Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration withdrew a proposed regulation that would have barred biological males from competing on female-only athletic teams and from entering female-designated spaces such as locker rooms and bathrooms, according to state records.
The withdrawal took effect July 30, 2026, but drew little public notice until September because the administration did not issue a news release or hold a press conference to announce the move.
The change is documented on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website, which lists the proposed rule as having been “withdrawn on 07/30/2026 after the comment period had ended.”
The regulation had been advanced under former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration. Christian Martinez, who served as a Youngkin aide, criticized the withdrawal in a public post, writing that Spanberger “secretly killed” the protections and that her office had not offered comment.
Reaction from athletes
Hungarian Olympic swimmer Réka György, who lost a spot in the 2022 NCAA championship final to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas while competing for Virginia Tech, said she was “very disappointed” by the decision, according to a statement given to OutKick.
“It’s really sad for me because I had the petition filed a year ago, and Youngkin approved it and wanted to take the next step and protect female athletes and female spaces in Virginia,” György said. “I don’t like to see that people are using their power, especially political power, to make decisions and hurt other people. And also, it’s coming from a female.”
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who has become a prominent advocate against allowing transgender athletes in women’s sports and raced against Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships, also criticized the governor on social media, saying the withdrawal sent a message to Virginia girls that they “aren’t worthy of being called a champion.”
The Spanberger administration has not publicly commented on the withdrawal.
