Virginia Ex-Swimmer Criticizes Governor Spanberger for Dropping Women's Sports Protection Regulation

A former college swimmer is voicing strong criticism of Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger's administration for withdrawing a proposed regulation that aimed to protect female-only sports and private spaces. Lily Mullens, who previously led efforts to advocate for such protections, stated that the decision represents a rollback of progress made under the previous administration.

Mullens, along with fellow former Roanoke swimmer Carter Satterfield and Hungarian Olympian Réka György, had formally petitioned the Virginia State Board of Health to enact the regulation. The petition gained significant attention in 2023 when the group publicly objected to a transgender student joining their women's swimming team. Although the transgender student ultimately withdrew before competing, the swimmers pursued the regulatory change.

Their petition was filed in April 2025, receiving over 2,300 public comments. In August 2025, the Board of Health voted unanimously to initiate a regulatory change, and the administration of then-Governor Glenn Youngkin approved a Notice of Intended Regulatory Action. This notice, published in November 2025, gathered an additional 321 public comments.

However, on July 30, approximately six months after Spanberger assumed office, the State Board of Health withdrew the regulatory action. An official notice stated, "Upon review of statutory authority, the State Board of Health is not proceeding with this regulatory action." The administration did not issue a formal announcement at the time of the decision.

Mullens expressed her dismay, telling OutKick, "Up until recently, due to Governor Youngkin’s leadership, which was founded in truth, Virginia was making tremendous strides toward finally doing the right thing and protecting females by keeping men out of women’s sports and spaces for good. However, under the new 'leadership' of Governor Spanberger, that progress has come to a screeching halt."

Mullens further questioned Spanberger's leadership, adding, "As someone with personal experience of what this situation can do to a team, a program, a school, or any person involved, I want to ask her why she would choose to be the type of leader who cowers to gender ideology. The type of leader whom people depend on, only to be let down. The type of leader who allows girls to feel inadequate and defeated, as my teammates and I once did."

Réka György also commented on the withdrawal, calling it "really sad" and noting that Governor Youngkin had been supportive of protecting female athletes and spaces. György’s own experiences, including competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships, have fueled her advocacy for sex-separated sports and private spaces.

During her 2025 gubernatorial campaign, Spanberger had indicated that Virginia had an existing process for evaluating transgender athletes' participation on an individual basis, considering factors like age, sport, and competition level. Spanberger's office has not yet responded to requests for comment on the withdrawal of the regulation.