This is my opinion on those public comments specifically regarding LGBT that can be viewed HERE.

Only two people spoke about LGBT issues during the public comment period.

The first said:

Good evening. My three children are enrolled in Loudoun County schools, so I have a direct interest in what children are exposed to while there, and because of the children in this room, I have adjusted what I originally was planning to say.

I listened to the public comments during the January 9th and February 13th school board meetings, and I came away with a lot of questions that I hope the board will be able to answer before considering a revision to school policies.

One of those questions is: What forms of self expression are LGBT students unable to safely make in LCPS schools today under the current policy? What is it that they want to be able to do in school that they cannot right now?

When did school become a forum for teachers’ proclivities to be expressed and discussed with students?

Is the school setting the place for youths to be connecting with adults based on similar attractions? Do students have anything else about their identity that they can connect with teachers on or are proclivities the end-all-be-all? This is a huge red flag for me.

Would a revised policy make it a violation for a student to say, for example, that transwomen are men or that bathrooms should be segregated based on biology and not gender identity?

Would such a policy make it impossible for LCPS employees to speak critically about these issues? Would such an employee be allowed to dissent if a male student demanded access to the female bathrooms or locker rooms based on gender identity?

I request that the school board not revisit the policy, and I want to thank those of you who voted against amending the policy last year. I will continue to be a vocal supporter of keeping teachers’ proclivities out of the classroom and of keeping female students’ spaces (such as locker rooms, sports teams, and bathrooms) separate from male students.

Thank you.

The second speaker to talk about LGBT issues only mentioned it briefly, referring to a recent national PTA resolution in favor of pro-LGBT policy changes as well as a statement about bullying, before delving into another topic for the remainder of her 2 minute time slot.

The two speakers were mentioned in a 2 Mar 2018 local news article. To read my commentary on The Loudoun Times article, click HERE.