Del. Kim Taylor (R-Dinwiddie), who is locked in one of the most competitive legislative races in Virginia, is drawing sharp contrasts with Democrats over public education, school safety and parental rights, particularly in light of a growing controversy in Loudoun County.
The Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) incident, which has reignited national debate over gender policies in schools, involves two male students at Stone Bridge High School who were suspended after expressing discomfort when a biologically female transgender student allegedly filmed them in the boys’ locker room.
The suspensions have triggered accusations of Title IX violations, religious discrimination and viewpoint retaliation by LCPS.
Attorney General Jason Miyares has referred the case to the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice and is considering further legal action.
“No one should be punished for believing what is taught in biology class,” Miyares said in a press release.
Miyares described the suspensions as instances of viewpoint discrimination and unlawful retaliation.
“In the spring, Loudoun County Public Schools weaponized Title IX to punish male students for expressing discomfort at being forced to share a locker room with a female student who was filming them. Following those reports, Governor Youngkin asked my Office to investigate the facts,” he said.
He stated that an investigation revealed serious concerns, including Title IX violations, unlawful retaliation and viewpoint discrimination.
“All tied back to Loudoun County Public Schools’ habitual misuse of authority and disregard for the law. In June, my Office referred the matter to the U.S.,” Miyares said.
Miyares emphasized that his office is actively monitoring the situation and considering legal action to ensure student rights are protected.
“Let me be clear: We aren’t going to let this go,” Miyares said. “This will not be slid under the carpet. The safety, dignity, and privacy of every student in Virginia should be non-negotiable. What Loudoun did was wrong, but it is never too late to do the right thing. I implore LCPS to do so.”
The incident at Stone Bridge High School has sparked national attention.
The debate has intensified after the Loudoun County School Board voted 6-3 to defy the U.S. Department of Education and retain its current transgender bathroom and locker room policies, despite federal warnings that the decision could jeopardize funding.
Taylor, who has been endorsed by Miyares and campaigned alongside him earlier this summer, has consistently voiced support for law enforcement and education reforms that emphasize safety, discipline and parental rights.
In a June Facebook post celebrating Miyares’s endorsement, Taylor pledged to work “with law enforcement to ensure a safer and brighter future for all within the 82nd.”
This Loudoun controversy is the latest in a string of incidents, including a 2022 case involving a biologically male student found guilty of sexually assaulting two female classmates, a divisive teacher training on “dismantling white dominant culture” and parental backlash over graphic books like All Boys Aren’t Blue, which critics have said advocated for pedophilia, made available in school libraries.
For Taylor, whose political journey began out of concern for her daughter’s safety while attending VCU, the Loudoun fallout offers a sharp contrast to her Democratic opponent Kimberly Adams, whom GOP leaders accuse of supporting far-left education policies.
“[Taylor’s] not ideological in any way, shape or form,” Dinwiddie GOP Chair Gary Sheehan previously told the Richmond Leader. “She tries to represent the people of the district that she’s responsible for.”
With the House of Delegates narrowly divided 51-49 in favor of Democrats, Taylor’s race is viewed as a potential tipping point in control of the chamber. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has already poured millions into the race, and Taylor’s district—spanning parts of Petersburg, Dinwiddie, and Surry County—is considered one of the most competitive in the state.
Issues like transgender access to locker rooms and sports teams have become defining fault lines in the 2025 election, especially in the governor’s race between Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger.
“The Democrat candidates running in this election are not moderates or centrists,” Sheehan previously told the Rochmond Leader. “They are elitist leftist progressives. Spanberger has spent years disguising herself as a moderate—she is not. She is a deceptive, disingenuous liar. She supports men in girls/woman sports.”
A recent New York Times/Ipsos poll found nearly 80% oppose allowing transgender-identifying males to compete in women’s sports, citing fairness and safety concerns. Most respondents also disapprove of providing puberty blockers or hormone therapy to minors, highlighting widespread discomfort with policies involving transgender individuals in opposite-sex spaces, particularly in sports and youth medical care.
These issues have made their way to debate regarding the governership. Earle-Sears has made transgender policies in schools a central theme of her gubernatorial campaign, drawing a sharp contrast with her Democrat opponent Spanberger.
A recent campaign ad posted to social media with a post reading, “Think Spanberger’s a centrist? Think again. She’s all-in on boys in girls’ sports and men in women’s locker rooms.”
The one-minute video features provocative imagery, including a clip of a biologically male transgender basketball player knocking down a female athlete during a game, underscoring concerns about fairness and safety in women’s sports.
The ad quotes from a news reporter who said Spanberger’s campaign refused to answer questions about her stance on whether biological males should be allowed to compete in women’s sports or use sex-segregated facilities.
“I asked Abigail Spamberger’s campaign if she would weigh in on the bathroom locker room issue and does she support biological males competing in women’s sports?” the news reporter is heard saying in the ad. “They didn’t answer those questions.”
The ad concludes, “she is for little boys playing in girl sports and for men being in women’s locker rooms. So she’s not exactly a centrist.”
“If she cared about Virginia’s parents or daughters, she’d reject this insanity and the extremists endangering our kids,” Earle-Sears said on X. Meanwhile, a sign displayed at an Arlington school board meeting targeting Earle-Sears drew swift bipartisan condemnation for making a Jim Crow-era comparison between opposition to transgender bathroom access and racial segregation.
“Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom then blacks can’t shair my water fountain,” the sign read.
Earle-Sears called the sign “disgusting” and accused her opponents of fostering a divisive political climate.
Taylor is also aligned with Earle-Sears, particularly on education issues and efforts to restore parental rights.
In 2022 she and Earle-Sears toured St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Petersburg together.
“The faith based learning provided by this school is refreshing and much needed,” Taylor said in a Facebook post. “As a strong supporter of schools in general, I profoundly believe in choice. Parents should be allowed to decide what school works best for their children.”
As early voting opens Sept. 20, Republicans are focused on driving turnout among low-frequency voters in districts like Taylor’s.
“This election will ultimately be decided by turnout,” Sheehan previously said. “Either our Republican voters show up to vote or we lose.”
