Virginia

Showing Up for Trans Students in Virginia | ACLU

Published

1 year ago

June 14, 2023

Showing Up for Trans Students in Virginia | ACLU

Over the last few years, states across the country have advanced a record number of bills attacking LGBTQ rights and targeting transgender youth in particular. In addition to restricting access to gender-affirming care, state lawmakers and school boards nationwide are trying to prevent trans students from participating in school activities like sports, censoring in-school discussions of LGBTQ people and issues, and preventing trans students from having an inclusive and safe learning environment.

Through advocacy, litigation, and lobbying, we’re working alongside our partners to push back against these discriminatory policies and all out attacks on transgender youth. Here, three advocates discuss their experience working alongside the ACLU and community partners to fight back against a school board policy that discriminates against transgender students in Hanover County, Virginia, and why we must keep showing up to defend trans rights.

These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

“My child came out four years ago as transgender. And Hanover County has not been such a great place to raise a transgender child.

“It doesn’t take much to convince our loving family that loving your kid is the path. I think what turned on the activist in me is realizing how my son was being treated in school, and it just isn’t okay.

“As soon as the school year started, every school district in Virginia was supposed to adopt model policies that would protect transgender kids at the schools, and Hanover did not. The school board and their policies provide a real barrier for our child to be included at school. Our child wasn’t allowed to use the appropriate restroom. It’s been difficult to get him referred to by the appropriate name. People often think that the only issue trans kids have in school is restrooms, and that is just the most visible one. There’s lots of other things to attend to to make a trans kid’s day at school as dignified as possible — names, pronouns, activities, gendered activities, gendered instruction, even dress codes that are gendered. All of that stuff impacts trans kids.

People often think that the only issue trans kids have in school is restrooms, and that is just the most visible one.

“The school board was explicitly resisting the law that was requiring them to support trans kids. So we contacted the ACLU of Virginia and told our story. And we knew we needed to be speaking up and showing up at the school board meetings.

“One of the first school board meetings I went to, I was sitting in the audience and looking around the room and wondering how many of these people are in support of trans kids. There were about 15 speakers that day. I was the only person who spoke about our experience of having a trans kid in the school.

“Making our story public to the community has inspired a lot of other community members with similar stories to come forward and do the same thing. It’s been a domino effect in the community and has exploded into a movement in Hanover of people who are supporting trans kids. More and more people are showing up to school board meetings and telling their stories, trans students are showing up and telling their stories. Allies, our kids, best friends, parents are all showing up.

“I would love to see Hanover County and every other school district adopt model policies that are supportive of trans kids. My son asked ‘Mom, am I really worth this?’ And I was stunned. My response was, ‘Of course, you are worth this. All of the trans kids in Hanover are worth this.’”

Breanna Diaz

Legislative and policy counsel at the ACLU of Virginia

“I came out at 13 years old when I was still living in Dallas, Texas. At the time, I didn’t have a family or school that really supported who I am and provided me with an environment that had my best interests in mind. I experienced a lot of harassment, discrimination, and stigma, and so I think that is what spurred my interest in advocacy and led me to the path where I am now in my role at the ACLU.

“In Virginia, we passed a law that requires all 131 public schools to adopt model policies on the treatment of transgender youth. These model policies help create school environments that are safe, inclusive, and affirming of trans and nonbinary students. They were crafted by parents, trans youth and students, and other stakeholders. Unfortunately, Hanover County school board decided not to adopt these comprehensive model policies. Instead, they chose to adopt a patchwork of policies that, for example, did not allow trans youth to access bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.

“We had five families in Hanover reach out to us and ask us to intervene to fight for their children’s legal rights. And so the ACLU of Virginia entered into litigation against Hanover County school board representing those five families. But we knew that litigation wasn’t enough to stem the tide of anti-trans policies, including those coming out of Hanover. The Commonwealth told school boards to respect trans students. Yet, some school boards decided meeting their legal and moral obligation to create safe school environments for all, including trans youth, was not a priority. We knew we needed to organize directly with trans youth, supportive parents, and allies. We knew we needed to provide training and strategize with community members, professional associations, and LGBTQ+ rights organizations on how best to oppose these horrendous, anti-trans policies.

We knew we needed to organize directly with trans youth, supportive parents, and allies.

“The ACLU of Virginia is working to build communities and pass policies at the school board level that create inclusive and affirming environments where people like me and kids today who are queer and trans don’t have to experience discrimination and harassment.

“The ACLU has a long history of fighting for LGBTQ rights, whether it’s marriage equality to schools, to now fights at a school board level. We have always shown up to fight for our basic rights and dignity.”

“Right now, one of our biggest battles is fighting in Hanover for our transgender students. Our students spend most of their day in our schools. It has to be a safe place for them, but right now we do not feel that it is.

“Our kids say, “I am transgender. I simply want to be treated like anyone else.” My grandson, Kaiden, has said to me, “Why don’t they just leave them alone? We don’t have a problem with transgender kids. Why do they?” He’s 15 and has more wisdom than our school board.

“Our transgender kids just want to be accepted for who they are in our schools and they want to be treated equally in our schools like everyone else. But the school board isn’t making this possible. The school board says you must use the bathroom of your “birth status,” but the kids want to be able to use a bathroom that identifies with their current gender and with who they are.

Our kids say, “I am transgender. I simply want to be treated like anyone else.”

“Our fight is to make sure that they have the same rights as anyone else attending school. We have to attend school board meetings. We have to pull together marches and protest and letter writing campaigns for our trans kids.

“We are blessed to have many parents who are supportive of their kids. We have worked with Equality Virginia, the ACLU, and the Jewish Community Federation on this issue because working together is what we find works in Hanover County. I love the fact that we as a people are coming together, working with an intersectionality of everybody coming together. One group fighting alone is not the answer because we’re all really fighting for the same things — the equity and equality of all people.”

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Virginia

Virginia woman charged in alleged murder-for-hire plot

Published

3 hours ago

November 29, 2024

Press Room

Virginia woman charged in alleged murder-for-hire plot

A Virginia woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a murder-for-hire plot, according to the Henry County Sheriff’s office.

Gennevieve McGhee, 44, was allegedly captured via audio and video evidence in the meticulous planning of a murder for hire, the sheriff’s office said.

McGhee is accused of meeting with a confidential source at her residence in Ridgeway, Virginia. The source was acting under law enforcement direction and utilizing a recording device to capture evidence.

TEXAS INFLUENCER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT

Henry County Sheriff’s Office charged Gennevieve McGhee, 44, with criminal solicitation of murder following an investigation that revealed her alleged involvement in planning a murder for hire. (Henry County Sheriff’s Office)

She allegedly discussed detailed instructions on payment arrangements and instructions for carrying out a robbery and murder.

McGhee is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony.

INDIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL CHARGED IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT ON SIKH SEPARATIST LEADER IN NEW YORK CITY

Gennevieve McGhee, 44, is charged with criminal solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a felony. (iStock)

McGhee was taken into custody by deputies from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday and is being held at the Henry County Adult Detention Center with no bond.

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The case remains under review by the Henry County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.

Additional information on the case is not available at this time, officials said.

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Virginia

How to Watch & Listen to West Virginia vs. No. 24 Arizona

Published

11 hours ago

November 29, 2024

Press Room

How to Watch & Listen to West Virginia vs. No. 24 Arizona

The West Virginia Mountaineers (4-2) will meet the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats in the third place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis midseason tournament for the sixth meeting between the two programs.

West Virginia vs. Arizona Series History

Arizona leads 2-3

Last Meeting: March 28, 2008 (NCAA Tournament) WVU 75-65

When: Friday, November 29

Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas, Imperial Arena (3,900)

Tip-off: 3:00 p.m. EST

Stream: ESPN2

Announcers: Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli

Radio: Tony Caridi (PBP), Brad Howe (analyst) Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College(Radio affiliates)

WVU Game Notes

– West Virginia was scheduled to play in the 2020 Battle 4 Atlantis. The tournament was moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., due to COVID, and the Mountaineers won the renamed Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic.

– WVU is 45-16 in in-season tournaments since 2007.

– With a win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU defeated a Top 5 AP team for the second consecutive season. Last season, the Mountaineers downed No. 3 Kansas in Morgantown, 91-85.

– Prior to the overtime win over No. 3 Gonzaga, WVU had lost six straight overtime games.

– This is WVU’s fourth trip outside the United States and Puerto Rico to play a regular season game. WVU played in Cancun in 2013 and 2019 and opened the season in Germany in the 2017 Armed Forces Classic.

– West Virginia is the only team in the country that has two players on the same team who averaged more than 20 points per game from last season — Tucker DeVries (21.6 ppg) and Jayden Stone (20.8 ppg)

– West Virginia is 201-55 against nonconference teams in regular season games in the last 21 seasons.

– The Mountaineers have posted a winning nonconference record in 31 of the last 32 seasons.

– WVU is 265-99 in its last 362 games against unranked teams, including winners of 148 of its last 180 at the WVU Coliseum.

– This is the 116th season and 122nd year overall for WVU basketball, which began in 1903.

– Darian DeVries, who led Drake to six consecutive 20-win seasons and has a career .731 winning percentage as a head coach, was named the 23rd head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University on March 24, 2024.

– DeVries has a record of 154-57 (.731) in seven seasons as a head coach, including a 59-16 (.787) mark in the last two-plus seasons.

– This past August, the men’s basketball team went to Italy for a 10-day tour and won all three of its games against international competition.

– West Virginia returns just 2.8 percent of its scoring from last season’s team (Ofri Naveh).

– The Mountaineers are led by a pair of transfers in Tucker DeVries (Drake) and Javon Small (Oklahoma State). Last season, DeVries was named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention selection, while Small earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors.

– In addition, Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois) and Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy) will all see considerable action this season.

– Tucker DeVries was named to the 20-member Julius Erving Preseason Watch List, giving annually to the nation’s top small forward.

– Tucker DeVries was named to the preseason Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Watch List.

– Tucker DeVries was named to the John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watch List.

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Virginia

NBA Draft: West Virginia Duo Produce Big Numbers in Upset Over No. 3 Gonzaga

Published

19 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

NBA Draft: West Virginia Duo Produce Big Numbers in Upset Over No. 3 Gonzaga

West Virginia got off to a hot start at the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis by knocking off undefeated Gonzaga 86-78 in overtime in their first-round matchup. The Mountaineers have received strong performances to begin the season from two upperclassman transfers: Javon Small and Tucker DeVries.

With each player delivering standout performances, it’s time to start considering them seriously as draft prospects.

Let’s take a closer look at their outings in this big win and dive into their seasons as a whole up to this point.

Tucker DeVries had a big game for West Virginia

Nov 27, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Tucker DeVries (12) drives to the basket as Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Michael Ajayi (1) defends during the first half at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Tucker DeVries finished this game with a stuffed stat line of 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks. This level of versatility clearly illustrates the type of player he is, as he looked solid in nearly every aspect of the game. He has good positional size at 6-foot-7 and plays with a very high IQ on both ends of the floor. His defensive impact was especially noticeable, as he consistently made impactful plays, including a steal that led to free throws to tie the game at the end of regulation. DeVries finished the second half on a 5-0 run, which gave West Virginia momentum to capture the game in overtime.

DeVries has had a solid all-around season leading up to this performance, averaging 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, two assists, 2.5 steals and 1.3 blocks, with shooting splits of 36.6%/40.7%/81.3%. If he were to be drafted following this season, it would likely be in the second round, but his versatile play style is very promising.

Javon Small has impressed for West Virginia

Nov 27, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) shoots during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Javon Small led the Mountaineers in scoring during this upset victory, contributing 31 points on impressive shooting splits of 50%/40%/81.8%. In addition to his scoring, he also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out two assists and added one steal and one block. Small is a quick and slippery guard who stayed in attack mode throughout the game, translating well into fast-break opportunities. Rarely staying in one spot on offense, Small kept the floor spaced and forced his defender to fight through traffic to keep up with him. His offensive approach was patient as he waited for his defender to get off balance before attacking.

Before this game, Small had averaged 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, four assists and three steals. He leads the Mountaineers in points, assists, and steals, while providing a noticeable spark on a nightly basis. Small is now at his third school in four years, with similar statistics in each of his previous two seasons. As an older guard, it is not guaranteed that he will be drafted, but if this level of productivity continues throughout the season, he may receive an opportunity to prove himself at the next level.

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