John,
This might be one of the longer Equality Virginia emails you receive. Perhaps that's fitting since January felt like it lasted 9 weeks. But hey. Look at you. Look at US. We made it to February and we are in this together.
There are a lot of updates. So bear with me. Or skip ahead.
As anticipated, the new Trump administration issued a series of harmful and sweeping executive actions—including those targeting the LGBTQIA+ community. Executive action is the fastest way for a president to message and act on a topic of interest. Executive orders may be issued quickly, but their implementation is almost always more complex.
We know that many in our community are scared and uncertain about what impacts these actions will have. We are carefully and rigorously working with national civil rights & legal partners to understand what a given action actually does (and doesn’t do), what it may be telling agencies to do (and the processes they will have to undertake), and what the next steps are for both community members and advocates. And we're doing our best to keep our direct service partners updated so they can get accurate information to the communities they serve.
Here's what the White House is choosing to prioritize in their first three weeks:
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Attacking access to life-saving, medically necessary care for transgender youth. Despite gender affirming care being legal in Virginia , we've seen VCU, UVA and CHKD opt to pre-comply with this EO and suspend care for minors. We've been in touch with VCU and UVA representatives, and providers, to ensure medical care continues for patients without interruption.
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Creating barriers for transgender people to obtain accurate federal identity documents (passports and Social Security cards). Virginia law remains the same-- you can update your name and gender marker on your state documents.
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Seeking to ban trans women and girls from playing on women and girls school sports teams and from accessing locker rooms consistent with their gender identity, harming access to education and endangering students across this country. The Virginia High School League, which currently has an appeals process allowing transgender students to play, has stated they do not intend to change their policy unless they receive further guidance.
Next week we'll provide you with opportunities to take action, engage and push back. It's critical we build collective and individual power HERE in Virginia.
We are living in a rapidly moving landscape. The last three weeks have felt chaotic and that's the exact goal of these Executive Orders which are being issued at the speed of light. They want to overwhelm and disorient you.
The team at Equality Virginia feels all of this too. But still, we're working to keep you informed, engaged and connected.
