Virginia swimmer criticizes Spanberger’s transgender athlete coverage

Abigail Spanberger’s Virginia gubernatorial marketing campaign got here underneath hearth from ladies’s sports activities rights activists this week. A ladies’s swimmer who’s suing a school in her state over an incident involving a trans swimmer chimed in. 

During the primary debate towards Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, Spanbeger was requested if she would rescind present Governor Glen Younkin’s govt order to maintain organic males out of women’ sports activities. 

Spanberger’s reply went viral.

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“My answer is that in each local community decisions should be made between parents and educators, and teachers in each community. It shouldn’t be dictated by politicians,” Spanberger mentioned. “I’m a mother of three daughters in Virginia public schools, and nothing is more important to me than their safety and their experience in schools,” Spanberger added in response to questions on her stance on transgender points. 

Former Roanoke ladies’s swim captain Lily Mullens, who led an athlete revolt towards this system in 2023 that culminated in a press convention and lawsuit, informed Fox News Digital her response to Spanberger’s reply. 

“The cowardice and refusal to give a clear yes or no on keeping Governor Youngkin’s policy protecting Virginia’s girls destroys all trust in Spanberger’s judgment and integrity. I firmly believe that if you are unable to denounce such outward disregard for the rights of girls who live in the great Commonwealth of Virginia, then you are unworthy holding any office, let alone that of a Governor,” Mullens mentioned. 

“For someone who is to be representing all constituents of Virginia, she should be able to clearly answer questions instead of pandering to the radical gender ideology especially when asked about an issue that an overwhelming majority favors keeping men out of women’s spaces.”

Mullens went on to precise help for Winsome-Sears, who’s firmly in help of the mandate to maintain trans athletes out of women’ sports activities. 

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“Winsome Sears, a true leader, has made her position clear as one that is committed to protecting women and girls with the very thing Spanberger and her party lack: common sense. I can attest, as I know what it is like to feel as though your rights as a woman are completely overlooked by those in power.”

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ launched an investigation into Roanoke’s 2023 dealing with of the state of affairs involving Mullens, her teammate and the trans athlete. It concluded that the faculty had denied the feminine swimmers lodging, benefits, and privileges on the idea of intercourse, precipitated the ladies emotional, bodily, and dignitary harms and violated the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA).

“I know what it is like to feel as though your rights as a woman are completely overlooked by those in power. My teammates and I called for our story to be the last, but unfortunately, due to the lack of leadership from those pushing this anti-woman agenda, we have had to watch more girls suffer,” Mullens continued. “Virginia needs people like Lt. Governor Sears and AG Miyares now more than ever. That debate made that fact quite evident.”

Miyares’s report additionally steered the feminine swimmers who have been discriminated towards are eligible to hunt monetary damages as a result of the varsity’s coverage violated the VHRA, as per state code.

Documents obtained by Fox News Digital said that six feminine swimmers on the Roanoke College staff utilized for May Term Travel Courses run by the varsity three days earlier than a press convention passed off wherein some expressed their displeasure with having a transgender swimmer on their staff.

“Two weeks after the press conference, the Roanoke professors in charge of the Japan and Greece travel terms rejected the female swimmers’ applications,” Miyares’ findings mentioned.

The paperwork famous that the VHRA barred “unlawful discrimination and retaliation by educational institutions on the basis of sex” and that “No educational institution may ‘refuse, withhold from, or deny’ any accommodations, advantages, or privileges on the basis of sex.” Any implementation of a discriminatory coverage can be thought of discrimination underneath the regulation.

Roanoke College launched an announcement saying it “categorically denies the unsubstantiated allegation that its trustees, faculty, staff, coaches, or administration violated the human rights of any students or retaliated against them in any way.”

The college mentioned it adopted a coverage that was “more stringent than the NCAA position, which rendered the student ineligible to compete.”

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“As the report says: As a factual matter, the Office does not find sufficient evidence that the women were denied the opportunity to compete in this case or that the College itself subjected the women to a hostile environment based on sex.’ The report does allege that our faculty retaliated against members of the women’s swim team by rejecting their applications to May Term courses,” the varsity mentioned. “That accusation is patently false; our faculty acted in good faith and followed our usual process regarding student selection for May Term courses.”

Elsewhere in Virginia, points associated to transgender loos and sports activities loom giant. In August, 5 Northern Virginia college districts have been discovered by the Department of Education to be in violation of Title IX for failing to roll again insurance policies permitting transgender college students. 

Last month, a federal choose dismissed lawsuits introduced by two of the districts, looking for to problem the Trump administration’s discovering that locations restrictions on the districts’ federal funding until they make a change.

Meanwhile, a case involving two Virginia boys who have been suspended and located liable by their college for sexual harassment, after being caught on digicam complaining to one another a couple of transgender classmate utilizing their locker room, can be presently enjoying out in federal courtroom proper now.  

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