by James A. Bacon
With educational outcomes for Virginia public school children collapsing across the board, I’m not sure that the use of pronouns and restrooms for transgender students is the most urgent policy facing our schools today. But both sides of the culture wars are determined to fight this battle, so it continues to consume an inordinate share of our attention — as when Governor Glenn Youngkin issuedย yesterdayย his revised “model policies” for treating transgender students.
I will spend little time rehashing the details of the new model policies, which you can read here. The Washington Post summarizes the key points, as do the state’s other major newspapers. In broad brushstrokes, Youngkin’s purpose is to strengthen parental rights, restricting the ability of schools to make contentious decisions regarding a student’s gender identity without the parents’ knowledge and consent.
I’m more interested in peripheral — yet telling — aspects of this story. I’m interested in seeing how the shapers of public opinion are constructing their narratives.
It is interesting to see how Team Youngkin attempts to frame the narrative. You can see it in the full title of the document: “Model Policies on Ensuring Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents in Virginia’s Public Schools.” (more…)
by Dick Hall-Sizemore
