Spanberger taps LGBTQ activist who fought girls' bathroom protections for state board

Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger appointed an LGBTQ activist who pushed back against efforts to bar biological males from girls' bathrooms and locker rooms to a state advisory board that helps shape recommendations on LGBTQ-related policies.

Spanberger's appointment of Kellen MacBeth on May 22, who previously led the LGBTQ nonprofit Equality Arlington, follows a gubernatorial campaign during which she ran as a moderate and sidestepped questions about transgender participation in women's sports and access to female-only spaces.

MacBeth, the founder of Equality Arlington, has become one of Northern Virginia's most visible LGBTQ advocates. Under his leadership, Equality Arlington has urged Virginia school districts to implement policies allowing transgender students to use bathrooms that align with their "gender identity" and has encouraged local governments to resist efforts to reverse those protections. The organization also advocated for preserving transgender-inclusive policies in Arlington Public Schools despite federal pressure to change them.

MacBeth has also opposed Virginia legislation that would require schools to notify parents when a student identifies as transgender or permit parents to exempt their children from classroom instruction involving LGBTQ-related topics.

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Northern Virginia became ground zero in the nation's debate over transgender bathroom and locker-room policies after several school districts adopted rules allowing students to use facilities that align with their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

Some parents and conservative critics argue that gender-inclusive school policies have, in some cases, compromised the privacy and safety of female students, pointing to incidents such as a ninth-grade girl being sexually assaulted in a school bathroom by a biological boy who identified as transgender.

Last month, federal investigators launched a probe into Loudoun County Public Schools over allegations that a transgender student secretly filmed dozens of students in school restrooms.

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During the campaign, when Republican opponents repeatedly pressed Spanberger to say whether transgender students should be permitted to participate in girls' sports or use girls' bathrooms, she declined to embrace broad statewide mandates. Instead, she argued that decisions should be made with local input and on a case-by-case basis.

"I’m the mom of three daughters in Virginia public schools, and they participate in all activities across the board," Spanberger told reporters in September. "I recognize the concern that families and community members might have about the safety of their own kids, about competitiveness, about fairness."

"And I think the process that was in place for 10 years was one that was working," Spanberger continued. "It was one that took individual circumstances and individual communities into account, and I think that is the process that Virginia should continue to utilize."

That approach drew criticism from both sides. Conservatives accused Spanberger of refusing to provide a clear answer on transgender policies, while LGBTQ advocacy groups generally viewed her as supportive of anti-discrimination protections despite her more cautious rhetoric.

Asked about the appointment, a spokesperson for Spanberger pointed to the governor's record on school safety.

"As the parent of three daughters in Virginia public schools, Governor Spanberger believes all kids should be safe, supported, and given every opportunity to thrive in and out of the classroom," the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Governor Spanberger has signed dozens of bipartisan bills into law focused on strengthening school safety, investing greater resources into classrooms, and empowering parents to be more involved in their child's education. 

"The Governor will continue to prioritize the voices of Virginia parents and educators as she works with leaders in both parties to make Virginia schools the best in the nation and set up all kids for success."

The Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board serves as an official advisory body to the governor and was created in 2021. The board's mission is to advise the governor on economic, educational, professional, cultural and governmental issues affecting LGBTQ Virginians. The board does not create laws or regulations, but it can recommend policy priorities, identify concerns within the LGBTQ community, issue reports and provide guidance that may influence future legislative and executive branch decisions.