Virginia Students Stage Walkout to Protest Youngkin’s Transgender Guidelines

Virginia students at nearly 100 schools planned to stage a walkout Tuesday to protest Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposed policies on transgender students.

Students at Annandale High School walked out of class on Tuesday and could be heard in videos taken by the Daily Caller chanting “say no to the VDOE.”

In another video, students said the new policy is a way for the governor to “push political views on students and school systems” just to “gain the votes” of conservatives.

The Pride Liberation Project, a student-led group that allegedly organized the walkouts, said schools in Arlington, Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties planned to participate. Virginia students are allowed one excused absence to protest.

“Students are asking the Department of Education to revoke these draft guidelines and for individual school districts to reject these proposed changes,” the group said in a press release.

Video from other news outlets showed walkouts at several other high schools, including Hylton High School, John Lewis High School, Culpeper County High School and Colgan High School.

The Pride Liberation Project claimed the new guidance “prevents students from having their real name and pronouns recognized” and “requires schools to forcibly out transgender and gender expansive students.”

The new policy prohibits educators from using pronouns or names that are not on a student’s official records and specifies that teachers can’t be compelled to “address or refer to students in any manner that would violate their constitutionally protected rights.”

The policy also reverses a previous state policy of allowing students to use bathrooms that align with their preferred gender.

Youngkin has said the policy aims to return rights to parents.

“This is about engaging parents in a decision moment, where they belong and previous model policy unfortunately excluded parents,” Youngkin said. “Here we are today in a world where most important decisions are being made, and there was a policy that excluded parents. That’s just not right. Parents should be absolutely at the center of this discussion with children.”

A recent poll conducted by CRC Research for the 85 Fund found 63 percent of likely voters oppose a proposed federal rule that would change the definition of gender under Title IX, allowing biological males to participate and compete in women’s sports. Twenty-five percent of likely voters support the Biden Administration’s proposed rule, while 12 percent were unsure.

Fifty-seven percent of likely voters agreed that the “transgender movement undermines significant opportunities and essential protections for women,” including a plurality of Democrats (45 percent.)

Twenty-nine percent of likely voters disagreed, including 36 percent of Democrats. Fifteen percent were unsure, including 19 percent of Democrats.

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