Lily Mullens, a former swimmer from Roanoke College, has voiced concerns after a proposed regulation safeguarding female-only sports and spaces was withdrawn in Virginia. Mullens, along with fellow swimmers Réka György and Carter Satterfield, had petitioned Virginia’s State Board of Health to establish such measures. These actions came in response to a transgender student seeking to join their team.
According to Mullens, previous steps to protect women’s sports had been made under the administration of Governor Youngkin. Youngkin introduced policies aimed at keeping male athletes out of female sports. However, under Governor Abigail Spanberger’s leadership, these efforts have halted. Mullens expressed disappointment and questioned Spanberger’s commitment to supporting female athletes.
Mullens shared her personal experience and emphasized the significance of the regulation for female athletes. She remarked that the biological differences between men and women must be acknowledged in sports, pointing out that these considerations were previously supported by state leadership.
In 2023, Mullens and her teammates gained widespread attention for opposing a transgender athlete’s participation on the women’s swimming team. The transgender student eventually withdrew from the team before competing. Mullens, Satterfield, and György’s petition to the Virginia Board of Health sought to prohibit biological males from participating in female-only sports and entering designated female spaces.
Initially filed in April 2025, the petition garnered over 2,300 public comments, leading to a unanimous decision by the Board of Health to pursue regulatory changes. A Notice of Intended Regulatory Action followed in November 2025.
Despite these developments, the regulation was withdrawn in July, shortly after Governor Spanberger took office. This decision was not publicly announced. The withdrawal occurred amid debates over the regulation’s statutory authority.
Hungarian Olympian Réka György also voiced disappointment over the decision, highlighting her motivation to maintain sex-separated sports and private spaces. György cited her own experiences competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, underscoring the impact such situations can have on female athletes.
Governor Spanberger, during her campaign, advocated for a case-by-case evaluation process for transgender athletes, considering factors like the athlete’s age, sport, and competition level. At present, her office has not publicly commented on the matter.
Jackson Thompson, a sports reporter, covers the intersection of political and cultural issues in sports for Fox News Digital. His work has been referenced in significant federal actions related to Title IX.