VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A state website receiving comments over proposed changes to transgender policies for k-12 students has received more than 17,000 comments as of Tuesday afternoon.
The comment period just began Monday. Statewide on Tuesday students walked out of high schools in opposition to the changes.
The biggest walkouts appear to be in Northern Virginia, but a Portsmouth Schools division spokesperson said about 200 students walked out of Manor High School for about 15 minutes.
Other walkouts were planned in Newport News, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg-James City County, according to the Pride Liberation Project, who organized the walkouts.
At three high schools in Williamsburg-James City Council, about 150 students walked out of each, according to a division spokesperson.
At Bayside High in Virginia Beach, a few students briefly stood outside the school with a transgender pride flag. On Tuesday afternoon, a group gathered outside of First Colonial High School.
In Newport News, about 100 students gathered in the auditorium on Tuesday morning, a division spokesperson said. Three students spoke to the crowd before returning to class.
Under the new policies, parents would have to request schools refer to their children as different names or pronouns than their biological sex. The policies would roll back initiatives put in place during former Gov. Ralph Northam's administration.
Students would also have to use bathroom facilities matching their biological sex.
LGBT groups say the policies would be harmful to transgender children because many don't have the approval of their parents when transition. The LBGT Life Center of Hampton Roads called the policy "harmful."
In a statement, a spokesperson for Gov. Youngkin responded to Tuesday's walkouts, saying, “The guidelines make it clear that when parents are part of the process, schools will accommodate the requests of children and their families. Parents should be a part of their children’s lives, and it’s apparent through the public protests and on-camera interviews that those objecting to the guidance already have their parents as part of that conversation. While students exercise their free speech today, we’d note that these policies state that students should be treated with compassion and schools should be free from bullying and harassment. ”
