The Virginia General Assembly’s 2023 legislative session ended on a positive note for the LGBTQ community. Republican lawmakers introduced 12 anti-LGBTQ bills during the session, targeting young trans and nonbinary people and seeking to further stigmatize them in schools and communities. However, all of these bills failed to become law thanks to the opposition from everyday Virginians and the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate.
The measures that died in the Senate included bills that would have banned transgender athletes from school teams that correspond with their gender identity and required school personnel to out trans students to their parents. Other bills sought to ban transition-related health care for minors in the state. The defeat of these bills sends a message that hate has no place in Virginia and that schools should be safe spaces for all young people.
While Virginia saw a victory for LGBTQ rights, there is still work to be done. The Virginia House Amendment and Other Matters Subcommittee tabled a bill that sought to repeal the state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. This setback did not deter openly gay Alexandria Democrat, State Senator Adam Ebbin, who continues to fight for marriage equality in Virginia.
In a statement, Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa S. Rahaman spoke directly to trans youth in the commonwealth, telling them that they are loved, perfect just the way they are, beautiful, and worthy. She emphasized that defeating these bills is a big deal and shows that love and acceptance prevail. While Virginia still has a long way to go to make schools more equitable places for all young people, the defeat of these anti-LGBTQ bills is a step in the right direction.