The United States Department of Education as well as Health and Human Services have found that Minnesota is violating federal law by allowing males to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.
The Trump administration announced earlier this week that both the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) are in violation of Title IX, a federal civil rights law that protects against gender-based discrimination in any program that receives federal funds.
According to the administration’s investigation, the state has allowed male students—who want to identify as female—to participate in many girls’ sports, including competitive skiing, lacrosse, volleyball, fastpitch softball, and track and field. Male students were also allegedly allowed to use girls’ locker rooms.
“When recipients of federal funding treat ‘trans-identifying’ males as if they were somehow females, they defeat the very purpose of Title IX: to ensure equal opportunities for women and girls without jeopardizing their privacy, safety, or other rights,” said the administration’s official finding. “Allowing men and boys to compete in women’s and girls’ sports is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls and denies females the same equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports afforded to males. And allowing males to invade sensitive female-only spaces like locker rooms or bathrooms endangers women’s and girls’ safety, privacy, and dignity.”
Minnesota was given 10 days to meet a list of conditions to continue receiving federal funds, including ordering both MDE and MSHSL to “to adopt biology-based definitions of ‘male” and “female’.” They must also restore any records or titles given to male athletes who competed in girls’ sports and issue formal apologies to affected female athletes for “allowing her educational experience to be marred by sex discrimination.”
Earlier this year, Minnesota’s State High School League said it would not abide by the Trump administration’s executive order banning males from competing in women’s and girls’ sports. Instead, it said it would allow students to participate based on their so-called gender identity.
Franklin Graham has repeatedly spoken up about boys and men participating in female sports. “This is an issue that needs to be addressed in all sports across the board for the protection and rights of women and girls both now and for the future,” he said.
