Former Roanoke College Swimmer Speaks Out After Withdrawal of Regulation on Female Sports

Former Roanoke College swimmer Lily Mullens has expressed discontent after Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger’s administration withdrew a proposed regulation aimed at protecting female-only sports and private spaces. Mullens was one of three female swimmers, along with Hungarian Olympian Réka György and former Roanoke teammate Carter Satterfield, who formally petitioned the Virginia State Board of Health to enact the regulation.

“Up until recently, due to Governor Youngkin’s leadership, which was founded in truth, Virginia was making strides toward protecting females by keeping men out of women’s sports and spaces,” Mullens told OutKick. “However, under the new ‘leadership’ of Governor Spanberger, that progress has come to a halt,” she added.

Mullens criticized Spanberger for not openly discussing her decision months prior, signaling that the governor may not prioritize female athletes’ concerns. Mullens remarked on her disappointment, expecting a female governor to grasp the importance of the issue more profoundly.

Mullens and several of her teammates gained national attention in 2023 when they opposed the inclusion of a transgender student on their swimming team. This controversy led to a broader movement for regulatory change. The petition, filed in April 2025, accumulated over 2,300 public comments. In August 2025, the Board of Health voted unanimously to initiate a regulatory change.

The Notice of Intended Regulatory Action received another 321 comments before the period ended in December. However, on July 30, with Spanberger’s administration in place, the Board of Health withdrew from the regulatory action without a public announcement.

Réka György, who competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022, also criticized the decision. Her experiences motivated her to advocate for maintaining sex-separated sports and private spaces.

During her campaign, Spanberger emphasized an individualized approach for each transgender athlete’s participation, considering factors like age and competition level. To date, Spanberger’s office has not commented on the withdrawal.