIA+ students. APS will continue to uphold our core mission and policies to ensure that every child receives equal educational access and opportunities. We fully support our transgender and LGBTQIA+ students and value the many diverse identities within our schools, where every student can authentically express themselves. As it stands now, our current PIPs in support of transgender and gender fluid students and staff remain fully in effect."

No mention of parents

I noticed that too. No mention of parents or families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This policy says that teachers can’t use nicknames without parent permission. I know this is aimed at trans kids. But wouldn’t that also mean that every time a kid named William asks to be called Will the teachers have get parental approval?

No, because Will is a commonly used nickname for William.

Now, if your kid has a nickname that is not commonly substituted, you will need parental approval. Thanh goes by Lucy? Better have permission on file before you use her nickname.

School Division] personnel shall refer to each student using only (i) the name that appears in the student’s official record, or (ii) if the student prefers, using any nickname commonly associated with the name that appears in the student’s official record. Nothing in this policy shall prevent [School Division] personnel from using a different name for a student when it is necessary for the student’s academic instruction, such as using a name more common in a foreign country while in a foreign-language course.

[Anonymous]

Just ignore it. Not like Youngkin has any mandate or actual authority

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just ignore it. Not like Youngkin has any mandate or actual authority

This is the VDOE, not Youngkin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the rules really that bad? Don’t socially transition a child without the parent’s knowledge and permission? Sports that are segregated by sex continue to be segregated by sex rather than gender identity?

If you're a right wing conservative and anti trans then I guess the new rules are perfectly fine.

I'm neither, but women's rights don't get trumped by biological boys who don't want to compete against other biological boys.

This also though prevents bio girls from competing on bio boys teams. Meanwhile they get misgendered on bio girls teams because they have transitioned and look like "boys". Arlington Karens asking why there's a boy on the team LOUDLY. This happens all the time.

Yes. The anti trans people don't want trans kids to be anywhere. They are just supposed to "conform" or disappear I guess.

Or just select a gender appropriate sport where they are good enough to make the team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

NP. I wonder if there is a way to allow for judgment based on likelihood of medical intervention. I don’t think it’s workable to ask teachers to not call kids by their preferred names, just on a practical basis. And, I think it’s good for kids to have an outlet to experiment with identity. Who cares if Rebecca wants to be called Rex by her favorite teacher?

However, I also think it’s very problematic for schools to hide full gender transitions from parents, because of the medicalized potential outcomes. A parent can’t just find out their kid has adopted a trans identity when the child demands puberty blockers. That’s too late, and by then the child has probably absorbed a bunch of overtly wrong propaganda about medical transition. There is just so much coming out about how much misleading medical information has been promoted in the name of gender affirmative care. (Personally, given how things are going, I think that medicalized transition for youth is well on its way to being the lobotomy of our times.) It isn’t right for parents to only find out after their child has absorbed enormous amounts of misinformation about medical transitions.

Maybe there could be a judgment call: parents are notified when authorities at the school think the transition is enough that the child may ask for medical intervention. Idk, just thinking out loud and trying to bridge a tricky problem.

Mom of trans child again here. I want to address this post because I feel that you are trying to understand and come from a good place, but I also think you are doing harm to families and have some misinformation. First, to be clear, parents always control the decision and pace of any medical transition in any minor. A child who waits to inform parents would not be able to get medical transition and would have to wait longer because they would not have completed the pretransition steps that are required such as therapy and living full time in the gender. In any event, your concern would exist whether or not the child is outted by the school because all this policy will do is to make kids keep it to themselves longer rather than talk about it at school (none of which prevents them from doing their online research if they want).

Second, as a family facing this challenge and whose child has medically transitioned, please realize that the off hand comments like comparisons to lobotomies are extremely hurtful to us. Believe me, I did not want to have a child in this situation and was skeptical and questioning. We are doing the best we can and making decisions the best we can with love for our children at the forefront of it. We have relied on the expertise of medical professionals at the most respected medical institutions throughout. To suggest that we have (either deliberately or through stupidity) hurt our kids when you don't know that and to use the example of something that destroys people's personalities is simply mean. My child is still (and always will be) a wonderful person regardless of his body and we have always acted with the best intentions to do the best by him. If that turns out over the course of his life to be the wrong decision, I will be sad but at least I will know that we did the best we could. I would ask that you consider whether you have the same feelings about schools reporting kids when they or teachers know that the parents would likely refuse to accept their trans children or would kick out a child or (god forbid) abuse that child.

Another parent of a transgender child. This—- 1000% this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so few trans people. I wish we could stop spending so much time talking and fighting about them. Republicans enact restrictive policies and democrats fall all over themselves with speeches, social media posts and virtue signaling. Leave trans people alone to do what works for them and let’s focus on other things relating to education.

So few? Those numbers actually seem to be growing, thus the top down policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so few trans people. I wish we could stop spending so much time talking and fighting about them. Republicans enact restrictive policies and democrats fall all over themselves with speeches, social media posts and virtue signaling. Leave trans people alone to do what works for them and let’s focus on other things relating to education.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

And it’s not just “trans people”. This affects all gender nonconforming kids. Hundreds in our school system. Sorry their lives don’t matter to you. But this is my kid. My child who us perfect the way they are, just like your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the rules really that bad? Don’t socially transition a child without the parent’s knowledge and permission? Sports that are segregated by sex continue to be segregated by sex rather than gender identity?

If you're a right wing conservative and anti trans then I guess the new rules are perfectly fine.

I'm neither, but women's rights don't get trumped by biological boys who don't want to compete against other biological boys.

This also though prevents bio girls from competing on bio boys teams. Meanwhile they get misgendered on bio girls teams because they have transitioned and look like "boys". Arlington Karens asking why there's a boy on the team LOUDLY. This happens all the time.

Yes. The anti trans people don't want trans kids to be anywhere. They are just supposed to "conform" or disappear I guess.

Or just select a gender appropriate sport where they are good enough to make the team.

What’s a gender appropriate sport? If a person born female is good enough to make the boys team, these rules don’t allow her to be on the team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the rules really that bad? Don’t socially transition a child without the parent’s knowledge and permission? Sports that are segregated by sex continue to be segregated by sex rather than gender identity?

Agree. These rules seem fine. Parents parent their children, not schools. Schools only have children for part of the day while parents have their children 100%.

And here comes the parents rights contingent. We see you.

Not sure what you’re trying to say here. Are you trying to say parents of minor children shouldn’t be made aware of socio-medical changes in their children that occur at school? Because that’s kind of what it comes down to.

Medical?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the rules really that bad? Don’t socially transition a child without the parent’s knowledge and permission? Sports that are segregated by sex continue to be segregated by sex rather than gender identity?

Agree. These rules seem fine. Parents parent their children, not schools. Schools only have children for part of the day while parents have their children 100%.

And here comes the parents rights contingent. We see you.

Not sure what you’re trying to say here. Are you trying to say parents of minor children shouldn’t be made aware of socio-medical changes in their children that occur at school? Because that’s kind of what it comes down to.

Medical?

Mental health is medical?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the rules really that bad? Don’t socially transition a child without the parent’s knowledge and permission? Sports that are segregated by sex continue to be segregated by sex rather than gender identity?

If you're a right wing conservative and anti trans then I guess the new rules are perfectly fine.

I'm neither, but women's rights don't get trumped by biological boys who don't want to compete against other biological boys.

This also though prevents bio girls from competing on bio boys teams. Meanwhile they get misgendered on bio girls teams because they have transitioned and look like "boys". Arlington Karens asking why there's a boy on the team LOUDLY. This happens all the time.

Girls are allowed to compete on boys teams, not the other way around.

Nope, not with these new rules.