Why the Trump Administration is Suing Minnesota Over Transgender Athletes in High School Sports

Last week, the Trump administration sued the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League because of its transgender athlete policy.

The Justice Department wants a federal court in Minnesota to rule that the MDE is in violation of Title IX, which could jeopardize federal funding. The MDE receives $2.98 billion from the Education Department, according to Politico.

The lawsuit states the policies “create unfair competition, deny girls equal educational opportunities, and expose girls to a hostile educational environment with heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm.”

Minnesota Democrat and Attorney General Keith Ellison posted on X: "At a time when Minnesotans are dealing with rising costs, a government shutdown, and real harm in our communities, this administration is choosing to bully kids."

The MSHSL allows athletes who are born male but identify as female to participate in girls sports. When the MSHSL board of directors passed the rule with an 18-1 vote in 2015, it required an independent hearing officer to determine eligibility.

The administration's focus on Minnesota comes, in part, because of the inclusion of a transgender athlete in the 2025 softball season for Champlin Park High School. The athlete pitched a complete-game shutout in a 6-0 win in the Class 4A title game. Part of the Justice Department's goal is to “compensate female athletes who have been denied equal athletic opportunities,” including changing athletics records, according to Politico.

The Champlin Park pitcher is not currently listed on the 2026 roster.

The lawsuit is a continuation of the Trump administration's fight over the rights of transgender participation in youth sports. The Justice Department has also filed lawsuits in California and Maine.

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2025 that banned transgender people from participating in girls sports. Ellison sued the administration and stated that the state's Human Rights Act--which includes discrimination based on gender identity--overrules an executive order, and that Minnesota is in compliance with Title IX.

The Justice Department said in a statement that Minnesota violates Title IX “by requiring girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions that are designated exclusively for girls and allowing boys to invade intimate spaces designated exclusively for girls, such as multi-person locker rooms and bathrooms.”

The MSHSL is a nonprofit, and director Erich Martens told the Star Tribune, “They have requested the league to sign an agreement which would indicate a changing of policy in a number of those aspects which, by state law, would not be something that’s possible for us in Minnesota."

The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requested that the MSHSL change its policy to use biological definitions of male and female. They also determined that the MSHSL has allowed transgender athletes to compete in skiing (Alpine and Nordic), girls lacrosse, girls track and field, girls volleyball and girls softball. The MSHSL does not keep records of how many transgender athletes compete due to the Data Privacy Act, all according to Star Tribune.

In May of 2025, Texas-based nonprofit Female Athletes United filed a lawsuit against Ellison and Martens, among others, claiming the state discriminated against women by allowing an athlete to play softball who was born male.

The plaintiff represented a female athlete from Maple Grove High School and two from Farmington High School. Their claim was related to the Champlin Park varsity softball pitcher. In September, Female Athletes United lost a request for a preliminary injunction at the district court and appealed the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, which heard oral arguments on the case for a preliminary injunction.

The Williams Institute, a research center on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy at UCLA School of Law, estimated in 2025 that "122,000 transgender youth could be participating in high school-level team athletics."

A National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) survey indicated that 8 million students competed in high school sports in the 2024-2025 school year.