Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that an investigation by his Office of Civil Rights found reasonable cause to believe Roanoke College violated the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA) and Title IX by discriminating against female student-athletes. The findings were made public after one of the swimmers involved shared them.
According to the investigation, in August 2023, Roanoke College informed members of its women’s swim team that a biological male, previously on the men’s swim team and who had undergone hormone therapy under NCAA guidelines at the time, would join their team. The women’s swim team objected unanimously, expressing concerns about fairness when competing against a postpubescent biological male.
The investigation reported that after joining, the male swimmer outperformed female teammates and was allowed to skip practices—a privilege not extended to others. Female swimmers raised their concerns with college administrators multiple times but said their objections were ignored. The college maintained its policy and kept the swimmer on the women’s team.
When some female swimmers publicly opposed both the policy and its implementation, they allege Roanoke College retaliated by denying several of them access to study-abroad programs. The Office concluded that these actions constituted discrimination and retaliation prohibited under both state law and federal Title IX protections.
Attorney General Miyares stated: “The VHRA prohibits unlawful discrimination and retaliation by educational institutions on the basis of sex. The Office found reasonable cause that Roanoke College’s policy of allowing post-pubescent males to compete against women in sex-separated collegiate sports violates the VHRA. The Office also found reasonable cause that Roanoke denied the female swimmers privileges granted to the male swimmer and retaliated against them for objecting to the policy by depriving them of study-abroad opportunities. These actions also violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.”
A full press conference discussing these findings is available online.
