Does that include girls’ locker rooms? Spanberger wouldn’t answer Restoration News‘ question.

by Victoria Manning

Winsome Sears has been outspoken about taking action to prohibit boys in girls’ spaces, while Abigail Spanberger wouldn’t respond to Restoration News’ questions. Yet her record proves she won’t protect girls or support parents’ rights. Spanberger says she believes kids should “be themselves in schools”—whether parents like it or not.

Just two years ago, Spanberger voted against a bill that would prohibit boys from participating in girls’ sports. She also loudly declared she was against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s policy that prohibits boys from using girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms. She claimed the changes rolled back “the rights of kids to be themselves in schools”:

That’s a horrifying statement and should worry every parent in the state. Democrats fight to keep secrets from parents regarding gender ideology. Prior to Youngkin, the Northam administration implemented policies that permitted students to use bathrooms or locker rooms based on their self-selected gender identity. In other words, biological boys calling themselves girls could use girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms with no questions asked. There was also no prohibition from keeping secrets from parents so kids could “be themselves in schools” like Spanberger desires.

Spanberger continues to avoid questions about her views on transgender issues. WJLA reporter Nick Minock asked Spanberger specific questions about whether she supported males competing in females sports and also about her views on the bathroom and locker room issues. Her campaign didn’t answer the specific questions but said, “the safety of Virginia’s kids is Abigail’s top priority.” This response triggered Democrats telling Nick Minock that they felt Spanberger was implying that trans kids are dangerous.

Restoration News reached out to the Spanberger campaign to ask more questions about her views on males using females’ private spaces. We also asked if she would support withholding funding to schools that refuse to abide by Title IX laws. We’ve received no response in a week.

Parents still matter

Spanberger’s fence straddling on transgender issues is causing her trouble even from her own party.

In the 2021 Virginia governor’s race, Democrat Terry McAuliffe made a statement during a debate that many believe cost him the election. McAuliffe said to Youngkin, “I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions. . . I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

This blunder energized the parental rights movement in Virginia that led to now-Gov. Youngkin’s election. Spanberger’s comment about kids being themselves at school should create just as much uproar. Will she advocate keeping secrets from parents?

Public schools have become a model of how socialism can destroy communities. Government leaders like McAuliffe and Spanberger want to retain government control over these institutions that teach children radical gender ideologies. Spanberger has been outspoken in her opposition to education choice, which would give families a way out of schools that push the trans agenda and endanger girls.

Spanberger is not the moderate she attempts to portray, and she should start answering hard questions about parental rights.

Victoria Manning is a Senior Investigative Researcher for Restoration News specializing in education freedom, immigration, and military issues. She is the author of “Behind the Wall of Government Schools.” Victoria served 8 years as an elected school board member and has a master’s degree in law. This column is republished with permission from Restoration News.