Republican gubernatorial candidate and current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears unleashed a series of targeted attacks against her Democratic rival, Abigail Spanberger, over her support for transgender policies in public schools.
The Lieutenant Governor said during an interview on Monday that Spanberger supports those assigned male at birth in women’s spaces, and that she is avoiding being held accountable for it.
“She supports biological men having all of this access,” Earle-Sears said. “She’s trying to run from her record. She can run, but she cannot hide. That’s what she’s trying to do.”
Earle-Sears added that if Spanberger plans on becoming Governor, she will have to make hard decisions, but said “it’s not hard to protect our girls and it’s not hard to protect our young men.”
Last week, Earle-Sears also called out Spanberger over her silence on the Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) Board voting to reject the U.S. Department of Education’s directives on changing bathroom policies for transgender students.
“Abigail Spanberger supports the radical Loudoun School Board’s push to allow boys in girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms,” Earle-Sears wrote on X. “If she cared about Virginia’s parents or daughters, she’d reject this insanity and the extremists endangering our kids.”
As a result of the school district’s policies, two Stonebridge High students were suspended on Monday, after male students voiced their concerns over a female-to-male transgender student being present in the boys’ locker room and filming their reactions, according to Fox 5.
“When did we get to the point where we punish common sense?” Earle-Sears asked on X. “Loudoun County Public Schools have not only failed these two boys, but they have failed all parents and students. As Governor, I will stand up to this nonsense. My opponent? She’s still silent.”
LCPS found the boys who questioned the transgender student’s presence in the bathroom guilty of sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination. Both received a 10-day suspension. The families are appealing the decision.
“For all the moms and dads out there, let me say what you’re thinking: This is not normal,” Earle-Sears wrote on X in response to the decision. “It is not normal to force boys and girls to share locker rooms. It is not normal to punish kids for their fears. All parents want is a little normalcy. That’s what I’m fighting for.”
The comments come after a disagreement about future debates, with Earle-Sears turning down an invitation to participate in the AARP’s People’s Debate at Virginia State University in favor of participating in a CNN debate, which Spanberger declined.
“Abigail is skipping the debate to dodge one question: Why does she support men in little girls’ locker rooms?” Earle-Sears said on X.
But in a press release Monday, Spanberger announced she had accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by WAVY-TV and Norfolk State University on October 9.
“Abigail is prepared and ready to debate the issues at Norfolk State University, outline her vision for putting Virginians first, and make clear that her opponent is far too extreme for the Commonwealth,” Spanberger’s Campaign Manager Samson Signori said.
