Dear John, First, some amazing news: The Senate Education committee has officially killed SIX anti-trans bills! That’s right– three trans healthcare bans and three trans athlete bans are GONE FOR GOOD! We want to thank YOU for stopping these bills. Over 3,000 emails in opposition were sent to committee members. YOU sent a clear message that transgender and nonbinary youth belong in Virginia. Overall, 10 out of the 12 anti-trans bills are DEAD, which leaves two more bills that are still moving through the process in the Virginia House– one athlete ban (HB 1387) and one forced outing bill (HB 2432). The House Education committee will meet at 9:30 AM on FRIDAY February 3, 2023 to take a final vote on these bills. There is still time to take action! Before the committee meets: If you're in or near Richmond and interested in showing your visible opposition to these bills in person, the meeting will start at 9:30 AM and will be held in the House Committee Room in the Pocahontas building (900 E. Main Street). As we work to stop these last two anti-trans bills in the House, we want to name the immense amount of work that the community has done in order to kill the other 10 bills in such a short amount of time. We understand that folks are likely relieved, worried, determined, exhausted, or a combination of all of these things - and we are feeling these emotions right alongside you. As always, check in with yourself and your loved ones, and remember to create space for joy and rest in this fight. VALENTINE'S DAY: We are proud to announce that Equality Virginia will be hosting our second annual Valentine’s Day Letter Drop at the Virginia General Assembly on Tuesday, February 14th! Click the button below to fill out our form and construct a Valentine's letter to your lawmakers. Feel free to tell as much of your personal story as you feel comfortable with, and be sure to either ask your lawmakers to support trans youth and reject anti-trans bills, or thank them if they have already done so. | 