MINNEAPOLIS — Federal officials have initiated legal action against Minnesota and its high school sports governing organization, following through on warnings to take action against the state’s policy permitting transgender students to participate in girls’ athletic competitions.
This legal challenge represents part of a nationwide debate concerning transgender youth rights. Over 25 states have enacted legislation preventing transgender women and girls from taking part in specific sports programs, with some also restricting gender-affirming medical procedures for minors. Various court decisions have halted certain policies.
Monday’s federal filing claims Minnesota’s Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League are in violation of Title IX, the federal statute prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal dollars.
“The Trump Administration does not tolerate flawed state policies that ignore biological reality and unfairly undermine girls on the playing field,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
State attorney general representatives were working to prepare a response, while league officials had not yet provided comment on the matter.
Federal authorities have pursued comparable legal actions against Maine and California, while also threatening funding cuts to various universities regarding transgender athlete policies, including San Jose State in California and the University of Pennsylvania.
Minnesota leadership has consistently opposed federal efforts to exclude trans athletes from girls’ sports programs. State officials filed their own preemptive legal action last April, arguing Minnesota’s human rights legislation takes precedence over executive orders from President Donald Trump issued last year. Their filing also maintains the state already follows Title IX requirements. A decision remains pending on the federal government’s request to dismiss that case.
Federal prosecutors stated in their announcement that Minnesota breaks Title IX rules “by requiring girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions that are designated exclusively for girls and allowing boys to invade intimate spaces designated exclusively for girls, such as multi-person locker rooms and bathrooms.”
Justice Department records show Minnesota’s Department of Education receives over $3 billion each year in federal support from the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Officials say this funding depends on Title IX compliance.
The federal case seeks a court declaration finding Minnesota in breach of Title IX and demands the state ban transgender girls from participating in girls’ high school athletics.
Civil rights divisions at the Education and Health and Human Services departments warned the state and league last September they could face legal consequences unless they ceased violating federal regulations.
