Minnesota defies Trump administration on transgender girls sports laws

President Donald Trump’s administration’s deadline for Minnesota to change its transgender athlete laws to protect girls sports came and went Friday, and the state rejected the ultimatum during the current government shutdown.

Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office sent a letter Friday evening to the department’s Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights, saying the Trump administration had failed to provide a “substantial response” to requests to keep biological males out of girls’ sports. Ellison’s letter also touched on shutting down the current government due to lack of response.

“The federal government is currently closed and I understand that employees at both Civil Rights Departments have been furloughed. As a result, the Minnesota Department of Education will not be providing any substantive responses at this time,” the letter read in part. it said.

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The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) were given a deadline after a transgender softball pitcher led a girls’ high school team to a state championship in the spring. But the Trump administration also addressed transgender athletes in Minnesota who compete in girls alpine skiing, girls Nordic skiing, girls lacrosse, girls track and field team and girls volleyball.

The letter from Ellison’s office also stated that it was “disappointed that the Joint Letter contained sensitive information about minors in a public document.” But information about the transgender softball pitcher had been made public for months after the athlete gave media interviews.

Maine and California rejected similar ultimatums from the Trump administration earlier this year. As a result, the Department of Justice filed suit against both the state’s educational institutions and school sports leagues.

Ellison’s office’s lack of a concrete response to the ultimatum came even as hundreds of Minnesota school board members penned an open letter urging the state to follow Trump and change its policies to keep boys out of girls’ sports.

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

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

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

“Maintaining fairness in women’s sports is extremely important. The federal decision highlights how allowing men to compete on women’s teams removes female athletes from the podiums, hinders their opportunities for advancement, and reduces their visibility and recognition in competitions.”

“Female students in our districts and across Minnesota deserve an equal chance to succeed in sports, free from unfair physical advantages provided by biological differences. By signing a settlement agreement, MDE and MSHSL can ensure equal treatment and foster an environment where female athletes can thrive.”

Ellison has already filed her own lawsuit against Trump and the Justice Department for trying to enforce their policies to protect girls sports in Minnesota. He also boasted “I sue them first” on topic.

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Meanwhile, the situation involving the softball player led to another lawsuit filed by three teenage girls who were forced to compete against the transgender pitcher.

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

One of the anonymous plaintiffs called out Ellison for supporting policies that allow transgender pitchers to play against women.

“It’s really sad to know [Ellison] does not take the rights of girls and women seriously. It’s allowing boys to compete with girls, and it’s unsafe and completely unfair,” the actor previously told Fox News Digital. “Knowing that AG Ellison fully supports allowing boys and men to take advantage of women in sports is absolutely disgusting and wrong.”

The transgender athlete shutout the entire game, allowing just three hits and striking out six in the championship game, ending a run in which the transgender athlete pitched all 21 innings in three state tournament games, giving up just two runs. The junior allowed just two runs in 35 total postseason innings.

One of the plaintiffs previously told Fox News Digital what it was like to play against a transgender athlete.

“Hitting him is not just a physical challenge, it’s also a mental battle. Knowing that he has an advantage in the sport I grew up in, it’s a mental battle that makes it hard to even want to hit him,” the player said.

Former White Bear Lake High School softball player Kendall Kotzmacher He previously told Fox News Digital that losing to a transgender pitcher in the state tournament brought him to tears.

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“How do you accept that you lost to a biological male? How do you process these events that happened? And this was something that happened all night long. I still couldn’t do it. … We lost to a biological male in the women’s state tournament,” Kotzmacher said.

Kotzmacher also noted Gov. Tim Walz’s background as a high school football coach and saw up close the physical abilities of male high school athletes.

“As a coach, you have to see the differences and the huge differences between biological men and biological women,” Kotzmacher told Fox News Digital. he said.

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