Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger delivered a word salad when asked if she supported transgender-identifying individuals participating in women’s sports and using women’s restrooms.
When asked about her stance on the issue, Spanberger explained that Virginia “had a process in place” where parents, schools, principals, and coaches were “making decisions based on fairness, competitiveness, and safety” on an “individual one-by-one basis.”
“Do you support transgender women playing in girls’ sports and being in girls’ restrooms?” a reporter asked.
“So, in Virginia we previously, until very recently, had a process in place, where on an individual one-by-one basis schools, parents, principals, coaches were making decisions based on fairness, competitiveness, and safety. Where a child might be able, or might not be able to play in a particular sport,” Spanberger said, as she dodged the question. “It was in place for ten years, over that time there were roughly 40 kids who went through the process. Some were denied the ability to play the sport they wanted to play, some were approved.”
Spanberger described it as a “process that involved parents,” coaches and school districts, and added that it was a “system that was working.”
When asked if she would support a bill that had to deal with allowing transgender-identifying individuals to use women’s restrooms and participate in girls’ sports, Spanberger stated that she would “support a bill that would put clear provisions in place that provide a lot of local ability for input” based on children’s age, “the type of sport” and competitiveness.
“I would support a bill that would put clear provisions in place that provide a lot of local ability for input, based on the age of children, based on the type of sport, based on competitiveness, because certainly I recognize — I absolutely recognize. I’m the mom of three daughters in Virginia public schools, and they participate in all activities across the board,” Spanberger said.
Nick Minock, a reporter with ABC7 News, has reported that while Virginia Lt. Gov. and Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears has “made it clear she’s opposed to biologically male students using female private spaces” and competing in women’s sports, Spanberger has not “clearly” given an answer on her stance.
7News has been trying for months to get her to clearly answer where she stands on the bathroom and locker room issue, which has divided school communities across Northern Virginia. 7News’ reporter Nick Minock asked Spanberger on Friday during her media availability at an event in Fairfax County.
Minock asked Spanberger if she could share if she supported “biological males who say they’re women using women’s locker rooms and bathrooms and competing in women’s sports.” Minock also cited how the Department of Education has announced that it would suspend or terminate federal funding to five school districts in Northern Virginia that had refused to change their pro-transgender bathroom policies.
Spanberger responded by criticizing the Trump administration for “taking dollars away from Virginia,” and stated that “threatening education dollars to our public schools is an attack on Virginia’s kids” and the state’s economy.
