NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Abigail Spanberger’s campaign for Virginia governor came under fire this week from women’s sports rights activists. A swimmer who is suing a college in her state over an incident involving a trans swimmer has spoken out.
During the first debate against Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, Spanbeger was asked if she would reverse current Gov. Glen Younkin’s executive order to exclude biological males from women’s sports.
Spanberger’s response went viral.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
“My answer is that in each local community, decisions should be made between parents, educators and teachers in each community. They should not be dictated by politicians,” Spanberger said. “I am the mother of three girls who attend Virginia public schools, and nothing is more important to me than their safety and experience in schools,” Spanberger added in response to questions about her stance on transgender issues.
Former Roanoke women’s swimming captain Lily Mullens, who led an athlete revolt against the program in 2023 that resulted in a press conference and a lawsuit, told PK Press Club Digital her reaction to Spanberger’s response.
“The cowardice and refusal to give a clear yes or no on upholding Governor Youngkin’s policy protecting Virginia’s girls destroys any confidence in Spanberger’s judgment and integrity. I firmly believe that if you are incapable of speaking out against such outward disregard for the rights of the girls who live in the great Commonwealth of Virginia, then you are unworthy to hold any office, much less that of governor,” Mullens said.
“For someone who must represent all Virginia voters, she should be able to answer questions clearly instead of pandering to radical gender ideology, especially when asked about an issue where an overwhelming majority favors keeping men out of women’s spaces.”
Mullens then expressed support for Winsome-Sears, which strongly supports the mandate to exclude trans athletes from women’s sports.
FORMER UPENN SWIMMER REFLECTS ON BEING TEAMMATE WITH LIA THOMAS
“Winsome Sears, a true leader, has made her position clear as a woman committed to protecting women and girls with what Spanberger and his party lack: common sense. I can attest to that, because I know what it’s like to feel like your rights as a woman are being completely neglected by those in power.”
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has launched an investigation into Roanoke’s 2023 handling of the situation involving Mullens, her teammate and the trans athlete. It concluded that the college denied female swimmers accommodations, benefits and privileges on the basis of sex, caused emotional, physical and dignitary harm to the women and violated the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA).
“I know what it’s like to feel like our rights as a woman are being completely neglected by those in power. My teammates and I asked for our story to be the last, but unfortunately, due to the lack of leadership from those pushing this anti-women agenda, we have had to watch more girls suffer,” Mullens continued. “Virginia needs people like Lt. Governor Sears and AG Miyares more than ever. This debate has made that fact abundantly clear.”
Miyares’ report also suggests that swimmers who were discriminated against can seek financial damages because the school’s policy violated the VHRA, according to state code.
Documents obtained by PK Press Club Digital indicate that six swimmers from the Roanoke College team applied for May term travel lessons hosted by the school three days before a press conference in which some expressed displeasure at having a transgender swimmer on their team.
“Two weeks after the press conference, Roanoke professors responsible for travel requirements to Japan and Greece rejected the swimmers’ applications,” Miyares’ findings said.
The documents note that the VHRA prohibits “unlawful discrimination and retaliation by educational institutions on the basis of sex” and that “no educational institution may ‘deny, withhold, or deny’ accommodations, benefits, or privileges on the basis of sex.” Any implementation of a discriminatory policy would be considered discrimination under the law.
Roanoke College released a statement saying it “categorically denies unsubstantiated allegations that its administrators, faculty, staff, coaches, or administration have violated the human rights of any student or retaliated against them in any way.”
The school said it adopted a policy “more stringent than the NCAA’s position, which made the student ineligible to compete.”
Lily Mullens, former Roanoke women’s swimmer (Courtesy of ICONS)
“As the report states: As a matter of fact, the Office does not find sufficient evidence demonstrating that women were denied the opportunity to compete in this matter or that the College itself subjected women to a hostile environment based on sex. “The report alleges that our faculty retaliated against members of the women’s swim team by rejecting their applications for May term classes,” the school said. “This accusation is patently false; our faculty acted in good faith and followed our usual process regarding the selection of students for May term courses.”
Elsewhere in Virginia, issues surrounding transgender bathrooms and sports loom large. In August, five Northern Virginia school districts were found by the Department of Education to be in violation of Title IX for failing to reverse policies allowing transgender students.
Last month, a federal judge dismissed lawsuits filed by two of the districts, seeking to challenge the Trump administration’s finding that it places restrictions on the districts’ federal funding unless they make a change.
In the meantime, a case involving two Virginia boys who were suspended and found responsible by their school for sexual harassment, after they were filmed complaining to each other about a transgender classmate using their locker room, is also currently playing out in federal court.
