Education Department, HHS finds Minnesota violated Title IX with trans athletes in girls' sports

The Education Department and Health and Human Services said Tuesday that Minnesota's Department of Education and State High School League are in violation of a federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in programs that receive federal funds, specifically violating Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports.

According to the federal agencies, male athletes, over several years, have been allowed by MDE and MSHS to compete on the girls’ Alpine ski team, Nordic skiing team, lacrosse team, track and field team, volleyball team, and fastpitch softball team.

After MSHSL publicly announced that it intended to violate federal antidiscrimination law and President Trump’s February 2025 executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights initiated its initial investigation.

HHS then began a compliance review of MDE and MSHSL after a male athlete from Champlin Park High School dominated a girls’ MSHSL softball match, leading the school to a state championship.

“For too many years, Minnesota’s political leadership has found itself on the wrong side of justice, common sense, and the American people. Now the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League find themselves on the wrong side of Title IX by allowing males to compete in women’s sports,” said Education Department's acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor.

“The Trump Administration will not allow Minnesota or any other state to sacrifice the safety, fair treatment, and dignity of its female students to appease the false idols of radical gender ideology. Once an education program or entity takes federal funds, Title IX compliance becomes mandatory. And the federal government will hold Minnesota accountable until it recognizes that fact.”

The federal departments have sent a resolution agreement to MDE and MSHSL for them to voluntarily resolve their Title IX violations within 10 days or risk imminent enforcement action.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) already filed a lawsuit against Trump and the Justice Department for trying to enforce its policies to protect girls' sports in the state, Fox News reported.

Previously, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a formal legal opinion that states barring trans athlete participation would violate the Minnesota Human Rights Act. 

He also sued the Trump administration over its anti-trans executive orders, arguing in his suit that the administration can’t rescind federal funding under Title IX because doing so violates state sovereignty. The Minnesota State High School League earlier this year announced that it would not comply with Trump's executive order barring trans athletes from competing, because Minnesota’s anti-discrimination laws prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, according to the Minnesota Reformer.