Minnesota challenges Trump administration over sports laws for transgender girls

president Donald Trump The administration’s deadline for Minnesota to amend its laws for transgender athletes to protect girls’ sports came and went on Friday, and the state rejected that ultimatum during the current government shutdown.

Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office sent a letter to the department’s Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights on Friday evening, saying it had “no substantive response” to the Trump administration’s demands to keep biological males out of women’s sports. Ellison’s letter also cited the current Government shutdown For not responding.

“The federal government is currently closed and I understand that staff in both civil rights offices have been furloughed. As a result, the Minnesota Department of Education will not provide any substantive response at this time,” the letter read in part.

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The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and Minnesota State High School League (MSSHSL) deadline was granted after a transgender softball player led a girls high school team to a state championship in the spring. But the Trump administration also pointed to examples of transgender athletes competing in girls alpine skiing, girls Nordic snowboarding, girls lacrosse, girls track and field, and girls volleyball at Minnesota.

The letter from Ellison’s office also expressed “disappointment that the joint letter includes sensitive information about minors in a public document.” However, information about the transgender softball player became public for several months after the player gave media interviews.

Maine and California rejected similar ultimatums on the issue from the Trump administration earlier this year. As a result, the Department of Justice filed lawsuits against both state education agencies and school athletic associations.

Ellison’s office’s lack of a substantive response to the ultimatum comes despite the fact that hundreds of Minnesota school board members wrote an open letter urging the state to comply with Trump and change its policies to keep boys out of girls’ sports.

As of Friday evening, 253 school board members from 105 Minnesota school boards had signed the letter, citing concerns about girls’ privacy and safety, as well as potential cuts in federal funding in response to the state’s noncompliance.

“As recipients of federal financial aid, failure to correct these violations directly threatens the ability of our schools to serve our students and communities,” the school board members’ letter said.

“Complying with Title IX is not only a legal obligation, it is also necessary to maintain the integrity of our educational and athletic programs.

“Protecting fairness in women’s sports is critical. The federal decision highlights how allowing males to compete on women’s teams displaces female athletes from podiums, deprives them of advancement opportunities, and reduces their visibility and recognition in competitions.

“Female students in our districts and across the state of Minnesota deserve equal opportunities to excel in sports, free of unfair physical advantages conferred by biological differences. By entering into a resolution agreement, MDE and MSSHSL can ensure equal treatment and foster an environment in which female athletes can thrive.”

Ellison has already filed a lawsuit against Trump and the Justice Department for trying to enforce its policies to protect girls’ sports in Minnesota. He bragged too ‘Sue them first’ On this issue.

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Meanwhile, the situation involving the softball player led to another lawsuit by three teenage girls who had to compete against the trans pitcher.

The lawsuit was filed by three unidentified female athletes against Ellison, Minnesota State High School League Executive Director Eric Martens, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero, and Minnesota Education Commissioner Willie Jett.

An anonymous plaintiff called out Ellison for supporting policies that allowed trans pitchers to pitch against females.

“It’s really upsetting to know that (Ellison) doesn’t take the rights of girls and women seriously. He’s allowing boys to compete with girls, and that’s completely unsafe and unfair,” the player told Fox News Digital. “Knowing that AG Ellison fully supports allowing boys and men to exploit females in sports is disgusting and completely wrong.”

The trans athlete threw a complete game, allowing just three hits and striking out six in the championship game, capping a run that saw the trans athlete pitch all 21 innings across three state tournament appearances, giving up just two runs. The junior allowed just two runs across 35 total innings in the postseason.

One of the plaintiffs previously told Fox News Digital what it was like playing against the trans athlete.

“Batting against him is not only a physical challenge, but also mentally. It’s a mental battle knowing that he has an advantage in the sport I grew up playing, which makes it difficult to even want to hit him,” the player said.

Former White Bear Lake High School softball player Kendall Kozmacher She previously told Fox News Digital that losing to a pitcher in the state tournament left her in tears.

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“How do you admit that you lost to a biological male? How do you deal with those events that happened? And that was something all that night. I still can’t do it. We lost to a biological male in a women’s state tournament,” Kutzmacher said.

Kotzmacher also pointed to Gov. Tim Walz’s history as a high school football coach and seeing the physical prowess of male high school athletes up close.

“As a coach, you have to see the vast differences and differences between biological males and biological females,” Kutzmacher told Fox News Digital.

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