As Virginia Democrats killed a bill Thursday that would ban schools from hiding a child’s “gender transition” from parents, Sage’s Law sponsor Del. Dave LaRock (R) spoke to Breitbart News about the “ongoing need” to protect children in schools.
“Schools are actively pushing kids toward gender transition which amount to treatment decisions without proper counseling and mental health evaluations, and without parents being informed and involved,” the Republican, who represents parts of Loudoun, Frederick, and Clarke counties in northwest Virginia, said.
“Sage’s tragic experience, as shared by her mother’s testimony, presented a crystal clear example of what is going wrong in Virginia schools and around the nation,” he continued. “Sage’s Law was an opportunity to protect children by engaging parents, clarifying that it is not a crime for a parent to misgender, and that treatment and involving a school should always involve parents and mental health professionals.”
The bill’s namesake, Sage, is a girl from Appomattox, Virginia, who was secretively aided in her “transition” by school officials.
The 14-year-old girl made the decision to go by a different name and pronouns because “all the girls there were bi, trans, lesbian, emo,” but Michele, Sage’s mother, was never notified.
Michele said Sage was bullied in the boys’ restroom and ran away only to become a victim of sex trafficking in Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland. The government put Sage in a male juvenile facility where she was further assaulted and given drugs.
Sage’s Law sponsor Del. Dave LaRock (R): “Democrats ignored this dire need and turned their backs on parents and children in Virginia. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Sage’s parents were accused of abuse for “misgendering” their daughter.
Eventually, Sage escaped Maryland for Texas where she was “drugged, raped, beaten and exploited” before being returned to her parents.
“Sage says she doesn’t know who she was back then,” Michele said. “She wasn’t a boy. She just wanted to have friends.”
“But her school, the judge, the attorney and the doctor were all blinded by their ideology,” she continued. “The consequences for Sage were unspeakable. Please don’t let ideology harm another child. Let parents do our jobs. We know our children best and we love them a million times more.”
Despite such a tragic story, Democrats in Virginia’s Senate voted to keep such gender “transitions” and signs of gender dysphoria secret from parents.
“Democrats ignored this dire need and turned their backs on parents and children in Virginia leaving children vulnerable to the type of predators who were ready to step in as the schools promoted confusion and deception,” LaRock told Breitbart News.
The Old Dominion legislator pointed out the hypocrisy of Democrats who spoke out against a proposal from one of LaRock’s House colleagues, Del. Elizabeth Guzman (D), who planned to introduce a law that would “criminalize parents who affirm their child’s biological sex.”
The issue of “transgender” children does not stop at left-wing ideology.
“Unfortunately, this willful blindness has a profit motive: a multi-billion-dollar for-profit industry that is devouring a generation of innocent young people by harming them irreparably,” LaRock said. “This was exposed by videos from Vanderbilt University, as well as Jamie Reed’s whistle-blower report from Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.”
“Numerous experts, including transgender medical authorities, agree that rushing kids into these transgender transitions without involving parents is not appropriate practice,” he continued. “Unfortunately, political concerns and pressure from special interest groups seem to be more important to the Democrats on the Committee than protecting more children from being victimized like Sage was.”
“The bravery of Sage and Michele has inspired me and perhaps the nation,” the Virginia lawmaker concluded. “I will keep fighting to protect vulnerable kids and ensure that they and their parents are able to properly navigate these difficult situations.”
Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.
