A very concerning news report comes from Virginia. Governor Glenn Youngkin accused US President Joe Biden’s administration of holding money for school meals hostage over how the schools are ‘treating’ trans students.
It’s now the subject of a multi-state lawsuit that Virginia has joined.
The conflict is a result of the US department of agriculture expanding the interpretation of the anti discrimination law Title IX in May to include sexual orientation and gender identity. USDA said those who receive federal dollars for food and nutrition services would need to update policies and signage, as well as investigate discrimination allegations.
Attorney General Jason Miyares added Virginia to a lawsuit alongside 21 other Republican-led states to stop the changes, which they claimed would cause “regulatory chaos.”
In a press release, the attorneys general said the changes were unlawful because they were pushed through without public input and based on a flawed interpretation of a Supreme Court decision.
“The federal government is telling states that they must either pay for gender-neutral bathrooms and allow biological males to play women’s sports, or they will not receive nutrition assistance for needy children,” LaCivita said.
“These are not decisions that should be — nor can be — made by the heavy hand of the federal government, and leveraging food for children in this political fight is beyond the pale.”
Governor Youngkin and 14 other governors doubled down in a letter to President Biden on Wednesday.
“Your Administration would take lunch money away from our kids and grandkids in pursuit of a radical agenda that has no basis in science and is not supported by the vast majority of the American people,” the letter read.
Anthony Belotti, a college student who identifies as transgender, helped craft Virginia’s model policies for the treatment of transgender students in schools.
“Expanding anti-discrimination policies will see trans youth being treated the way that they should be, like everyone else,” Belotti said.
“Accepting trans youth is something that’s really, really small that can make a huge impact on that person’s life trajectory.”