Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger stops previous Republican-led anti-trans policies

With no news release and little ceremony, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration has killed an anti-transgender regulatory effort launched during the waning months of former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s term.The proposal would have used the Virginia Board of Health to bar transgender women and girls from women’s-only athletic teams and competitions, bathrooms, locker rooms, and other spaces where people may be undressed. The state’s regulatory docket records the outcome in bureaucratic language: “Withdrawn.” The action was terminated July 30, after its public comment period had ended and 321 comments had been submitted. No preliminary regulation was ever drafted.WHRO radio first reported the withdrawal Monday, two days after Spanberger appeared before thousands of LGBTQ+ people and allies at Virginia PrideFest in Richmond.Related: A Virginia school board bent over backward to block an LGBTQ+ club. One mom explains why she’s suing“There’s no legal authority to move forward with rulemaking and prior administrations may have tried to create lanes, and we’re not doing that,” Spanberger told the outlet following her PrideFest appearance. People familiar with the administration’s decision told WHRO that Spanberger consulted with Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones’ office, which determined that the Board of Health did not have the authority to impose the restrictions.The rulemaking effort began after the board unanimously approved a petition in August 2025 seeking to exclude transgender people from women’s sports and certain sex-separated facilities. Youngkin directed the board to proceed that October, casting the restrictions as a public health measure intended to protect “women and girls.”The proposal offered Youngkin another route for pursuing a political project that had already defined much of his administration: turning the machinery of state government against transgender Virginians, particularly children.Related: Vi