Lawmakers across the country are speaking out against a racist protest sign targeting Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R), the Republican candidate in the 2025 gubernatorial race. The sign, displayed at an Arlington School Board meeting, compared opposition to transgender bathroom policies with Jim Crow-era segregation, drawing sharp condemnation from Republicans and even some Democrats.
One side of the sign read, “Hey Winsome, you have a gender neutral bathroom in your house.” The other side said, “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom then blacks can’t share my water fountain.”
Earle-Sears was attending the board meeting to oppose Arlington Public Schools’ policy allowing students to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity. “There are two sexes: boys and girls,” she told the board. “What is happening in our schools is just wrong… it’s dangerous, it’s insane, and it has to stop.”
The sign’s message prompted swift rebuke from Republican leaders. Gov. Glenn Youngkin called it “idiocy,” while Gov. Brian Kemp declared, “This kind of garbage has no place in America.” Sen. Tim Scott said the Left is “cosplaying” Jim Crow, and Rep. Burgess Owens, referencing his own experience under segregation, accused the Left of exploiting racism to push their agenda. Sen. Lindsey Graham demanded Democratic leaders take a stand, asking, “Do you agree with her or not?”
Earle-Sears responded: “I’m disgusted, but not surprised. This is the ‘tolerant’ Left Abigail Spanberger defends.” She added, “Anyone who doesn’t condemn this sign is complicit in approving it.”
Even Spanberger, her Democratic opponent, called the sign “racist and abhorrent,” while Democrat Lt. Gov. nominee Ghazala Hashmi condemned its “unacceptable” comparison to Jim Crow.
