(The Center Square) – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said Monday that Roanoke College discriminated and retaliated against members of its women’s swim team, concluding a two-year investigation into the school’s handling of a transgender athlete’s participation.
The dispute began in 2023, when the college informed the women’s team that a swimmer who had previously competed on the men’s roster would be permitted to join the women’s team under NCAA rules, which the college said at the time allowed transgender athletes to compete after a year of hormone treatment.
Team members objected, raising concerns about fairness and safety, but the college allowed the move.
The Attorney General’s Office said there was “reasonable cause” to believe Roanoke College discriminated by allowing a male swimmer onto the women’s team, granting benefits not given to female swimmers, and retaliating against those who spoke out by rejecting them from study-abroad programs.
However, the office did not find enough evidence to conclude the swimmers were denied the chance to compete in events or that they were subjected to a hostile environment under the law. Overall, the office said the school’s policies and actions violated the Virginia Human Rights Act and Title IX by denying women equal accommodations and opportunities.
“Women deserve an equal opportunity to participate in competitive sports,” Miyares said in a statement. “That opportunity is protected by state and federal law. The Roanoke women swimmers endured harassment, discrimination, and retaliation just for standing up for their right to compete.”
The report noted that swimmers were encouraged to raise concerns directly with their teammate, including writing letters that were shared with the athlete.
Some athletes reported losing sleep, declining grades, and losing weight, while others described harassment in person and on social media after voicing objections.
The Attorney General’s office also found evidence of retaliation tied to the school’s study-abroad program.
Several women on the team, including captains with strong GPAs, had applied for Roanoke’s May Term study-abroad trips in 2024 but were turned down. The attorney general’s report noted that those denials came only weeks after the swimmers had spoke out publicly, and linked the timing to possible retaliation.
In January 2025, The Center Square reported that Miyares joined other commonwealth leaders at a press conference in Richmond alongside women from the Roanoke College team and former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines.
That event coincided with a legislative push to restrict participation in women’s sports to biological females, part of a broader national debate over Title IX and transgender athletes.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin also commented, saying men should not compete in women’s sports and thanking Miyares for “standing up for common sense and the law.”
Roanoke College denied the allegations, saying the transgender swimmer never competed on the women’s team because USA Swimming rules made the athlete ineligible.
The school said it “categorically denies” violating rights or retaliating, and pointed out the Attorney General’s report itself found insufficient evidence that women were denied competition opportunities or subjected to a hostile environment.
Officials also called the study-abroad retaliation claim “patently false,” saying faculty followed the school’s normal selection process.
The attorney general’s findings do not impose penalties but allow swimmers to pursue legal action against the college.
