Gov. Youngkin’s office removes LGBT youth resources, supports parental rights after inquiry from The Daily Wire.

Virginia Governor Removes Resources for LGBT Youth

The office of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has recently made changes in response to an inquiry from The Daily Wire. The governor’s Department of Health removed a list titled “National Resources for LGBT Youth” shortly after the inquiry. This list previously included a “social justice website” for children called “Queer Kid Stuff” and an anonymous chat site for minors.

Reaffirming Parental Rights

In a statement, Youngkin Press Secretary Macaulay Porter asserted, “In Virginia, the governor will always reaffirm a parent’s role in their child’s life. Children belong to their parents, not the state.” Porter added that the governor supports providing age-appropriate resources but believes that the government should not facilitate anonymous conversations between adults and children without parental approval.

According to The Daily Wire’s inquiry, the focus was on two different sites listed on the website: “Queer Kid Stuff” and the “QChat Space.” “Queer Kid Stuff” is an LGBTQ+ educational web series for children ages 3+ that aims to destigmatize queer topics in early childhood spaces. The organization also emphasizes honoring the Black and Brown trans women at the core of the LGBTQ+ movement.

The QChat Space, an anonymous chat site for children as young as 13 who identify as LGBT, was also previously listed on the site. The site hosts conversations on various topics, including drag culture, gender-affirmation surgeries, self-discovery in astrology, and queer youth activism.

What is it that needs to be kept hidden? Here are some of the chat topics:

– Sex change operations
– “Queering” Tarot cards
– Astrology
– Drag culture pic.twitter.com/PrZFmwq5jJ

— Spencer Lindquist 🇺🇸 (@SpencerLndqst) July 18, 2022

The decision to remove the resources page was reportedly met with dismay by some inside the office. Director of the Office of Family Health Services Vanessa Walker Harris expressed concern in an email, stating, “I’m noticing that the referenced webpage is no longer accessible and I’m having a bad case of deja vu.” Emily Yeatts, a supervisor for the Department of Health’s Division of Child and Family Health, also expressed frustration, saying, “Here we go again with removing things from the webpage without consulting ofhs.”

It is worth noting that Governor Youngkin’s office has previously removed other material from the site, including an FAQ page that led users to a chatbot powered by Planned Parenthood, as well as information on organizations providing financial support for abortions.