Youngkin, Good and Spanberger
This makes it clear that the term GOP moderate is a lie. They’re all wingnuts. At least one Democratic moderate, on the other hand, is still wedded to reality:
The Virginia congressional delegation’s bipartisan monthly meeting Monday started out cordial enough, with Rep. Bob Good (R) asking special guest Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) to lead the delegation in a prayer before sitting down to a Chick-fil-A lunch.
But then Youngkin’s new policy for transgender students came up — ultimately leading to a heated exchange between Good and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D), according to multiple aides with first- or secondhand knowledge of the meeting, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly.
Youngkin’s administration this weekend unveiled a new directive restricting the rights of transgender students in schools, ordering all 133 school districts to adopt policies that would require transgender students to use facilities and participate in activities corresponding with their sex assigned at birth. It would also bar students from changing their names or pronouns at school without parental permission, putting Virginia at the center of a national debate about the relationships between schools and parents when it comes to kids’ gender identities.
Responses to the policy — which would go into effect after 30 days of public comment — have been deeply divided. Republicans and parental rights advocates have applauded it as the right thing to do for families, while Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have sharply criticized it, saying the measure will lead to bullying of vulnerable children who are already marginalized and need support at school.
Monday’s meeting with Youngkin starkly captured those emotional divides.
In between talk of economic development and infrastructure, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) brought up her concerns to Youngkin about the new policy’s mental health impact on transgender students, according to the aides. Data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has showed that about 2 percent of high school students identify as transgender, and 35 percent of those have attempted suicide. For Wexton, whose niece is transgender, the issue is personal, and she had previously publicly called the policy “a vile and disgusting attack on vulnerable trans kids” of which Youngkin “should be ashamed.”
Spanberger and Rep. Don Beyer (D) built on Wexton’s concerns, ranging from higher risks of suicide among transgender students to the constitutionality of the policy and its impact on inviting business to Virginia, aides said. Youngkin described the policy as a statement on parental rights in education, according to one of the people.
Youngkin’s restriction on trans students’ rights is probably illegal, experts say
When it was Good’s turn to speak, he defended the governor and his administration’s new policy as the right thing to do for children. In Good’s view, schools and teachers were “grooming” children to change their gender, and he argued they are being forced into gender transitions.
Good argued that rather than bullying of trans students contributing to suicide, “the fact that these kids are killing themselves is because of grooming,” aides recounted, and the congressman said they were being “forced” to undergo gender-affirming surgeries — comments that the aides said raised the temperature in the room.
Spanberger responded forcefully, telling Good, “That’s not f—ing true.”
Good stood his ground and insisted he was the one telling the truth, according to people familiar with the exchange, before Sen. Tim Kaine (D) stepped in to calm things down by reciting a Bible verse, Matthew 25:40: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
A spokeswoman for Good did not respond to requests for comment, but Good confirmed the tense exchange occurred in an interview with Punchbowl News, saying that when it was his turn to speak he sought to refute Spanberger, accusing Democrats of supporting “grooming” of children and the “mutilation of children” through gender-affirming surgeries. He then said Spanberger yelled out and cursed at him, calling him a liar, though he said she was the one lying about Democrats’ position.
A spokesman for Spanberger said in a statement that she “always appreciates the opportunity to have a candid conversation with the Governor about the issues facing Virginia’s Seventh District,” noting she discussed emergency preparedness, Chesapeake Bay watershed conservation needs — and “her perspective as a parent related to recent education policy announcements made by the Governor’s administration.”
“Separately, she will always stand up against conspiracy theories that harm or attack Virginia’s students, their parents, and their educators — as was the case when one of her congressional colleagues did just that,” the statement added.
Spanberger had previously said after Youngkin’s policy was released that the move “will hurt children, especially LGBTQ children who already suffer higher rates of depression and are at greater risk of suicide.”
These GOP “Christians” are monsters. I cannot think of a more vulnerable group of people than transgender kids. To go out of your way to ostracize them and marginalize them, take away their basic rights as a human being, is one of the cruelest things I’ve seen them do.
Good for Spanberger for standing strong on this. She’s a centrist and it would have been easy enough for her to try to walk the line, knowing that it’s an emotional issue for some confused people in her district. But she doesn’t do that, she stands strong — for the truth. Good for her.