Skip to main content

Trending

  • Fox/Dominion Lawsuit
  • Meta
  • Twitter

Social Media Menu

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Utility Navigation

  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate

Media Matters for America

Main navigation

  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives

Media Matters for America

  • Nav
  • Search

Main navigation

  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives

Trending

  • Fox/Dominion Lawsuit
  • Meta
  • Twitter

Utility Navigation

  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate

Social Media Menu

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Virginia
Molly Butler / Media Matters

Right-wing media blame trans-inclusive policy for a sexual assault in VA. It wasn’t even in place at the time.

Special Programs LGBTQ

Written by Brennan Suen

Published 10/19/21 12:57 PM EDT

Share

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print

Comment

  • Comments

Right-wing media have seized on a report of a sexual assault at a high school in Loudoun County, Virginia, to attack trans-inclusive bathrooms, often suggesting that a policy in the school district opened the door to predators in girls’ bathrooms. In reality, the policy was not in effect when the reported sexual assault occurred, and it is always illegal to assault or harass someone.

On October 11, right-wing outlet The Daily Wire published a story about the reported assault and interviewed Scott Smith, the victim’s father, who was arrested at a June 22 school board meeting after an altercation. 

In the article, Smith seemed to acknowledge that the suspect might not have been affected by the district's trans-inclusive policy, which allows students to use facilities that align with their gender identity. He said, “The person that attacked our daughter is apparently bisexual and occasionally wears dresses because he likes them. So this kid is technically not what the school board was fighting about." However, he then seemed to blame the policy, saying, “The point is kids are using it as an advantage to get into the bathrooms.”

However, the policy was passed by the school board on August 11 -- months after May 28, when the assault was reported to have taken place, making it impossible for the suspect to have used the protections “as an advantage to get into the bathrooms.” 

The myth that trans-inclusive bathrooms allow predators to attack women has been repeatedly debunked; additionally, assaults and harassment are already illegal regardless of whether bathrooms allow trans people. In fact, the suspect was later charged in a second assault in Loudoun County that was reported to have taken place in “an empty classroom.” The suspect has now been arrested and detained in juvenile detention.

The Washington Post has noted that authorities have not confirmed the gender identity of the suspect or that they were wearing a dress but identified as a boy. It also noted that “at the time of the alleged assault involving [Smith’s] daughter, that rule was not in effect”:

The parents she is representing have spoken out this week, often in interviews with conservative news outlets, to assert that the charged youth is “gender fluid” and that the assault took place in a girls bathroom. Those details have not been confirmed by authorities. The parents have also denounced a policy put in place by Loudoun’s school board in August that lets students use bathrooms matching their gender identities. At the time of the alleged assault involving their daughter, that rule was not in effect.

Nevertheless, right-wing media have quickly spread the story, frequently citing the alleged gender identity of the suspect and the school’s trans-inclusive policy -- which they often falsely suggested was to blame for the reported assault. 

For instance, the Heritage Foundation’s outlet, The Daily Signal, published a report that quoted anti-trans advocate Lauren Adams, who said, “Assaults like these are the natural result of transgender bathroom policies, which allow boys to freely enter girls’ spaces and erode boundaries.” 

In an op-ed in The Washington Times, columnist Robert Knight suggested Virginia may once again give us an “American Revolution,” in part due to backlash over the case. Knight lied that the suspect “was allowed into the girl’s room because of the idiotic transgender mandate.”

The Daily Mail wrote, “Smith says the boy took advantage of the school's trans policies to get into the girls' bathrooms and assault her.” 

The New York Post also repeated this claim, writing: “Smith told the Daily Wire that his daughter was attacked at Stone Bridge High School on May 28 by a boy ‘wearing in a skirt’ who took advantage of transgender rules ‘to get into the bathrooms.’”

Unfortunately, right-wing media have once again perpetuated the debunked bathroom predator myth and ignored the facts in order to attack trans people.

The Latest

  1. Piers Morgan on Trump and DeSantis: “Do you want more drama and chaos and baggage, or do you want someone who is fresh, young, nearly half Trump's age?”

    Video & Audio 03/27/23 9:19 AM EDT

  2. Fox & Friends hosts gush over Trump's first 2024 rally

    Video & Audio 03/26/23 12:29 PM EDT

  3. Fox News host calls Trump's campaign speech “very interesting”

    Video & Audio 03/26/23 11:45 AM EDT

  4. Fox News host: Granting asylum to Chinese nationals who fled in fear means that the U.S. “does not have a country”

    Video & Audio 03/26/23 11:33 AM EDT

  5. Angelo Carusone: As a trial looms, Fox is shifting its strategy in the Dominion case to “pressure other news media into shifting the way that they've been covering their story”

    Video & Audio 03/26/23 9:21 AM EDT

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • …
  • Next page ››

In This Article

  • The Daily Wire

    daily wire_mmfatag
Comments
0 Comments
Share Count
0 Shares

Related

  1. The right is attacking trans people as part of its “critical race theory” political tactic

    Research/Study 06/28/21 11:34 AM EDT

  2. Fox News ran nearly 80 segments on “critical race theory” in a single Virginia school district

    Research/Study 07/21/21 12:00 PM EDT

  3. A Comprehensive Guide To The Debunked “Bathroom Predator” Myth

    Research/Study 05/05/16 1:51 PM EDT

Media Matters for America

Sign up for email updates

Footer menu

  • About
  • Contact
  • Corrections
  • Submissions
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Social Media Menu

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2023 Media Matters for America