Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger quietly rolls back Youngkin's plans to protect girls' sports

Virginia Gov.

Abigail Spanberger quietly rolled back proposed protections for girls' sports in the state, without telling the public.

Spanberger’s administration withdrew a proposed regulation that would have prevented biological males from competing on female-only athletic teams and entering certain female-designated spaces, including locker rooms and bathrooms.

The withdrawal occurred July 30, 2026, but received little public attention until September.

The administration did not issue a news release or publicly announce the decision.

THE STATES THAT STILL ALLOW TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN'S SPORTS FACE QUESTIONS AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING The change appeared instead on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website, which lists the proposed regulations as having been " withdrawn on 07/30/2026 after the comment period had ended." OutKick has reached out to Spanberger's office for an explanation, but has not received a response.

The proposal had not yet become a finalized regulation.

Its withdrawal ended the rulemaking process initiated under former Republican Gov.

Glenn Youngkin.

The effort began with a petition filed in April 2025 by female athletes Réka György, Lily Mullens and Carter Satterfield.

The petition asked the Virginia State Board of Health to adopt regulations barring biological males from female-only athletic teams and competitions, as well as female spaces in which women and girls could be undressed.

The Virginia High School League changed its eligibility policy in February 2025 to restrict participation in girls’ sports to students whose biological sex is female.

The organization oversees most public high school athletic competitions in Virginia.

Virginia’s Department of Education also issued model policies under Youngkin in 2023 directing public schools to generally separate athletic teams and intimate facilities on the basis of biological sex.