WATCH: This bold trans student stumps anti-LGBTQ Gov. Glenn Youngkin with the most basic question
Glenn’s answer certainly was a collection of words:Hear @GovernorVA’s comments on transgender rights in schools when asked directly by Niko, a transgender high school student from Virginia, during the CNN Town Hall: The War on Education hosted by @jaketapper.
pic.twitter.com/CIX7MrfCRBGlenn starts by thanking Niko for his involvement in “this important discussion” before immediately side-stepping the question to ramble a bit on the supposed parental rights that his legislation hides behind.“I believe, first, when parents are engaged with their children, then you can make good decisions together,” he says.In addition to discriminating against trans students in sports and restrooms, the policies the governor put into effect last fall require parental approval for a student to use any pronouns or names other than what’s listed in their official record.Rather than saying whether Niko, a boy, should be using the men’s or women’s bathroom at school, Glenn just says all schools need to make “extra bathrooms”.“There are lots of students involved in this decision, and what’s most important is that we try very hard to accommodate students,” he equivocates. “That’s why I have said many, many times we just need extra bathrooms in schools.
We need general neutral bathrooms so people can use a bathroom that they in fact are comfortable with.”This might sound progressive to anyone not reading between the lines at the governor pointedly ignoring that Niko is comfortable using the men’s restroom and doesn’t require alternative accommodations.
