On September 27 at around 1 p.m. students walked out of school in protest of the new proposed policies of transgender and non-binary students Virginia Governor, Glenn Youngkin, announced last Tuesday. Youngkin shared that his new policy would include parents in the decisions that their students were making at schools. Nicknames, pronouns and the level of counseling were three of Youngkin’s main points that he felt needed to be left to the parents’ desgration and had to be approved by them before allowing the change at school.

Students from all three high schools in the county planned a walkout to voice their opinions about why they are against the policies. Throughout last week and the beginning of this week at FHS, posts floated around social media about the walkout and how students can participate. The protest was approved by administration and a Google Form was created to protect the confidentiality of the students who would be attending.

Students walked out the auditorium doors and walked to Falcon Field where a few of the organizers talked and shared their stories. Junior Audrey Navin, one of the activists, said, “It was a great opportunity for the trans and LGBTQ+ community to share their stories and for many others to learn about their lives. I loved how the organizers gave out contact information for those who are suicidal and need help. Unfortunately we did have counter protesters, but thankfully it was handled smoothly.”