State attorneys say, and school officials deny, that reasonable cause exists to believe 麻花视频 College discriminated and retaliated against members of its women鈥檚 swim team.
Female swimmers complained about their treatment starting in the 2023-24 season, while 麻花视频 College officials for the first time navigated school policies regarding participation of transgender students in athletics. New details were published Monday in a report by the office of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Student-athletes were denied rights specified in state and federal law, that Miyares鈥 office prepared and released to the parties involved. The 麻花视频 College swimmers then made the report public through the Independent Council on Women鈥檚 Sports, a group known for advocating against transgender women participating in women鈥檚 sports.
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麻花视频 College categorically denies those findings, it said Monday.
Miyares, a Republican who is seeking reelection this year, stood beside the mother of a swim team captain and the swimmers鈥 attorney, Bill Bock, during a Monday news conference at the Salem Public Library.
鈥溌榛ㄊ悠 College is wrong to allow a biological male to join the women鈥檚 swim team,鈥 Miyares said. 鈥淲e have found reasonable cause that 麻花视频 College has indeed violated both the Virginia Human Rights Act and Title IX by both discriminating and retaliating against student-athletes on the basis of sex.鈥
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, with Katie Mullens on left and attorney Bill Bock on right, speaks during a press conference at the Salem Public Library on Monday. Miyares said he published a report about discrimination at 麻花视频 College.
麻花视频 College published a response to Miyares鈥 report Monday afternoon.
鈥淭he college categorically denies the unsubstantiated allegation that its trustees, faculty, staff, coaches, or administration violated the human rights of any students or retaliated against them in any way,鈥 麻花视频 College said.
On three of five charges investigated by Miyares鈥 civil rights office, 鈥渢here is reasonable cause to believe鈥 麻花视频 College discriminated against female swimmers or denied them equal accommodations, according to the report鈥檚 findings.
鈥淭he Office finds sufficient evidence to support a reasonable cause finding that the women swimmers experienced emotional, physical, and dignity harm sufficient to support a claim of discrimination,鈥 the report said.
Within the report, 麻花视频 College denies that a transgender swimmer 鈥 who is anonymously named Swimmer A in the document 鈥 was ever officially part of the women鈥檚 swim team. The college also denied allegations in the report that Swimmer A received preferential treatment.
鈥淭he College denies this stating that 鈥楽wimmer A was treated like every other team member,鈥欌 Miyares鈥 report said. 鈥淭he ultimate resolution of these and any remaining disputed facts is a task for the trier of facts.鈥
The swimmer who is transgender had competed the prior year as a male and withdrew from the swim team after a few practices, before any official competitions, according to the report.
鈥淭his all took me kind of by surprise I had not realized the world had so much 鈥 hate in it,鈥 Swimmer A messaged to teammates, according to the report. 鈥淎nd I never thought it would be this close to home.鈥
While navigating Swimmer A鈥檚 case, 麻花视频 College officials said they found contradicting rulings established by the NCAA and USA Swimming, according to the report.
鈥淚n 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,鈥 麻花视频 College said Monday. 鈥淭he transgender student never competed on the women鈥檚 team.鈥
The report document is titled, in all capital letters, 鈥淔inal determination: Findings of reasonable cause.鈥 However, Miyares said he could not speak about consequences for 麻花视频 College, 鈥渂ecause it is ongoing.鈥
鈥淭here will be discussions,鈥 Miyares said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the extent of what I can say right now.鈥
It鈥檚 鈥渁 landmark legal victory for college women athletes,鈥 said Bock, an attorney who representing swimmers including former captain Lily Mullens.
鈥淢ullens and her teammates were injured by 麻花视频 College鈥檚 sex discrimination and are entitled to pursue monetary damages,鈥 Bock said.
Her mother, Katie Mullens, read a statement on her behalf.
鈥淭he leaders responsible for ensuring a safe and lawful educational experience were not only indifferent to our discrimination, but actively retaliated against us,鈥 Mullens said.
Retaliation allegedly involved 2024 May Term Travel Courses, according to Miyares鈥 report. There is a process each year through which students apply to teachers for a limited number of study abroad seats.
鈥淭wo of the six female swimmers who applied were accepted to a May Travel Term,鈥 Miyares鈥 report said. 鈥淏ut neither Captain was accepted into any Travel Course.鈥
More than 30% of students did not get one of their May Term picks, the college said in Miyares鈥 report. Miyares鈥 office said it requested 鈥渁 copy of all student applications,鈥 but the college refused the request as 鈥渨holly irrelevant,鈥 citing federal student privacy laws.
鈥淲here a party refuses to produce information, this Office draws all reasonable inferences against the noncooperative party,鈥 Miyares鈥 report said.
Carter Satterfield explains what happened when a transgender woman joined the 麻花视频 College women's swim team.
In the response published Monday afternoon, 麻花视频 College said it has fully cooperated with the attorney general鈥檚 office, 鈥渁nd will continue to do so.鈥
鈥淭hat accusation is patently false,鈥 麻花视频 College said Monday. 鈥淥ur faculty acted in good faith and followed our usual process regarding student selection for May Term courses.鈥
On two of the five charges, the report said 鈥渢here is not reasonable cause to believe鈥 that 麻花视频 College denied the female swimmers the opportunity to compete in actual events, or that the school subjected the swimmers to a hostile environment.
麻花视频 College鈥檚 statement said, 鈥渨e celebrate the individual鈥檚 right to form opinions and champion the right to free speech.鈥
鈥淔rom the beginning, we have been committed to full transparency and to fulfilling our almost 200-year Lutheran history of serving students,鈥 麻花视频 College鈥檚 response said. 鈥淲e expect the Attorney General to be similarly motivated and thus anticipate that any ongoing process will correct errors of fact and law reflected in the report.鈥
