Richmond, Va. – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced today that his Office of Civil Rights has found reasonable cause to conclude that Roanoke College violated the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA) and Title IX by discriminating and retaliating against female student-athletes.

The investigation stemmed from complaints by members of the women’s swim team, who said they faced harassment and unequal treatment after objecting to a biological male being placed on their team in 2023. According to the Office, the swimmer — previously on the men’s team — joined the women’s team after undergoing hormone therapy under NCAA rules at the time.

Team members objected, citing unfair competition and treatment, and said their concerns were ignored by the college. The Attorney General’s Office found that Roanoke College not only kept the swimmer on the women’s team but later retaliated against female athletes who spoke out by denying several of them study-abroad opportunities.

“Women deserve an equal opportunity to participate in competitive sports,” Miyares said. “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. My Office will keep working to ensure equal opportunities for female athletes in sex-separated collegiate sports.”

The VHRA prohibits discrimination and retaliation by educational institutions on the basis of sex. The Office found that Roanoke College’s policy of allowing post-pubescent males to compete in sex-separated women’s sports, as well as its denial of equal privileges and opportunities, violated both the VHRA and Title IX.

Information from a release. Edited by Dan McDermott.