Virginia
Karl Frisch sworn in with banned books
Fairfax County School Board member is incoming chair
Fairfax County School Board member Karl Frisch was sworn into office on Dec. 13 as the newly elected chair during the boardās regular meeting session.
Currently the boardās vice chairman, Frisch won reelection last month by more than 30 points and received a larger share of the vote (67 percent) and more total votes than in 2019, when he secured more votes than any school board candidate in Providence District history.
Frisch was elected as the boardās Providence District representative in 2019, becoming the boardās first openly gay member. Since assuming office, Frisch has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights and the American Civil Liberties Union, Capital Pride, FCPS Pride and other organizations have recognized him for it.
Following Dec. 13’s oath of office, the new board remains not only entirely Democratic but also diverse like the community it serves, with one Black member, one Hispanic member, two Indian American members, one Korean American member, three LGBTQ members, and three immigrant members. Additionally, women are the boardās majority, with seven members.
Frisch was sworn in on a stack of the five LGBTQ-themed books most frequently banned by other school systems. Those books included āLawn Boy,ā āGender Queer,ā āFlamerā and āAll Boys Arenāt Blue,ā all of which have been criticized and flagged by other schools for sexual content. His action mirroring that of newly appointed Central Bucks Board of School Director Karen Smith in Bucks County, Pa.
Unlike other her newly sworn fellow board members who placed their hands on the more traditional Bible, Smith opted to use a stack of books on LGBTQ themes and race that had been banned by the previous board.
In a short speech, Frisch told the audience gathered in the auditorium: āFairfax County residents want safe and inclusive schools with exceptional, well-compensated educators and equitable access to the rigorous academic and enrichment opportunities every student needs to succeed. I am grateful for the trust Providence District families have placed in me, and with tonightās oath, I commit to standing strong for these values and advancing these priorities with my new and returning colleagues.ā
Conservatives and right wing Christian groups expressed dismay and anger over Frischās actions.
The Convention of States, a far-right political action group, said: āFrisch has emerged as an enemy to one of the most fundamental rights in human society ā a parentās right to educate their kids according to their values. But more than that, by openly promoting pornography in a K-12 school, he has crossed a line that should be universally condemned.ā
Former Trump White House Strategic Communications Director Mercedes Schlapp called it; āDisgusting.ā
Chris Stigall, a right leaning talk-show radio host for Philadelphiaās AM-990 and Salem News Channel said; āThis is the Leftās new thing. The new Central Bucks, Pa., School District president did the same. Itās not just shoving graphic materials in kidsā faces, itās also extending a middle finger to believers at the same time.ā
Christian conservative radio host and author Eric Metaxas said of Frisch; āWe have never before seen American figures publicly mock God like this. It is a chilling thing. Pray for this nation every day. We are in a spiritual war between good and evil. God deliver us.ā
Virginia
Miyares joins efforts to fight Title IX changes
Republican Va. AG part of multi-state effort
BY NATHANIEL CLINE | Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has joined a multi-state effort to stop new Title IX rules from going into effect.
The list of new rules designed to protect victims of campus sexual assaults and the rights of LGBTQ students has come under attack by Republican attorneys general in several states.
Miyares called the changes a ādangerous overhaulā of Title IX, and said the new rules would negatively impact students, families and schools in the commonwealth. The ruling also comes after Gov. Glenn Youngkinās administration overhauled the commonwealthās transgender student policies.
āThe Biden administrationās unlawful rule would jeopardize half a century of landmark protections for women, forcing the administrationās social agenda onto the states by holding federal funding hostage,ā Miyares said in a statement. āThey are avoiding Congress and the constitutional process because they know it will not pass. We cannot roll back Title IX in the name of false equity.ā
Attorney generals from Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia have also signed onto the suit, which was filed in Tennessee. Separate lawsuits have been filed in other states, including Louisiana and Texas.
Title IX, which has undergone several transformations based on the political party in office, was created to address womenās rights and prohibits any federally funded school or education program from discriminating against any student based on sex since it was established in 1972.
The Department of Education said some differences compared to the previous version developed under the Trump administration, include protections against all sex-based harassment and discrimination, prohibits schools from sharing personal information, and supports students and families.Ā
Narissa Rahaman, executive director for Equality Virginia, said in a statement that the rule prevents opponents from weakening ācrucialā civil rights protections including for LGBTQ students by ensuring that pregnant and parenting students have a right to equal education opportunities, protecting student survivors and guaranteeing the rights of LGBTQ students to come to school as themselves without fear of harassment or discrimination.
āStudents across races, places, and genders prove every day that they can do great things, especially when there are strong Title IX protections in place, which is why the Biden administrationās updates to the Title IX rules are essential to ensure every student can thrive at school,ā said Rahaman.
The new rule is slated to take effect on Aug. 1 and will apply to complaints of alleged conduct that occurs on or after that date, according to the Department of Education.
Protections
While the ruling protects students and employees from all sex-based harassment and discrimination, it will also impact LGBTQ students and employees, including providing complete protection from sex-based harassment, and prohibiting schools from sharing personal information.
Schools must act āpromptly and effectivelyā to protect and treat all students and staff who make complaints āequitably.ā Schools must also provide support measures to complainants and respondents, and act to end any sex discrimination in their programs and prevent any recurrence.
The rule further clarifies the definition of āsex-based harassment,ā which means to treat someone unfairly because of their gender; and the scope of sex discrimination, including schoolsā obligations not to discriminate based on sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
The federal agency said the changes will empower and support students and families by requiring schools to disclose their nondiscrimination policies and procedures to all students, employees, and other participants in their education programs so that students and families understand their rights.
The final rule also protects against retaliation for students, employees, and others who exercise their Title IX rights, and supports the rights of parents and guardians to act on behalf of their elementary school and secondary school children.
The rule also protects student privacy by prohibiting schools from disclosing personally identifiable information with limited exceptions, which is something the Youngkin administration has opposed.
Advocates say one of the rights students should have is the power to decide who finds out about their transgender status, to protect them from being bullied or harassed.
Virginia policies
In 2021, the first model policies for trans students were designed under former Gov. Ralph Northam to provide school officials guidance on the treatment of trans and nonbinary students and to protect the privacy and rights of these students.
However, some schools declined to adopt the model policies, and the state law that led to them lacked enforcement incentives or penalties.
The current policies adopted by the Youngkin administration were revised to require parental approval for any changes to studentsā ānames, nicknames, and/or pronouns,ā direct schools to keep parents āinformed about their childrenās well-beingā and require that student participation in activities and athletics and use of bathrooms be based on sex, āexcept to the extent that federal law otherwise requires.ā
Virginia schools have also not fully adopted the newly revised policies, and state law has not changed since the policies were overhauled in 2023.
The Virginia Department of Education faces two lawsuits over the policies adopted by the Youngkin administration.
āAll Virginia students, including our transgender and nonbinary students deserve to feel safe and welcomed at schools,ā said Wyatt Rolla, a senior trans rights attorney with the ACLU of Virginia. āAccessing restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities that are necessary when you are at school learning is a key part of our schools being inclusive of those transgender [and] non binary students that are part of our community.ā
Athletics not included
The provisions under the new Title IX rule did not mention anything about requiring schools to allow trans students to play on teams that align with their gender identity. Virginia has taken its own shot at banning trans athletes from competing in sports through legislation.
In February, the Youngkin administration attempted to challenge the Virginia High School Leagueās policy on transgender athletes, the Daily Progress reported.
The proposed policy would have matched with the administrationās current policies that students should be placed on teams based on their biological sex rather than their gender identity.
The Virginia High School League, which oversees interscholastic athletic competition for Virginiaās public high schools, allows for trans athletes to participate on teams that match their gender identity, but under certain conditions.
Simultaneously, lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly controlled by Democrats killed bills, including Senate Bill 68, during the previous session that would have essentially banned transgender students from competing in sports.
State Sen. Tammy Brankley Mulchi (R-Mecklenburg), who carried Senate Bill 723, said students like her 6-year-old granddaughter should have a choice to play with their own gender during a Feb. 1 Senate Education subcommittee hearing.
Mulchiās bill would have required schools and colleges to have separate sports for boys and girls based on their biological sex. Any dispute would require a note from a doctor.
āIf she [my granddaughter] wants to play an all-girl sport, I want her to play against girls that were born girls and not play against someone that is much stronger than her or can hurt her and take away her chances of a scholarship,ā Mulchi said.
However, state Sen. Stella Pekarsky (D-Fairfax) argued during the February hearing that whether students are competing with their respective biological sex or not āchildren of all ages, sexes have different builds and strengths and no children are alike on the same team.ā
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Nathaniel is an award-winning journalist who’s been covering news across the country since 2007, including politics at the Loudoun Times-Mirror and the Northern Neck News in Virginia as well as sports for the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. He has also hosted podcasts, worked as a television analyst for Spectrum Sports, and appeared as a panelist for conferences and educational programs. A graduate of Bowie State University, Nathaniel grew up in Hawaii and the United Kingdom as a military brat.
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The preceding article was previously published by the Virginia Mercury and is republished with permission.
Nonprofit. Nonpartisan. No paywalls. Fair and tough reporting on the policy and politics that affect all of us is more important than ever. The Mercury brings you coverage of the commonwealth’s biggest issues from a team of veteran Virginia journalists.
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Virginia
Freddieās to hold āLove Festā Drag Story Hour after bomb threat
Arlington gay bar receives outpouring of support from community
Freddieās Beach Bar and Restaurant, the Arlington, Va. LGBTQ establishment, has announced it is hosting a āLove Festā celebration on Saturday, May 4 that will include a Drag Queen Story Hour brunch in response to a bomb threat that interrupted the first Drag Story Hour event it hosted four weeks earlier.
āHelp us stop the hate,ā a flier announcing the May 4 Love Fest event says. āJoin us for our next story time brunch, dressed in your favorite Rainbow/Hippie outfit,ā the flier says. āCarry your homemade signs of support.ā
Freddie Lutz, Freddieās Beach Bar owner, said a portion of the proceeds of the event will be donated to local LGBTQ charities.
Lutz has reported that separate email messages with a bomb threat were sent to the Freddieās in the Crystal City section of Arlington, the Freddieās Beach Bar in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and to him personally with a threat targeting his and his husbandās house located near the Freddieās in Crystal City.
He said the first threat arrived about an hour before the April 6 Drag Story Hour was scheduled to begin, with drag queen Tara Hoot scheduled to read childrenās stories to what Lutz said was a large turnout of kids with their parents and family members. After asking all patrons to exit the bar into its rear outdoor seating area and parking lot, Arlington police conducted a thorough search of the premises with a bomb sniffing dog and found no trace of a bomb.
All customers, including parents and their children, were invited back inside and the show took place as planned, with drag performer Hoot describing the event as a display of āfun and love and joy.ā
Lutz has said the May 4 Love Fest event, which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., is intended to show the community and those responsible for bomb threats at many of the past Drag Story Hour events, that these events enjoy strong community support.
āTheyāre trying to scare us and intimidate us, and I just donāt think as a community we can allow that to happen,ā he told WUSA 9 TV News. āIt emboldens me to just carry on,ā he said.
He told the Washington Blade he and his staff are honored that they have received an outpouring of support from community organizations, other nearby businesses, and government officials.
The Arlington County Board, which is the governing body of the county, voted unanimously on April 9 to approve a statement supporting Freddieās Beach Bar and the LGBTQ community in response to the bomb threat incident.
āArlington County and the County board unequivocally support the LGBTQ+ community,ā the statement says. āArlington County Police Departmentās swift response ensured the safety of patrons and staff, and the fortitude of Freddie and drag queen Tara Hoot allowed the show to go on,ā the statement continues.
āWith protests, threats, and violence targeting the LGBTQ+ community ā and drag shows in particular ā on the rise across the country, expressions of hatred and bigotry have absolutely no place in our community, and the Arlington County Board condemns these threats of violence and attempted intimidation of our community,ā it says.
Virginia
Norfolk transgender resource center vandalized
Anti-trans graffiti spraypainted onto Southeastern Transgender Resource Center’s windows
The Norfolk Police Department is investigating the vandalism of a transgender resource center’s building.
Tarena Williams, founder of the Southeastern Transgender Resource Center, told WAVY that someone spraypainted anti-trans graffiti on the windows of her organization’s offices on Sunday or Monday morning. Williams told the Hampton Roads television station that seeing the messages was like “walking into hell.”
āI opened up STRC, even the Lamina House,ā she told WAVY. āI opened up that to get away from those types of words. This is a place you can come to get away from that, but to see that sprayed over the window. Itās kind of like you are walking into hell. ā¦ To be honest, I was like in shock.ā
Authorities are investigating the vandalism.