The Trump administration determined that Minnesota violated Title IX by allowing males to compete in female high school sports and has given the state 10 days to comply or risk “imminent enforcement action.”
A joint investigation by the civil rights offices at the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services found the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League in violation of Title IX through policies allowing students to compete on teams consistent with their gender identity.
The MSHSL, a nonprofit group that oversees high school athletics, voted in 2015 to open girls sports to transgender student-athletes. The policy took effect for the 2015-16 school year, making Minnesota the 33rd state to adopt a formal transgender student policy, the Star Tribune reported.
“For too many years, Minnesota’s political leadership has found itself on the wrong side of justice, common sense, and the American people,” Craig Trainor, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said Tuesday in a news release. “Now the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League find themselves on the wrong side of Title IX by allowing males to compete in women’s sports.”
The Education Department said Minnesota must adopt biology-based definitions of “male” and “female” and warned that noncompliance with Title IX places federal education funding in jeopardy.
“The Trump administration will not allow Minnesota or any other state to sacrifice the safety, fair treatment, and dignity of its female students to appease the false idols of radical gender ideology,” Trainor said. “Once an education program or entity takes federal funds, Title IX compliance becomes mandatory. And the federal government will hold Minnesota accountable until it recognizes that fact.”
Minnesota is the latest state to face pushback from the administration over transgender participation in girls’ sports. In March, the Education Department ruled that Maine violated Title IX for similar reasons. After Maine rejected a compliance agreement, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in April to enforce Title IX and cut federal K-12 funding.
In June, the California Department of Education and its high school sports federation were deemed in violation. When they refused to change policies, the administration sued in July, seeking to cut billions in education funds, including $44.3 billion for the year, and impose penalties.
“This is a really important step in protecting the promise of Title IX! Girls deserve to enter their competition knowing they are facing other girls, with their scholarships, records, privacy, and dignity safeguarded, and with the full confidence that their hard work and talent will be measured fairly,” Minnesota state Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester, wrote on X. “Girls sports came to my high school because of Title IX, and it changed my life. … Every girl deserves to have the same chance I did. Title IX was created to open doors for girls, and we must keep those doors wide open for generations to come.”
A Minnesota Department of Education spokesperson told KSTP-TV the notice is under review. “MDE is reviewing the letter and remains committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and supportive school community,” the spokesperson said.
Erich Martens, MSHSL’s executive director, declined to comment to the Star Tribune.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud denied a request by Minneapolis-area softball players for a preliminary injunction in a Title IX lawsuit against the state’s transgender policy. Tostrud, a President Donald Trump appointee, said the athletes were unlikely to succeed on their argument that the bylaw creates an uneven playing field. Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom filed an appeal Monday with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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