MINNEAPOLIS – The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that Minnesota and its high school sports regulatory body are breaching a significant federal law by permitting transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports.
This decision was reached by the civil rights divisions within the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. The agencies contend that both the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League are infringing upon Title IX “by allowing males to participate in female sports and utilize female-specific facilities.”
The ruling highlighted that the league permitted transgender athletes to engage in girls’ competitions such as Alpine and Nordic skiing, lacrosse, track and field, volleyball, and fastpitch softball.
“The Trump Administration will not allow Minnesota or any other state to compromise the safety, equitable treatment, and respect of its female students to satisfy the erroneous beliefs of radical gender ideology,” stated Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the federal Education Department, in a statement.
The administration launched its review after President Trump issued an executive order in February that broadened the federal authority to withhold financial support from organizations that “deny fair sports opportunities to women and girls” by allowing transgender participants.
In response, the Minnesota State High School League declared it would adhere to state law over the executive order and continue to permit transgender athletes in school-based sports. Other states expressed either a readiness to resist the president’s directive or opted to take a cautious approach.
The federal agencies gave the state and league 10 days to voluntarily accept a list of conditions to reverse their policies or risk imminent enforcement action.
The state Department of Education said in a statement it is “reviewing the letter and remains committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and supportive school community.”
The league did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration has launched over two dozen investigations of transgender policies in schools and colleges, including access to sports, locker rooms and bathrooms, according The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit news organization. The U.S. Education Department said in August that Denver schools violated Title IX by creating all-gender bathrooms.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
