Glenn Youngkin Believes Schools Should Out LGBTQ Students to their Parents
WJLA about current policies — adopted by school districts in more liberal jurisdictions in the commonwealth — that prevent teachers from informing parents about their children’s LGBTQ identities without the student’s express permission, Youngkin said that parents “should be informed on all aspects of their children’s lives.”Youngkin largely regurgitated sound bytes and talking points from his 2021 run for governor, when he rode a wave of discontent, stemming partially from prolonged school closures and extended virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, over curriculum content, especially regarding racial or LGBTQ issues, and the perceived lack of engagement with parents on issues affecting their children.“With regards to informing parents with most important decisions about their children, I think everybody knows where I stand, parents matter,” Youngkin said. “Parents should be at the forefront of all of these discussions.
And I firmly believe that teachers and schools have an obligation to make sure that parents are well informed about what’s happening in their kids’ lives.
And one of the things we learned last year during the campaign is that parents were tired of being pushed to the background in their child’s education.”But LGBTQ advocates argue that Youngkin’s talking points miss the mark, and that the governor has not thought out all the potential implications of “outing” children to their parents.For example, advocates say that “outing” can potentially damage relationships between parents and children, and lead to distrust of school officials — especially if those officials were approached by a student in confidence.Advocates also say that outing, in the long term, may harm the mental well-being of some.
