Virginia is looking more and more like an island of sanity in the midst of overreaching leftism.
On his first day in office, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a series of executive orders aimed at rolling back the Left’s bureaucratic micromanagement. One gives parents the choice to opt out of school mask mandates for their children, and another bans public school districts from teaching critical race theory (or closely associated tenets) in their curricula. He also repealed former Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s vaccine mandate for all state employees.
The cherry on top? He got rid of the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” page on the Virginia governor’s website.
Glenn Youngkin just removed the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion section of the Virginia Governor’s website. Sickening.
— Ethan Lynne (@ethanclynne) January 16, 2022
Each of these executive orders was once a promise Youngkin made on the campaign trail.
“We said all along that we were going to stand up for parents,” he said on Sunday. “In Virginia, it is clear under law that parents have a fundamental right to make decisions for their children’s upbringing, their education, and their care. And so we are providing parents an opt-out. We’re providing them the ability to make the right decision for their child with regard to their child’s well-being. We are going to use all the authority that I have to consider all options to protect that right.”
Youngkin is already facing plenty of pushback from some of the state’s Democratic counties, including the Richmond, Alexandria, and Arlington school districts, which announced they still intend to enforce their mask mandates regardless of Youngkin’s executive order. The issue will more than likely have to be resolved by the courts.
But thankfully, Youngkin’s first day in office suggests this is a battle he is more than willing to take on.
