Former Roanoke Swimmer Criticizes Virginia’s Policy Shift on Transgender Athletes

Former Roanoke College swimmer Lily Mullens has voiced her concerns about recent policy changes in Virginia. She criticized the administration of Governor Abigail Spanberger for reversing a regulation aimed at safeguarding female-only sports and private spaces. Mullens, alongside Hungarian Olympian Réka György and former teammate Carter Satterfield, petitioned the Virginia State Board of Health for this regulation.

Policy Shift Concerns

Mullens stated that under previous leadership by Governor Youngkin, Virginia was progressing towards protecting female athletes. She alleged that Spanberger’s decisions contradict the will of Virginia’s citizens. Mullens expressed disappointment, emphasizing the biological differences between men and women and the importance of maintaining these distinctions in sports.

“Up until recently, due to Governor Youngkin’s leadership, 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.” – Lily Mullens

Background of the Petition

In 2023, national attention focused on Mullens and her teammates when they opposed a transgender athlete joining their women’s team. After filing a petition in April 2025, it gained over 2,300 public comments. The Virginia Board of Health voted unanimously to initiate regulatory changes. However, the regulatory action was retracted in July 2026 by the State Board of Health without a public announcement from Spanberger’s administration.

Olympian’s Perspective

Réka György also criticized the decision to withdraw the regulation. Her experiences competing against transgender athlete Lia Thomas at the NCAA Championships drove her advocacy for maintaining sex-specific sports and private spaces. György emphasized that the petition aimed to preserve fairness and safety for female athletes.

During her 2025 campaign, Spanberger suggested an individualized evaluation process for transgender athletes, accounting for various factors such as age and competition level. Spanberger’s office has not publicly responded to these critiques.