Transgender policies lead to dueling rallies ahead of Prince William School Board meeting
Transgender policies took center stage in Prince William Wednesday night, with groups holding dueling rallies outside the Edward Kelly Leadership Center just before the School Board held its first regular meeting of the school year.
The gatherings – one organized by the Prince William chapter of Moms for Liberty and the other by groups like Defenders of Public Education and Indivisible NOVA West – stood on opposing sides of the school division’s transgender policy, which has put the school system under the spotlight of the Trump administration and conservative activists.
The school system's policy allows for students to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity rather than strictly their biological sex.
Members of Moms for Liberty, who were joined by Republican candidate for governor Winsome Earle-Sears and lieutenant governor candidate John Reid, argued the school system should reverse course and comply with the U.S. Department of Education's ruling, which declared the local policy violates Title IX.
Earle-Sears, the current lieutenant governor, said the issue isn't about partisanship. It's about parents' rights, she said.
“I am not going to stand in between what you want to teach your children and what you want your children to know,” Earle-Sears said.
School boards have gone “rogue,” she said, in not supporting parents rights.
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor in Virginia, attended the local Moms for Liberty rally Sept. 3, 2025, to call for the School Board to comply with the Department of Education's ruling against the Prince William school system's transgender policy.
Reid, who is the first openly gay nominee in a statewide election in Virginia, told the group they are not “bigots” for “trying to protect the rights of your daughters.”
“You are not harming other people by protecting the rights of your family and your parental rights,” he said. “You are standing up for your children and for yourselves, and that is the correct stance for you to take.”
On the other side, community members gathered in support of the transgender policy and thanked the School Board for standing behind it.
County supervisors Kenny Boddye and Margaret Franklin, who represent the Occoquan and Woodbridge districts, respectively, joined the group in support of the policy.
Rev. Adam Bowling, pastor of First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City, spoke to the crowd of supporters.
Bowling, a father of four children, one of whom is a transgender daughter, said this issue is not just a policy dispute.
“It’s about life. Title IX protections quite literally saved my daughter’s life. Because of those protections, she has been able to walk into school with dignity, receive support and know that she is safe," Bowling said. "And that makes all the difference in the world."
This fight, Bowling said, is not about one group of students or another.
“It’s about whether every child, no matter who they are, will have a safe place to learn and to grow and to thrive,” he said. “When federal overreach threatens to strip away inclusive policies, when fear and politics seek to replace truth and compassion, we must stand together.”
After the rallies ended, members from both sides attended the packed School Board meeting.
School Board members provided their own comments on the subject at the end of the meeting, which made clear the divide on the board between members who support the transgender regulation and those who wish to follow the education department’s ruling.
Justin Wilk, the Potomac District board member, said his position has remained consistent over the last several years, which is that the law stops with the court ruling in Grimm vs. Gloucester, which was decided in the Fourth Circuit court. In that case, a transgender student sued his local school board for not allowing him to use the boys restroom as a transgender boy.
The findings of that case held that prohibiting students from using facilities that correspond with their gender identity constitutes sex discrimination under Title IX and violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Erica Tredinnick, who represents the Brentsville District and has been vocal in her disagreement with the current regulation, said this issue is not about exclusion but about protecting privacy, dignity and safety for students.
“Biological sex is not a matter of opinion, it is a fact. Restrooms, locker rooms and private places should reflect that reality in everyday life,” she said.
Occoquan District board member Richard Jessie, who is a Black man, said he grew up in a time when he was often the only Black kid in school or the only Black person in a room. This issue, he said, is about the impact of being the “only person in the room” and the impact of feeling unwelcome because of who you are.
“I support the issue. Do I always feel comfortable with it? No, but at the same time, a lot of our ancestors did not feel comfortable with a Black person walking through the front door in their house or sitting on a toilet,” Jessie said.