(LifeSiteNews) – A Virginia school district says that student unease with having to share intimate facilities with members of the opposite sex is not a sufficient reason not to cater to “gender expansive” students, according to a policy document uncovered by prominent “woke” ideology watchdog Libs of TikTok.
Albemarle County Public Schools’ “Policy on the Treatment of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students” document, available online, declares that it is the district’s objective to “maintain a safe and supportive school environment for all students free from harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying and free from discrimination because of actual or perceived race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, or any other protected class.”
.@k12albemarle policy says students can use bathrooms that matches their gender identity
Students who are uncomfortable with someone of the opposite sex using their bathroom are the problem, & they should use a different restroom
“Gender-expansive” students’ comfort comes first pic.twitter.com/vZlbFG4l1v
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 12, 2023
It emphasizes that “transgender and gender-expansive” students “may be at a higher risk for being left out, victimized, and bullied because of bias and/or misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about their lives,” and therefore “[s]chools must be proactive in creating a culture that respects and values all students and fosters understanding of gender identity and expression within the school community.”
To that end, so-called “gender-expansive” students “shall be provided access to facilities (restrooms, locker rooms or changing rooms) consistent with their gender identity consistently asserted at school,” and cannot be required to use one that aligns with their biological sex.”
“Although some students may feel uncomfortable with a gender-expansive student using the same sex-specific facility, that discomfort is not a reason to deny access to the gender-expansive student,” the policy claims. “Any student uncomfortable sharing a sleeping area, shower, bathroom, or any sex-segregated facility, shall, upon request, be provided with a designated safe, non-stigmatizing alternative.”
The policy also calls for students to be addressed by preferred names and trans pronouns (while acknowledging that if parents object they “shall adhere to the parents’ directions in this regard”), dress codes to be applied in a way that does not require gender-specific attire, and students to be allowed to “participate in physical education and intramural sports in accordance with the student’s gender identity that is consistently asserted at school.”
“In some cases, gender-expansive students may not want their parents to know about their gender-expansive or transitioning status,” the document adds. “These situations must be addressed on a case-by-case basis and will require schools to balance the goal of supporting the student with the requirement that parents be kept informed about their children.” Schools are to attempt to honor students’ requests not to contact their parents about transitions “with the proviso that an underage student shall be advised that the school may not be able to implement certain aspects of the student’s transitioning plan without parental approval.”
Conservatives warn that forcing girls to share intimate facilities such as bathrooms, showers, or changing areas with members of the opposite sex violates their privacy rights, subjects them to needless emotional stress, and gives potential male predators a viable pretext to enter female bathrooms or lockers by simply claiming transgender status.
The problem was put on full display in Virginia last year, where a grand jury returned charges against fired ex-Loudoun County Public Schools superintendent Scott Ziegler for allegedly covering up the rape of a female student by a “transgender” classmate in a girls’ bathroom due to its damaging implications for the LGBT movement.
Evidence shows that “affirming” confusion about one’s biological sex carries severe harms for the “gender-expansive,” as well, especially when such affirmation takes the form of physically transformative medical procedures on impressionable children who cannot fully grasp the long-term ramifications of the decisions being pushed on them.
Studies find that more than 80% of children experiencing gender dysphoria outgrow it on their own by late adolescence, and that even full “reassignment” surgery often fails to resolve gender-confused individuals’ heightened tendency to engage in self-harm and suicide — and may even exacerbate it, including by reinforcing their confusion and neglecting the actual root causes of their mental strife.
Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who was elected on a wave of opposition to “woke” ideology in public schools, issued guidelines last year directing school districts to require parental consent and notification to treat any student as transgendered and require athletic programs and restrooms to be limited to actual members of their designated sex, although the lack of clear enforcement mechanisms has led some districts to flout them.
The Virginia Legislature is currently divided between a Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House of Delegates, limiting state conservatives’ ability to enact more enforceable standards on schools.