At this point in the pandemic, and with the 2022 midterm elections looming, Republicans are quick to use trans folks as a scapegoat for any and all issues. Daily Kos has covered state lawmakers who are fighting to stop trans youth from accessing gender-affirming medical care and barring trans folks of any age from updating their legal documents. Of course, there’s also the ongoing, wildly misleading battle to keep trans girls from competing on girls’ sports teams.
Republicans often fall back on the rhetoric of “protecting” or “honoring” women and feminism, pointedly ignoring that trans girls and women are indeed women. Behind this rallying cry is a thinly veiled and deeply dangerous idea that trans people are inherently dangerous and predatory—just think about the disturbing images and rhetoric that come about whenever trans-inclusive bathrooms come up. All of this Republican fearmongering has now turned a reported sexual assault in a high school bathroom in Loudoun County, Virginia, into a circus, decentering the actual issue at hand: sexual violence.
As some background on the case, Daily Kos recently covered that a teenager had been charged with sexual assault after the survivor, a teenage girl, reported the incident. The assault occurred in a girls’ bathroom at Stone Bridge High School in late May. The suspect, then a 14-year-old boy, was transferred to another high school in the county, Broad Run High School, where he was again accused of sexual assault, that time occurring in an empty classroom in early October.
This case really blew up on the national stage after the father of the survivor (whose name we are not including in order to protect the minor’s privacy) went to a local school board meeting. He’s told outlets he went to the meeting to get answers, but he included some anti-trans remarks in there, too.
Specifically, the parent described the accused as bisexual and said he sometimes wore dresses. The parent suggested the trans-inclusive bathrooms essentially gave access for this attack to happen, but that policy wasn’t even in place at the time of the attack.
Most recently, local outlet 7News I-Team reports that the suspect has been found guilty of all charges. According to The Washington Post, the juvenile court judge is waiting to sentence the teen until the case for the second assault (the one in the empty classroom) goes to trial in November. The youth’s gender identity was not discussed in court and authorities involved in the case have not commented on it either way.
According to local outlet WJLA, students and some teachers in Loudoun County walked out in protest on Tuesday morning to show support for sexual violence survivors and push administrators to address why the suspect was allowed to return to school in the district. According to local outlet WUSA 9, Loudoun County High School Principal Michelle Luttrell has said students will not be punished for participating in the protest, provided it is peaceful.
Whether trans-inclusive policies are in place or not, sexual assault and violence are always wrong. It’s wrong whether the person involved is LGBTQ+ or not. Allowing people to use the bathroom or locker room that aligns with their gender identity does not give anyone a pass on committing violence against others, and in spite of Republicans spreading this hysteria, literally no one is suggesting that should be the case.
You can catch some video footage of the walkouts below.
YouTube Video
Republicans often fall back on the rhetoric of “protecting” or “honoring” women and feminism, pointedly ignoring that trans girls and women are indeed women. Behind this rallying cry is a thinly veiled and deeply dangerous idea that trans people are inherently dangerous and predatory—just think about the disturbing images and rhetoric that come about whenever trans-inclusive bathrooms come up. All of this Republican fearmongering has now turned a reported sexual assault in a high school bathroom in Loudoun County, Virginia, into a circus, decentering the actual issue at hand: sexual violence.
As some background on the case, Daily Kos recently covered that a teenager had been charged with sexual assault after the survivor, a teenage girl, reported the incident. The assault occurred in a girls’ bathroom at Stone Bridge High School in late May. The suspect, then a 14-year-old boy, was transferred to another high school in the county, Broad Run High School, where he was again accused of sexual assault, that time occurring in an empty classroom in early October.
This case really blew up on the national stage after the father of the survivor (whose name we are not including in order to protect the minor’s privacy) went to a local school board meeting. He’s told outlets he went to the meeting to get answers, but he included some anti-trans remarks in there, too.
Specifically, the parent described the accused as bisexual and said he sometimes wore dresses. The parent suggested the trans-inclusive bathrooms essentially gave access for this attack to happen, but that policy wasn’t even in place at the time of the attack.
Most recently, local outlet 7News I-Team reports that the suspect has been found guilty of all charges. According to The Washington Post, the juvenile court judge is waiting to sentence the teen until the case for the second assault (the one in the empty classroom) goes to trial in November. The youth’s gender identity was not discussed in court and authorities involved in the case have not commented on it either way.
According to local outlet WJLA, students and some teachers in Loudoun County walked out in protest on Tuesday morning to show support for sexual violence survivors and push administrators to address why the suspect was allowed to return to school in the district. According to local outlet WUSA 9, Loudoun County High School Principal Michelle Luttrell has said students will not be punished for participating in the protest, provided it is peaceful.
Whether trans-inclusive policies are in place or not, sexual assault and violence are always wrong. It’s wrong whether the person involved is LGBTQ+ or not. Allowing people to use the bathroom or locker room that aligns with their gender identity does not give anyone a pass on committing violence against others, and in spite of Republicans spreading this hysteria, literally no one is suggesting that should be the case.
You can catch some video footage of the walkouts below.
YouTube Video