Repost from The Federalist.
Republicans Go against Youngkin
Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner voted against a bill, HB 988, that would allow school districts to ignore the statewide transgender mandates. As a result, the bill died in committee, thereby preventing a vote on the bill by the full House.
A very similar bill died in a Virginia Senate committee, with Republican Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant not voting either for or against the bill. Dunnavant’s hesitancy to support a bill eliminating the transgender mandates might be explained by her vote to impose the mandates in the first place in early 2020. She was joined in that dangerous decision by fellow Senate Republican and minority leader Tommy Norment and in the House by Coyner and fellow GOP delegates Glenn Davis and Robert Bloxom. (To his credit, Davis voted for HB 988 in committee this session.)
Fortunately, Youngkin may have other avenues to reform. This year he will have five picks to the nine-member State Board of Education, which one Democratic delegate suspects may rewrite the statewide transgender policies with a view to enacting Youngkin’s vision. Regardless, Republican primary voters will have trouble avoiding the suspicion that their own nightmare is playing on repeat: yet another cycle of tough talk followed by mostly docile acceptance of the culture war status quo.