Your local schools are being used as political battlegrounds. More than 100 activists and supporters gathered outside Luther Jackson Middle School to rally in support of transgender policies in direct opposition to federal executive orders that would restore biological sex-based policies in government. Patch This is happening right in our community with your tax dollars.
They’re deliberately defying President Trump’s executive orders. The Pride Liberation Project has openly stated they are organizing rallies at school boards across Virginia to “reject the Trump-Musk administration’s escalating attacks against queer people,” showing this is a coordinated political campaign targeting conservative policies. Washington Blade They’re teaching children to resist our democratically elected president.
They’re pushing radical gender ideology on young children. A speaker at the rally declared “Creation itself is nonbinary,” directly contradicting religious and traditional values held by many families in Fairfax County. Patch This religious-like devotion to gender ideology is being promoted in public schools funded by your taxes.
Parents’ rights are being trampled. While the school claims parent involvement is “necessary to student success,” their policies allow students to use facilities and be addressed by names and pronouns that match their “gender identity” rather than their biological sex. Fcps This undermines parents’ ability to guide their children through difficult issues.
Conservative values are under attack in your local schools. School officials and activists are describing conservatives’ defense of biological reality as “hate attacks” and “civil rights under attack,” falsely painting parents with legitimate concerns as bigots. Patch This divisive rhetoric is designed to silence any opposition.
Take Action: Contact your local representatives and school board members today. Demand they respect federal policies, parental authority, and biological reality. Tell them to focus on academics—not gender politics—and to stop using your tax dollars to advance radical ideologies that contradict your family’s values.
FALLS CHURCH, VA — More than 100 people gathered outside Luther Jackson Middle School on Gallows Road Thursday evening to support and call attention to the transgender community, including students in Fairfax County Public Schools.
“Civil rights are under attack for so many groups, but particularly, really, in the transgender community, and that, of course, affects transgender students, adults, their families, their friends, their neighbors,” said Vanessa Hall, a co-leader of FCPS Pride, an advocacy group whose membership includes LGBTQIA+ staff in Fairfax schools, as well as parents, guardians and family members of LGBTQIA+ students.
The demonstration took place before the Fairfax County School Board meeting, at which board members unanimously approved a proclamation declaring March 31 Transgender Day of Visibility in FCPS. (See the full text of the proclamation below.)
“It’s a day for celebration and community, when there’s so much harm and danger towards trans children and trans adults that we want an opportunity for community and celebration, because so much of the rest of the year is spent pushing back on efforts to reduce rights visibility and, in some cases, even the existence,” Hall said.
One of the first things President Donald Trump did when he took office in January was to sign an executive order rolling back protections for transgender people and terminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government, according to the Associated Press.
“I am proud to be trans and associated with words like transformation, words like transportation, movement into the future and a brighter tomorrow,” said the Rev. Emma Chattin, senior pastor at Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia and executive director of the TransGender Education Association of Greater Washington D.C., at the rally. “We are gender transgressors, and we take issue with the boxes that we have been placed into. Life is not either or, for goodness sake. Creation itself is nonbinary,”
One Trump order declared the federal government would recognize only two immutable sexes: male and female, AP reported. The definition will be based on whether people are born with eggs or sperm, rather than on their chromosomes. The change is being pitched as a way to protect women from “gender extremism.”
“We rise above and defy the boxes that we are placed in,” Chattin told the crowd. “We are powerful people. Our numbers may not be large, but we are fierce, and we have always existed. We have always existed, and we have always been on the front lines. We are part of this. We leave a mark in history.”
During the demonstration, Hall and other FCPS Pride board members spoke about how important it was to celebrate the trans community and ensure the wider community sees them.
“Our school district has been so amazing at being supportive, protective and respectful of transgender students, in addition to students of all other different identities, whether it be racial, gender otherwise,” Hall said. “We have been really supportive of them so far, and they’re doing this despite great attacks.”
WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Visibility is observed annually on March 31 to celebrate the lives and contributions of transgender people while raising awareness of the discrimination, challenges, and violence the transgender community continues to face; and
WHEREAS, Transgender Day of Visibility began in 2009 in response to the lack of recognition for living transgender people, shifting focus from solely memorializing those lost to violence to also uplifting the achievements and resilience of the community; and
WHEREAS, all transgender people have inherent worth and are deserving of respect and dignity, from well-known historical and public figures to those for whom it is not safe to live their authentic lives. Wherever they are on their journey, they are seen, they are valued, and valid.
WHEREAS, transgender people have made significant contributions throughout history and across various fields, including early LGBTQIA+ rights movement activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera; artists such as Laverne Cox, Elliot Page, and Hunter Schafer; leaders like Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress and Virginia State Senator Danica Roem, the first openly transgender state legislator; scientists like distinguished neurobiologist Dr. Ben Barres, and Dr. Lynn Conway, whose innovations revolutionized computer science; and countless others whose courage, resilience, and achievements have advanced equality and inspired others; and
WHEREAS, despite progress toward increased representation and awareness, transgender people continue to experience disproportionate levels of violence and discrimination; and
WHEREAS, already in 2025, nearly 700 anti-trans bills are under consideration in state legislatures, seeking to block access for transgender people to basic healthcare, housing, employment, education services, legal recognition, and more; and
WHEREAS, major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association, have affirmed the validity of transgender identities and support age-appropriate gender-affirming care as evidence-based, medically necessary treatment that significantly improves health outcomes for transgender people; and
WHEREAS, transgender youth face significantly higher rates of mental health challenges, largely due to discrimination, rejection, and lack of affirmation, underscoring the critical importance of supportive environments in schools and communities; and
WHEREAS, schools play a vital role in creating affirming and inclusive environments where transgender students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, with research demonstrating that transgender youth who feel supported in their identities show significantly improved educational outcomes, decreased absenteeism, reduced psychological distress, and enhanced overall well-being; and
WHEREAS, the Fairfax County School Board stands with and celebrates its transgender students, families, and staff, recognizing the urgency of its charge to foster a responsive, caring, and inclusive culture where all students, including those who are transgender, are affirmed and can live without fear of discrimination, harassment, or violence
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Fairfax County School Board proclaims March 31, 2025, as Transgender Day of Visibility in Fairfax County Public Schools and encourages all to promote a caring culture of equity, inclusivity, and respect for transgender people, not only on this special day but throughout the entire year as well.