Dear John, In just 10 days we have seen communities splintered by senseless gun violence. First Charlottesville. Then Colorado Springs. And now Chesapeake. We must commit to addressing gun violence by calling on our local, state, and federal legislators to ensure public safety with common-sense gun policy reforms. We are deeply shocked and devastated by the horrible shooting that occurred at Club Q, a queer nightclub in Colorado Springs, on Saturday, November 19th. November is Transgender Awareness Month, and the shooting took place on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance & Resilience. Our hearts are with the victims and families who have been impacted by this horrific act of violence targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado. Equality Virginia is working to support our colleagues at One Colorado as they navigate this tragedy. Clubs hold a significant place in LGBTQ+ history. They were often the only safe gathering place for LGBTQ+ people and this horrific act strikes directly at our sense of safety. Club Q was one of the few LGBTQ+ spaces in Colorado Springs. After these tragic and horrific events, many queer folks are left feeling like they don’t have place to live authentically in their own community. Club Q has requested donations be sent to the Colorado Healing Fund, which will support those directly affected by this tragedy. coloradogives.org/donate/COHealingFund Our community has seen an unprecedented wave of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric made from elected officials, public figures, and community members. The rise in anti-LGBTQ+, specifically anti-transgender, policies also contribute to the misinformation, lies and fear that is spread about us. These policies, the political extremism and transphobia all fuel hatred, bigotry and violence. And when combined with access to weapons, the consequences for our community can be deadly. We all deserve the safety to thrive. YOU deserve the safety to thrive. Equality Virginia will not be silent as those in power encourage transphobic rhetoric and policies to fester unchecked. Which is why we sent a letter to Governor Glenn Youngkin and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow yesterday urging them to rescind the VDOE's anti-trans proposed model policy for the treatment of transgender students in K-12 schools. The proposed model VDOE policies feed into the violence we are seeing by targeting trans youth: erasing their stories from classrooms; blocking them from playing sports; and forcing educators to deadname, misgender, and out them to their parents. After this week’s tragic mass shooting in Colorado Springs, now is the time to stop the misinformation, transphobia and rhetoric that fuels such violence. You can read our letter here. The proposed model policy is set to go into effect on Saturday November 26th, after a 30-day delay for comment review expires. There are several actions the VDOE can take on Saturday-- 1) they could rescind their proposed policy and keep in place the trans-affirming policy that currently exists; 2) they could make revisions to their policy (if they do this, we'll review and let you know the impact); 3) they could delay the effective date an additional 30-days; 4) they could let the policy go into effect. We'll let you know what the VDOE decides as soon as we get an update. No matter what happens on Saturday we want to be clear about one thing-- nothing will immediately change for transgender and non-binary students in Virginia K-12 schools, especially those who go to schools in districts that have adopted the 2021 trans-affirming policy. If the VDOE moves forward with their policy, school boards will have to consider and vote on them. Equality Virginia will be tracking all 133 school boards and will share opportunities for engagement. We'll also keep our School Board Policy & Meeting Tracker up to date. Lastly, we want to send a message of thanks to all of you-- our extended Equality Virginia family-- who makes this work not only possible but worth it. We are grateful for the opportunity to fight for your liberation. The EV team-- Mario, Kyleigh and Luis-- are taking some much-deserved time off right now and i'll be closing up our office at 2:00 pm today. We'll re-open on Monday November 28th. We hope your holiday is filled with love, safety, and abundance. | 
