Virginia Governor Reverses Protections for Girls' Sports

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger's administration has withdrawn a proposed regulation that would have barred biological males from competing on female-only athletic teams and entering female-designated spaces like locker rooms and bathrooms. The withdrawal occurred on July 30, 2026, but did not receive public announcement or a news release from the governor's office, drawing attention in September.

The regulatory change effectively ends the rulemaking process initiated under former Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. The initial petition for the regulation was filed in April 2025 by female athletes Réka György, Lily Mullens, and Carter Satterfield. They requested the Virginia State Board of Health to adopt rules preventing biological males from participating in female-only athletic competitions and from accessing sex-separated facilities where women and girls might be undressed.

Previously, the Virginia High School League modified its eligibility policy in February 2025 to restrict participation in girls' sports to students identified as female at birth. Additionally, in 2023, Youngkin's administration issued model policies for public schools to separate athletic teams and intimate facilities based on biological sex, while allowing for reasonable accommodations for students.

The Board of Health had unanimously approved the petition to begin developing these regulations in August 2025. The proposed rules, as described on the state's regulatory website, were intended to "prevent biological males from participating in organized female-only athletic teams and competitions in Virginia" and from entering designated female spaces where women and girls could be in a state of undress.

The withdrawal of the regulation leaves no further actions pending under the proposed regulatory chapter. The athletes who initiated the petition argued that the participation of biological males in women's sports and their access to female facilities posed physical and psychological harms to female athletes. Disputes over transgender policies, particularly concerning bathrooms, locker rooms, and pronouns, have previously led to contention between state officials and local school boards in Virginia, most notably in Northern Virginia.