“Look at me. I am a transgender man. Do you really think the girls in my high school would feel comfortable sharing a restroom with me?”
That question, and Governor Glenn Youngkin’s response about his model policies on transgender students are in the national spotlight Friday.
It was one of several topics he addressed Thursday night during a CNN town hall on education.
Governor Youngkin talked about everything from gun violence in the classroom — specifically the six-year-old accused of shooting a teacher in Newport News, to Virginia’s review of an advanced placement African American studies course.
But the Governor’s model policies for transgender students were a major topic of discussion.
Governor Youngkin addressed the policies in response to a question from a 17-year-old transgender student from Arlington.
The governor issued proposed policies last fall that would require transgender students to use school facilities and programs matching their biological sex, and would require parental approval for a student to use a name or pronoun other than what’s in their official record.
The governor says it all comes down to parental rights.
“I believe firmly that parents have a right to be engaged in their children’s lives and parents want to be engaged in children’s lives, and a child does want their parent,” Gov. Youngkin said. “This is a moment for counselors and teachers and parents to come together and deal with what is a difficult issue, but they should do it together.”
As for his proposed policy requiring transgender students to use bathrooms according to their biological sex, Gov. Youngkin said the solution is more gender neutral bathrooms in schools.