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Loudoun County Public Schools is defending its decision to recognize October as LGBTQ+ History Month, telling Digital that the school board proclamation imposes “no requirements” on students, even as the document encourages the school community to “honor and celebrate” LGBTQ+ history and contributions throughout the school year.
In a statement to Digital, Loudoun County Public Schools said that the proclamation is a school board proclamation and that there are no requirements for students.
The proclamation promises an “affirming” environment and rejects discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and gender expression, raising questions about how the district’s language aligns with parents who object to schools promoting contested views about sex and gender.
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A woman holds a sign as Loudoun County School Board members vote to enact Policy 8040 during a school board meeting at the Loudoun County Public Schools Administration Building on Aug. 11, 2021, in Ashburn, Va. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The proclamation reads in part, “Now, be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board recognizes October 2026 as LGBTQ+ History Month in Loudoun County Public Schools, and encourages staff, students and the community to honor and celebrate the rich history and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to the Commonwealth of Virginia, our beautifully diverse county, and our schools during LGBTQ+ History Month and throughout the school year.”
The proclamation also says that LCPS is “committed to fostering equity and belonging, ensuring students and staff members are welcomed into a safe, supportive, inclusive and affirming environment,” and that it rejects “discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation or gender expression, and instead affirms kindness, acceptance and respect as the foundation of our learning community.”
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A group of Montgomery County parents gather outside MCPS Board of Education to protest a policy that doesn’t allow students to opt-out of lessons on gender and LGBTQ+ issues during the school board meeting in Maryland, United States on July 20, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
It also says that during the month of October as well as National Coming Out Day on Oct. 1, LCPS will “celebrate key figures and milestones, knowing that education is the most powerful tool to promote understanding and disrupt discrimination.”
LCPS has come under fire from parents due to various incidents reported of children at the school socially transitioning, as well as allegations of boys being in the girls’ locker room and boys in the girls’ bathrooms.
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Parents from the Montgomery County Public Schools district speak out about parental rights issues impacting their school district outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 22, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
One mother alleged that a biological girl who said she was transitioning to male came into the boys’ bathroom and violated her son’s privacy while he was at a urinal.
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Supporters of Policy 8040 celebrate with signs as the transgender protection measures were voted into the school system’s policies during a school board meeting at the Loudoun County Public Schools Administration Building on Aug. 11, 2021, in Ashburn, Va. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
At a hearing in June on Capitol Hill, Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence defended school policies allowing transgender students to use facilities matching their gender identity.
