A Win for Kids in Loudoun County

Moms, "childless cat ladies," and a school board united to protect trans kids this week

In 2021, parents in Loudoun County, Virginia found themselves at the center of the uproar over “parents’ rights.” School board meetings erupted into chaos as policies about race and gender were hotly debated. The Washington Post even called Loudoun “the face of the nation’s culture wars.” And in the end, Republican Glenn Youngkin was elected as the Governor of Virginia.

This week, Loudoun County Public Schools are back in the spotlight — but this time it’s for defying Trump by preserving protections for transgender students. The Department of Education had ordered them to ban transgender students from using facilities matching their identity or risk losing federal funding. But Loudoun didn’t let Trump get his way.

The Loudoun County school board voted 6–3 to keep allowing transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. The Trump administration said this violates Title IX, but courts have repeatedly ruled that Title IX actually protects trans students’ rights. The school board says they’re committed to “ensuring every student in Loudoun County Public Schools is safe, supported, and able to thrive.”

To no one’s surprise, a TroubleNation group in Virginia called NOVA Childless Cat Ladies was part of this win. They say they’re not actually all “childless cat ladies”— many of them do have children, and only a few have cats — “but if there’s a scapegoated group, you can believe that we’re ALL going to stand up right there beside them.” Members of the group showed up to made public comments at the school board meeting before the vote.

Group leader Andrea Pollock was quoted in her local news as saying, “When we provide an environment that is safe for a trans kid, we provide an environment that is safe for every kid.”

We’re proud of Andrea, NOVA Childless Cat Ladies, and the Loudoun County School Board for standing up for all children.