A group of high school students walked out of their classroom in Loudoun County, Virginia, on Wednesday in protest at the district’s policy on transgender bathrooms.
Loudoun County Public Schools, which saw ugly scenes at board meetings following a May 2021 sexual assault by a boy in the girls’ bathroom, adopted the trans bathroom policy in August 2021.
The policy, officially termed 8040, was approved 7-2, and allows transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice.
On Wednesday, a group of students at Woodgrove High School in Purcellville marched out of class in protest at 8040, arguing it made them feel unsafe. It was unclear why the protest was staged now.
‘It’s a massive safety risk, and they [LCPS] don’t do anything about it,’ said one female student.
One female student (pictured) told WJLA that having male-born students using the girls’ bathrooms was a ‘massive safety risk’
Students walked out on Wednesday, demanding the revocation of Policy 8040, which allows trans students to use the bathroom of their choice
Around 50-100 students walked out of class on Wednesday afternoon in protest at the policy
She told 7News they were tired of ‘being completely ignored’ by the school district.
‘We express these concerns and they ignore us and write us off as right-wing crazies.
‘We’re not crazy. We just don’t want to be in danger on a daily basis in this building. I think it’s people finally stepping up and just being sick of it. We’re sick of being here and just being completely ignored.’
The student said she felt her concerns were widely shared.
‘I stopped using them [the bathrooms] because I don’t know what’s going to happen to me in there,’ she said.
‘And people can be like, “Oh, well, that’s paranoid.”
‘I’m telling you right now half the women in this building feel the same way. We don’t use the bathrooms. We hold our pee until we can’t. I mean, there are girls in PE who still get changed in the bathroom stalls in there because they’re afraid of who might waltz in.’
A male student said he did not want to share the locker room with students who were born female.
‘I would like to be able when I get off football practice and go put my pads away and change not feel uncomfortable with other genders in there watching me,’ he told 7News.
‘I feel that girls feel the same way about the situation. How would you feel if you were a female changing with a male?’
Another male student agreed.
‘In the locker rooms in the morning it’s an invasion of privacy, as I said because 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,’ he said.
Students unfurled posters demanding the 2021 policy be revoked
‘And that is not OK. And it goes against what we believe in.’
The students were met by a small group of counter-protestors – including adults – who said they felt people should be able to use the bathroom of their choice.
‘I’m here to support all of the children,’ said one adult. ‘No matter who they are. Yours, mine, all of them.’
The students said more wanted to join their protest, but were warned by their teachers not to.
.com approached Woodgrove High and Loudoun County Public Schools for comment, but has not heard back.
Loudoun County has become the epicenter of rows over transgender bathrooms, after the May 2021 attack.
One male student (pictured) said he wanted to be able to relax and shower in the men’s changing rooms feeling comfortable
Another male student (pictured) said he felt allowing female-born students into the male locker rooms was ‘an invasion of privacy’
An adult counterprotestor said that she was there to support ‘all the children’
The 14-year-old boy, wearing a skirt but not believed to be transgender, was moved to another school – and then attacked another girl.
The father of the May 2021 victim erupted in anger when the school board publicly denied the incident during a routine meeting, and police were called.
Further outrage was sparked by the National School Boards Association, which wrote to the Attorney General, Merrick Garland, amid the drama and argued some violent threats against school officials ‘could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism’.
Glenn Youngkin’s campaign to be Virginia’s governor saw him capitalize on widespread anger at the incident, and when elected immediately authorized a probe of Loudoun schools – one of his first acts in office.