Students in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) in Virginia staged a walkout in protest of a 2021 policy that allows people to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. Students complained about feeling unsafe and unheard, although transgender and non-binary students are exponentially more likely to be victims of abuse than aggressors.
The policy
In 2021, the Loudoun County School Board implemented Policy 8040. The policy allows students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.
The protest
Students walked out of school this week in protest of that policy. Protestors want a return to traditional policy, in which bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers are strictly single-sex.
One walkout
At Woodgrove High School, between 50 and 100 students participated in the walkout. The school has a student population of 1,558.
Small turnout?
Perhaps justifying the relatively low participation in the protest, one student claimed that “there are a lot of people who are scared to speak out against it, so they stayed inside because they don’t want to see the backlash.”
Student complaints
One student explained that protestors were concerned about privacy. “When men and natural-born males are in our locker rooms, and they are showering in the morning, natural-born females can walk in there as they please.… It goes against what we believe in.”
Your rights and mine
This view echoes that of the religious right, which argues that religious bigotry against transgender people should trump the right of those people to live according to their gender identity.
Safety fears?
Another student claimed that the policy was a “massive safety risk.” “We express these concerns, and they ignore us and write us off as right-wing crazies,” the student continued. “We just don’t want to be in danger on a daily basis in this building.”
Unfounded fears
Fears of women being endangered by gender-neutral spaces are often stoked by conservatives but are generally unfounded. It does not mean that there are no cases of the rights being abused, but they are far lesser than the accusations made by the right wing.
The real victims
As the Harvard School of Public Health reported in 2019, research shows that “transgender and non-binary teens face greater risk of sexual assault in schools that prevent them from using bathrooms or locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.”
Culture war
“Unfortunately, kids’ access to restrooms and locker rooms has become very politicized in some communities,” explained Gabriel Murchison, the lead author of the 2019 Harvard study. The rights of transgender people, especially students, have become central to the GOP’s culture war, which aims to promote conservative views on how society should be organized.
Real solutions
Murchison suggested a few solutions to the dangers faced by transgender students, which would also help decrease worries about privacy. These included “better supervision of locker rooms, more privacy options (like curtained changing areas), and an effective and consistent school response to harassment.”
Much ado about not much
Virginia has about 1.2 million public school students. Research suggests that about 4,000 of them are transgender—about one-third of a percent.
Bigger issues
A 2019 GLSEN report found that “Virginia schools were not safe for most lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer secondary school students.” Some 58% of LGBTQ students were verbally harassed for their gender expression, and around three-quarters reported hearing negative remarks about transgender people.
Central problem
According to the GLSEN report, bathrooms and locker rooms were the most common sites of anti-LGBTQ discrimination. About 30% of LGBTQ students were prevented from using the bathroom or locker room that aligned with their gender in 2019.
Counter-protest
Counter-protestors at the walkout waved pride flags, indicating their support for the bathroom policy and LGBTQ+ students. “I’m here to support all of the children,” one counter-protestor told WJLA. “No matter who they are. Yours, mine, all of them.”
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