Virginia schools will not allow themselves to be tasked with policing young people’s bodies

RICHMOND, Va. – In response to the Youngkin administration’s release of the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR)’s determination that five Northern Virginia school divisions are violating Title IX, ACLU of Virginia Senior Transgender Rights Attorney Wyatt Rolla (they/them) released the following statement:

“Transgender and nonbinary young people belong in every school in every community – including in Northern Virginia. Virginia schools will not allow themselves to be tasked with policing young people’s bodies just to facilitate this administration's desire to score political points at students’ expense. Preventing trans and nonbinary students from safely using basic facilities like restrooms would be tantamount to pushing them out of school altogether – and all students must have access to our public schools without discrimination, including on the basis of sex or gender identity.”