Abigail Spanberger Dodges on Trans Athletes, Gets Hammered by GOP

Democrat Abigail Spanberger, the frontrunner in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, just had a Kamala Harris moment and not in a good way. When pressed on whether biological males should be allowed to compete in girls’ sports, Spanberger delivered a meandering, bureaucratic non-answer that immediately sparked backlash from conservatives and parental rights advocates across the state.

Asked directly by a local reporter about her stance on transgender bathroom and sports policies in public schools, Spanberger chose to defend the pre-Youngkin “case-by-case” system that allowed schools to decide whether boys could compete in girls’ sports based on "fairness, competitiveness, and safety."

“I think that … the process that was in place for 10 years was one that was working,” Spanberger said, sidestepping the actual question.

That answer didn’t sit well with Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, Spanberger’s Republican opponent.

“Abigail Spanberger just went full Kamala Harris to avoid a simple yes or no question,” Earle-Sears said. “The answer is YES Abigail supports men in girls’ sports, restrooms, and locker rooms.”

And she’s right. Spanberger’s refusal to take a clear stand speaks volumes. In today’s political climate, especially in a state like Virginia, where parental rights and school policies have been front and center, you don’t get to hide behind vague language.

Let’s break it down:

• The question was simple: Do you support boys competing in girls' sports?

• Spanberger gave a 150-word dodge that could have been written by a DEI consultant.

• Her support for the "case-by-case" method means some schools could and did allow it.

The Republican Governors Association wasted no time calling out Spanberger’s position, saying she “doubled down on her support for biological men in girls’ sports, locker rooms, and bathrooms.” The group also noted that such policies have real consequences especially for young girls forced to share intimate spaces with biological males.

Conservative advocacy group American Principles Project went even further:

“Abigail Spanberger was asked a yes-or-no question about protecting women’s sports and private spaces. Her response? Confusion, deflection, and word salad. Virginia cannot afford this INSANITY.”

This issue is not theoretical. In 2021, the fight over transgender policies in Virginia schools exploded into national headlines after a biological male wearing a skirt assaulted a girl in a Loudoun County high school bathroom. The Loudoun County School Board covered it up, leading to public outrage and helping propel Glenn Youngkin to victory in the governor’s race.

And now, as Youngkin prepares to step down, the Left is once again pushing to undo the common-sense protections he put in place protections that require school policies to align with biological sex, not self-declared gender identity.

Spanberger’s carefully calibrated response might play well in D.C. boardrooms, but it won’t fly in Loudoun County, or anywhere else where parents are paying attention.

Winsome Earle-Sears, by contrast, has made her position clear: boys don’t belong in girls’ sports or locker rooms period.

Virginia voters are about to face the same choice they did in 2021: common-sense leadership that protects kids and parental rights or radical ambiguity dressed up as moderation.

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