Equality Arlington and AGIA Urge School Board to Take Action Against VHSL Transgender Athlete Discrimination

Dear Ms. Turner and Members of the School Board,

In February 2025, the Virginia High School League (VHSL) instituted a ban on transgender girls playing on girls’ sports teams, while maintaining its restrictive and discriminatory approval process for transgender boys who want to play on boys’ sports teams (the policy on transgender student participation in VHSL sports is outlined in Section 28A-8-1 of the VHSL 2026-27 Handbook and Policy Manual). We appreciate that Arlington Public Schools (APS) opposed this illegal and discriminatory policy change and understand that the VHSL governance process makes it difficult for a smaller number of school districts (even with larger school populations) to change this harmful exclusionary policy.

Because the VHSL policy forces APS to discriminate against its students, we urge APS to continue standing with its transgender and non-binary students by submitting a complaint to the Virginia Attorney General Office of Civil Rights against VHSL’s pattern and practice of discrimination against APS students. The Virginia Human Rights Act protects students against discrimination based on gender identity, which is exactly what VHSL is now violating. Because APS is charged with ensuring compliance with VHSL rules and regulations, the VHSL policy forces APS to discriminate against its students by prohibiting transgender girls from participating in the sports teams that align with their gender identity and forces transgender boys to undergo an invasive and ultimately nonsensical screening and approval process. While we understand this application and approval process for transgender athletes has been in place since 2014 (and prior to 2025 applied to both transgender girls and boys), this process is not tailored to the purpose of ensuring fair competition and should also be amended. VHSL must do better for all students and implement a policy for transgender student participation that preserves the dignity of these students, doesn't unfairly target them, and ensures that all students get the opportunity to participate in high school sports. We ask you to join with other individuals and organizations who have called on the Office of Civil Rights to open an official investigation into the VHSL policy. VHSL owes it to every member school and tens of thousands of students governed by VHSL policies to rescind its current policy and adopt a policy that is grounded in commonsense and fairness, not fear and stigma.

A complaint from APS would provide additional evidence to the Attorney General that the VHSL transgender policy is causing harm to schools as well as to transgender students. A complaint from APS would also remove the burden from its students to out themselves to the state and to the VHSL in order to show that they are harmed by the policy.

We are fortunate to be served by leaders on the Arlington School Board who are committed to upholding the civil rights and dignity of all students, despite repeated attacks from the federal government. Students and families in less progressive parts of Virginia are currently without a safe recourse to protest this policy or to take any steps to persuade the VHSL to change this discriminatory policy. By submitting a complaint to the Attorney General’s Office of Civil Rights, APS will continue to show our transgender and nonbinary students that they have a place in our community and in our schools.

Sincerely,

Equality Arlington & Arlington Gender Identity Alliance (AGIA)

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