Leesburg, Va. – With early voting underway, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is calling on residents of Loudoun County to turn out at the polls and elect a new school board he says will “restore safety, dignity, and privacy” in student bathrooms and locker rooms.
Youngkin told voters this election is their “chance to right a wrong.”
He said the issue is about protecting children, not politics.
Key Points
- Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged Loudoun County voters to elect a school board that supports single-sex bathrooms.
- The governor said “biological boys and biological men should not be in locker rooms with biological girls.”
- Youngkin framed the election as a matter of safety, dignity, and parental authority in schools.
Youngkin calls for voter action
Speaking in an interview this week, Youngkin encouraged Virginians to “get out and vote” in local school board elections, emphasizing his stance that schools should maintain separate facilities for boys and girls. “Here’s your chance to right a wrong,” he said. “Biological boys and biological men should not be in locker rooms with biological girls.”
The governor suggested that if districts require additional accommodations, they should “go build one,” referring to the creation of a third, gender-neutral option. He stressed that the issue centers on “the safety and dignity and the privacy of your children.”
Election seen as referendum on parental rights
The Loudoun County School Board election has drawn statewide attention as a test of Youngkin’s education policies and his push for greater parental involvement in public schools. He has repeatedly criticized what he calls “ideological overreach” by local boards and has positioned the contest as a chance to “elect school board members who will look out for parents and children.”
Youngkin said the outcome in Loudoun could send a message beyond the county. “This is a chance to win this one at the ballot box,” he said. “To elect a school board who will, in fact, look out for parents and children, as opposed to their own ideology.”
Growing political divide over school policies
The debate over school bathroom access has become one of the most polarizing issues in Virginia education. Students and parents have rallied both for and against gender-specific bathroom policies, with some urging reinstatement of boys-only and girls-only facilities, while others argue for inclusive options that respect transgender students’ rights.
In Loudoun County, the issue has fueled campaigns and turnout efforts across political lines, as both sides mobilize ahead of Election Day. Youngkin’s remarks reflect a broader strategy to energize conservative voters by focusing on education, an issue that helped propel him to victory in 2021.
Voters respond at the polls
At several polling sites across Loudoun County, groups of parents and students have been handing out flyers urging residents to “protect student privacy” and “restore fairness.” Meanwhile, opponents of Youngkin’s stance say the rhetoric marginalizes transgender students and risks increasing tensions in schools.
With early voting still open, officials report steady turnout in what has become one of the most closely watched local elections in the state.