Transgender policies put Virginia Dems on defense as GOP contenders back families: 'Somebody has to stand up'

Republican candidates for statewide office in Virginia are siding with parents who are upset over school transgender bathroom polices, while their Democratic rivals stay largely silent.

Fox News Digital reached out to the 2025 candidates for Virginia governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general to ask about their views on transgender students' access to bathrooms. 

Candidates in the Democratic Party either failed to respond to Fox News Digital's repeated inquiries about the matter, or avoided speaking directly about it, despite the issue garnering national headlines this month.

"Biological differences matter," GOP Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears told Fox News Digital when reached for comment about the controversial issue. "It is not political. It's common sense, and somebody has to stand up and speak for parents."

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The inquiries came after five Virginia school districts were designated "high-risk" by the Department of Education earlier this month over their decision to continue letting students use facilities based on their gender identity. They also followed this month's suspension of two high school-aged males who were accused of sexual harassment after they complained about a transgender-identifying biological female using their locker room.

"As a mom of three daughters in Virginia public schools, a former federal law enforcement officer, and a candidate for governor, Abigail's priority is ensuring that all of Virginia's kids are safe and supported," said a representative for former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is running for governor against Earle-Sears, when reached for comment about the issue.

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"While Abigail's opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, stokes division and backs the Trump administration's threats to strip funding from Virginia schools, as Virginia's next governor, Abigail will work to protect public school funding, address the Commonwealth's chronic teacher shortage, and contend with our last-in-the-nation math recovery ranking," the spokesperson continued. 

Spanberger's spokesperson also slammed Earle-Sears' "decades-long record of trying to defund Virginia's public schools" and argued that she has "offered no plan to increase student achievement."

"Abigail will continue to focus on preparing students for success and bringing Virginia parents to the table," the spokesperson concluded in their response.

The other Democrats running for the state's top office, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, who is running to be lieutenant governor, and Jay Jones, an attorney running to replace Jason Miyares as Virginia's attorney general, did not respond to Fox News Digital's repeated requests for comment on the topic. 

In 2021, Democratic candidate for governor Terry McAuliffe said during a debate that parents should not be telling schools what to teach their children, a statement that many claimed was a contributing factor to his loss to GOP Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

"It should be noted that this is a common sense issue. This is an 80/20 issue. At least 80% of people think that this is just a matter of common sense," said Josh Hetzler, the attorney representing the families of the two Virginia boys who were disciplined for complaining about a biological female using their locker room. "For time immemorial, we've had boys and boys locker rooms and girls and girls locker rooms."

Meanwhile, Earle-Sears' running mate, GOP candidate for lieutenant governor John Reid, was also quick to respond to the issue.

"Students shouldn't be punished for speaking up about fairness and safety in their own locker room," Reid responded when asked about the boy's suspension. "This is what happens when unchecked ideology overrides common sense-kids get silenced instead of protected."

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Additionally, incumbent GOP Attorney General Jason Miyares called out the Virginia school district which disciplined the two boys, for "weaponizing Title IX to punish male students expressing discomfort at being forced to share a locker room with a female student."

His opponent, attorney Jay Jones, did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the matter. 

As a result of the Department of Education's designation of five Northern Virginia school districts as "high risk," their funding will now be subject to "reimbursement status," meaning the districts will now have to pay all expenses "up front" and then subsequently request reimbursements from the federal government. 

"States and school districts cannot openly violate federal law while simultaneously receiving federal funding with no additional scrutiny," said Education Secretary Linda McMahon.