KGR Partner Bill Bock joins Virginia Attorney General Miyares in a nationwide press conference after investigation findings of sex discrimination on behalf of Roanoke College are released.
The AG’s determination is that the school discriminated against female swimmers by violating the Virginia Human Rights Act and potentially Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
The controversy stems from Roanoke supporting a trans male swimmer switching from its men’s team to its women’s team despite unanimous objections by the female swimmers.
“It is hard to imagine more reprehensible conduct from an institution that claims to uphold ideals of diversity of thought and academic fairness and freedom,” said Bock.
Roanoke women swimmers stood up to the Roanoke College Administration and board of trustees by taking a public stand for women’s rights. This apparently led to push-back and retaliation on behalf of the school and its staff.
“The school allowed an ongoing two-year campaign of hostility and intimidation to be directed against these young women, which included direct retaliation against the Roanoke women swimmers, and depriving educational opportunities from the women swimmers for which they were qualified.”
-Bill Bock, KGR Partner
“The school allowed an ongoing two-year campaign of hostility and intimidation to be directed against these young women, which included direct retaliation against the Roanoke women swimmers, and depriving educational opportunities from the women swimmers for which they were qualified,” said Bock.
AG Miyares also suggested the female swimmers whose rights were violated by Roanoke are eligible to seek financial damages from the school through civil action. This would be the first instance a U.S. college or university could be ordered to pay female athletes for allowing a male to join their team.
The entire findings are available at Roanoke College Investigation – Independent Council on Women’s Sports.
Bock leads KGR’s Sports Law Practice and represents dozens of female athletes in Title IX discrimination lawsuits across the country.
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