NORFOLK, Va. — According to reports from the Virginia Mercury and the Washington Post, online resources supporting LGBTQ+ youth appear to have been removed from a webpage with the Virginia Department of Health.
According to their reports, information gathered through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveals confusion among staff members after noticing the absence of the content, geared toward providing links and resources supporting LGBTQ+ youth.
Narissa Rahaman, executive director of Equality Virginia, released the following statement:
“The Youngkin administration has openly tried to roll back the rights of LGBTQ+ Virginians — from its proposed policies on the treatment of trans youth in schools to its support of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the general assembly. Now, it’s also quietly removing resources for the LGBTQ+ community. This is part of a pattern with this administration, where it’s more important to appeal to an anti-LGBTQ+ political base rather than serve LGBTQ+ Virginians in any capacity. Additionally, the governor of a commonwealth of more than 8.5 million people continues to make decisions without consulting subject matter experts or any input from the community, including LGBTQ+ parents or parents of LGBTQ+ children. It’s craven, politically motivated and fully transparent what Youngkin is prioritizing, and it isn’t us.
In the Virginia Mercury's report, internal emails indicate the removal comes at the order of the office of Secretary of Health and Human Resources John Littel.
“We are extremely disappointed that the governor made a politically motivated decision that directly and profoundly impacts the lives of LGBTQ+ youth," reads a statement from Stacie Walls, CEO of LGBT Life Center based in Hampton Roads.
According to an LGBT Life Center spokesperson, CenterLink -- the company that runs the support chat room "Q-Chat Space" and is one of the resource links pulled -- told the Life Center that Virginia ranked high among other states related to chat room usage.
“In Virginia, the governor will always reaffirm a parent’s role in their child’s life. Children belong to their parents, not the state," a statement from Governor Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter reads. "The webpage in question outsourced conversations where adults directly speak with children about sex to a third party. The governor supports providing resources that are age appropriate however the government should not facilitate anonymous conversations between adults and children without a parent’s approval. Sexualizing children against a parent’s wishes doesn’t belong on a taxpayer supported website.”
This move comes months after several bills related to transgender rights -- viewed by LGBTQ+ organizations as discriminatory -- were introduced but ultimately voted down by lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly.
"I certainly respect and understand the governor’s push for parental rights and maintaining the family, but I also understand what individuals can experience when they’re young, and they don’t have trusted adults to go to," Michael Berlucci said, who serves on the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board.
"There is a need for balance, in my opinion," he said.