Attorney General Jason Miyares says his office has found reasonable cause that Roanoke College violated the Virginia Human Rights Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 when a transgender individual tried to join the women's swimming team in 2023.
The swimmer withdrew from the team, but several team members joined a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA, alleging it violated the civil rights of female athletes. During a news conference at the Salem Public Library, Miyares said his office found Roanoke College both discriminated and retaliated against the swimmers who protested.
"It's a travesty, an utter travesty that these swimmers who should have been enjoying their collegiate experiences instead endured two years of hate for just having common sense," Miyares said. "They endured two years of hostility just for their desire to maintain a level playing field. They endured two years of harassment just for speaking out and advocating for themselves."
Miyares declined to speak on what might happen next, but lawyer Bill Bock said the finding would entitle the swimmers and their families to pursue monetary damages from Roanoke College.
In a statement later Monday, Roanoke College said it categorically denied all allegations the school "violated the human rights of any students or retaliated against them in any way.”
The statement noted the controversy began in 2023 when a student on the men's swim team went through gender transition and requested to swim on the women's team. Guidelines from the NCAA allowed the student's participation, but guidelines from another governing body, USA Swimming, did not.
"In the face of contradictory guidance, the college acted swiftly but deliberatively to study the matter and, within six weeks, had adopted a policy more stringent than the NCAA position, which rendered the student ineligible to compete. The transgender student never competed on the women’s team."
Read the complete statement here
