Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger withdraws sports regulation

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has withdrawn a proposed regulation that would have prohibited biological males from competing in female sports or using female-designated locker rooms and bathrooms. The rulemaking process, which was initiated under her Republican predecessor Glenn Youngkin, had cleared the public comment stage but had not yet been finalized.

Spanberger stated that after consulting with Attorney General Jay Jones, it was determined that the Board of Health lacked the legal authority to issue such a rule. The decision was recorded on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website on July 30, though the change was not widely publicized through press releases or social media announcements until several weeks later.