LGBTQ+ advocates are lobbying the Arlington County Board for a resolution safeguarding against potential attacks on their rights.
Dozens of activists packed the Board’s meeting room on Saturday to decry recent developments at the federal and state level, including President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting gender identity and “gender ideology.” They argue that such actions threaten the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people everywhere.
Advocates called on the Board to pass a resolution directing the County Attorney’s Office “to actively seek participation in ongoing or future litigation to protect [LGBTQ people’s] rights.”
Such a resolution, which would be similar to what the Alexandria City Council passed in September, would also direct county staff to take no actions violating the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
“We want to feel that our constitutional rights will be protected and that our public participation in Arlington life will not feel threatened,” advocate April Gain told the Board.
Board members made limited statements following public comment. Board Chair Takis Karantonis committed only to “conversation and continuous consultation over the next indefinite number of months.”
“We continue to follow the law,” he said. “We continue to observe very carefully and monitor all developments as they evolve daily, and we are assessing community risks and impacts daily, sometimes hourly.”
ARLnow received the following response from Karantonis after contacting the County Board for further comment.
Administrations change, but Arlington’s values do not.
As we continue to monitor and assess current national and state developments, the Board remains committed to doing everything we legally can to protect our residents, especially the most vulnerable.
We deeply appreciate the advocates who came on Saturday to share their voices. We understand the fear and hurt felt and experienced in our LGBTQ+ community right now. We also recognize that these concerns for safety and well-being are shared by many other residents in our county.
The County’s vision statement and adopted equity resolution make it clear that our principles remain unwavering: Arlington is a welcoming and inclusive community, where all residents deserve respectful, dignified, compassionate, and empathetic treatment—full stop.
In interviews with ARLnow, activists expressed disappointment in both the substance and the tenor of the Board’s response.
Hans Bauman, a member of Arlington Gender Identity Allies, said that families of transgender children are feeling “particularly unsafe” right as now as he views the new administration as zeroing in on the trans community as “enemy number one.”
“I was incredibly disappointed,” Bauman said after hearing Board members’ response. “We had a huge turnout, and the reaction [was], I’m going to read, sort of, a very vanilla, bland statement saying ‘protect all Arlingtonians.'”
The Arlington County Board, which last year oversaw the establishment of a new LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, isn’t alone in treading lightly in the first days of Trump’s presidency.
Across the river, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has taken a muted approach when it comes to public statements, despite the District joining a federal lawsuit against one of Trump’s executive orders last week.
Bauman acknowledged possible concerns about Arlington putting “a target on its back by speaking out too much.” However, he argued that safety lies in collective action rather than silence.
“What we need is the Board understanding that we have to act collectively — and the Board is, whether they like it or not, our representatives for collective action at the county,” he said. “And to say ‘we don’t want to be targets because of this,’ is to be complacent, take no action, and then let the attacks win.”
Gain, in her comments to the Board, noted Trump’s rhetoric concerning transgender people as well several bills that have been in discussion in the Virginia General Assembly. This includes proposed legislation that would have banned trans athletes from female sports teams.
The Virginia Senate tabled that bill on Thursday.
“The changes have been fast,” Gain said. “It’s really impossible for us to tell where they’re going to or how far they will extend.”
Organizer Lyra McMillan told ARLnow that she feels “less safe” these days and believes more substantial action from Arlington leaders is necessary.
“The Arlington LGBTQ community is just as scared, and feeling just as scared and vulnerable, as much of the community is nationwide,” she said.
Both McMillan and Bauman said they were particularly disheartened by the lack of direct response from County Board members Maureen Coffey, Susan Cunningham and Matt de Ferranti.
Newly elected Board member JD Spain, Sr. provided some additional assurances from the dais following Karantonis’ comments.
“The time has come not so much to speak in platitudes, but also to think about, are we doing everything in our legal authority and power to protect the rights of our people here in Arlington?” Spain said.
“And I just want you to know that it’s recognized, and that we here on the Board, even when this meeting is over, that we’ll be having discussions — that you have partners, you have people here in the room who will be working hard to protect your rights,” he added.
