Justice Department Sues Both Minnesota Over Title IX Violations & MSHSAA Over ‘Racial and Sexual Quotas’ for Board Seats

Justice Department Sues Minnesota Over Transgender Athlete Policies, Citing Title IX Violations

MINNEAPOLIS – The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Monday against the state of Minnesota, alleging that its policies allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports and use girls’ locker rooms violate federal anti-discrimination law and deny female students equal opportunities and safety.

The suit targets the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL), claiming the state has engaged in sex-based discrimination by requiring girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designated exclusively for females, and by allowing biological males into intimate spaces such as multi-person locker rooms and bathrooms.

The complaint argues that these practices violate Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal funding. MDE receives more than $3 billion in federal funding from the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.

“The Trump Administration does not tolerate flawed state policies that ignore biological reality and unfairly undermine girls on the playing field,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice is proud to partner with HHS and the Department of Education to protect our girls in Minnesota and across the country.”

According to the complaint, Minnesota’s policies create unfair competition, deny girls equal athletic opportunities, and expose them to a hostile educational environment with heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm. The lawsuit seeks declaratory, injunctive, and damages relief.

“The Justice Department cannot ignore a state’s brazen defiance of federal antidiscrimination law,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. “In service of radical gender ideology, Minnesota’s actions violate Title IX and deny female athletes their hard-earned trophies, records, dignity, and safety.”

The MSHSL has more than 500 member schools. Minnesota law and local schools have ceded responsibility for scholastic sports to the league, while MDE retains authority over the league and local schools’ athletic policies.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, “We will not allow girls to be denied equal opportunity and basic privacy. Title IX is clear: schools that accept federal funding must protect the rights, safety, and dignity of female students.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon added that Minnesota’s policies “allow men to dominate women’s sports, denying female athletes fair competition and eroding their right to equal access in educational programs and activities.”

The complaint is available here.