An LGBTQ+ advocacy group is calling for Arlington Public Schools to take a more aggressive stance in support of transgender students.
Equality Arlington released a letter this week urging the school system to “stand up for the rights of transgender athletes and oppose all discriminatory policies from whatever source they come.”
The group, which last month orchestrated a sizeable turnout at an Arlington County Board meeting, is also planning a rally before next week’s School Board meeting.
“APS has been a model for providing an inclusive and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ students so they can focus on developing the social, emotional, and academic skills needed to live a healthy and fulfilling life,” the organization wrote. “At this time, when LGBTQ+ students are scared and coming under attack, your support is more vital than it has ever been and we implore you to continue doing what is right for these students.”
Equality Arlington President Kellen MacBeth told ARLnow that recent administrative decisions under President Donald Trump — including a Feb. 5 executive order entitled “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” — are driving a shift in Equality Arlington’s approach to local advocacy.
“The Trump administration’s immediate barrage of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks threatens real and terrible impacts on LGBTQ+ people living and working in Arlington, especially transgender individuals,” MacBeth said. “As a result, we are elevating the protection of our community to a central advocacy priority this year.”
“We will continue to work with policymakers at all levels to make sure that LGBTQ+ residents are safe and able to thrive,” he continued.
The letter to School Board Chair Mary Kadera and Superintendent Francisco Durán comes a few days after the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into policies around transgender students at five Northern Virginia school districts, including APS.
The complaint that sparked the investigation targets an APS policy allowing transgender individuals to access bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding with their gender identity.
It alleges that such policies “provide greater rights to students whose ‘gender identity’ does not match their biological sex than it does to students whose ‘gender identity’ matches their biological sex.”
In the face of federal skepticism, APS leaders have maintained support for the school system’s anti-discrimination policy — a stance that Equality Arlington applauded.
“We urge the Arlington School Board and APS administration to reaffirm their commitment to the law and support for LGBTQ+ students who have become a punching bag for the rich and powerful in pursuit of political gain,” the organization wrote. “We also urge you to stand up for the rights of transgender athletes and oppose all discriminatory policies from whatever source they may come.”
In addition to the federal investigation, APS leaders are facing another dilemma following planned policy shifts at the Virginia High School League. The league, which represents more than 300 schools and 175,000 students, announced on social media last week that it will comply with Trump’s order banning all students born male from competing on girls’ teams.
APS has not responded to requests for comment on how it will respond to this change. Its current policy requires compliance with rules from VHSL, but also states that “students may participate in any co-curricular or extra-curricular activity consistent with their gender identity.”
Nearby Fairfax County Public Schools, which has a nondiscrimination policy similar to the one at APS, has said it is waiting for more details before determining a path forward.
MacBeth said he believes APS and other school districts should jointly pressure VHSL to “overturn their newly adopted transgender athlete stance.”
It’s unclear how many students would be directly affected by a change in APS athletic policy.
MacBeth said he has heard “that there are a couple but not many” transgender athletes at APS. The school system has not responded to ARLnow’s questions about this.
The letter to APS from Equality Arlington is below.
Dear Ms. Kadera and Dr. Durán,
In light of reports that the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights has opened an investigation into Arlington Public Schools (APS) for upholding the dignity of transgender students, we would like to thank the Arlington School Board and APS administration for their steadfast support for LGBTQ+ students, especially transgender and nonbinary students, and urge you to stand firm. Recent actions from the Trump administration have caused many LGBTQ+ students to question whether APS will continue to be a safe environment for them. The Trump administration’s release of multiple executive orders including “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” released on February 5th, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” released on January 29th, and “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” released on January 20th are illegal attempts to weaponize the federal government against transgender, gender expansive, and nonbinary adults and young people in contravention of existing laws.
The law is clear—the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has already ruled that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects transgender students’ rights in schools (Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board) and their ability to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity (BPJ v. West Virginia Board of Education). The Virginia High School League’s decision last week to align their policies with the Trump administration is a violation of Title IX. Additionally, the Virginia Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in educational institutions across the Commonwealth.
APS’s Policy Implementation Procedure J-2 PIP-2 (Transgender Students in Schools) is not only good policy, but it is the only legal policy implementation for APS given current case law. We urge the Arlington School Board and APS administration to reaffirm their commitment to the law and support for LGBTQ+ students who have become a punching bag for the rich and powerful in pursuit of political gain. We also urge you to stand up for the rights of transgender athletes and oppose all discriminatory policies from whatever source they may come.
APS has been a model for providing an inclusive and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ students so they can focus on developing the social, emotional, and academic skills needed to live a healthy and fulfilling life. At this time, when LGBTQ+ students are scared and coming under attack, your support is more vital than it has ever been and we implore you to continue doing what is right for these students.
Sincerely,
Kellen MacBeth
President, Equality Arlington
