Virginia Democrats are moving to reshape what children learn in public schools, pushing a new proposal that would require students to “affirm” gay and transgender ideology under the banner of “inclusive history.” Because apparently math and reading weren’t controversial enough.
A bill introduced by Democrat Del. Sam Rasoul would mandate that history and social studies classes promote the “contributions, perspectives, and experiences of historically marginalized communities,” including racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, women, individuals with disabilities, and those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. The bill also adds people from various socioeconomic and religious backgrounds, plus any other group the Virginia Board of Education decides is “appropriate.” Translation: the list can grow whenever the politics do.
The proposal would require the Board of Education to “adopt and enforce” the policy across all curricula in order to “affirm such communities and promote a more holistic understanding of history.” Not just in one class or one unit—this messaging would be pushed throughout the entire school program.
Textbooks and instructional materials would be required to reflect this approach, including content for observances such as Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Disability History and Awareness Month, and LGBTQ+ History Month. The board would also be directed to consult so-called “subject matter experts” who represent marginalized communities when developing materials.
As Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case dealing with parents’ rights to opt children out of transgender-themed school content, such materials are far from neutral. “They are clearly designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to be celebrated and certain contrary values and beliefs as things to be rejected,” Alito stated.
The same concern applies to racially driven curricula and ideologies like critical race theory, which push the idea that being white is inherently bad while other races should be elevated and celebrated. In other words, it’s less about teaching history and more about grading students on political attitudes.
Virginia Democrats are also planning to control how January 6 is taught in classrooms. Another proposal would require teachers to describe the event as an “insurrection” and an “unprecedented, violent attack on United States democratic institutions” aimed at overturning the 2020 election. That bill would also prevent teachers from offering alternative perspectives on the event, effectively putting a gag order on discussion.
These efforts come after years of voter backlash over radical school curricula. In 2021, Glenn Youngkin’s victory for governor was driven largely by parental frustration with what children were being taught. That year, Youngkin received 1,663,596 votes. In 2024, President Donald Trump received 2,075,085 votes in Virginia. But in 2025, Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears received only 1,449,586 votes, compared with Abigail Spanberger’s 1,976,857.
Lower turnout in off-year elections is normal, but the numbers show a clear lesson: when conservative voters stay home, Democrats gain full control of the classroom narrative.
With these new proposals, Virginia parents are once again being reminded what’s at stake when education policy is left to ideologues instead of families. And the growing debate proves one thing: Virginians still care deeply about what their children are taught, and that concern remains a powerful force that can shape the state’s future in a positive and principled direction.
