Minnesota declines Trump admin’s ultimatum to protect girls sports despite pleas from schools and athletes

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

Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office sent a letter to the department’s Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights Friday evening, saying it has no “substantive response” to the Trump administration’s demands to keep biological males out of girls sports. Ellison’s letter also cited the current government shutdown for its lack of response. 

“The federal government is currently shut down and I understand employees in both Offices for Civil Rights are furloughed. As a result, the Minnesota Department of Education will not provide any substantive response at this time,” part of the letter read.

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The deadline was given to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) after a transgender softball pitcher led a girls high school team to a state championship in the spring. But the Trump administration also cited instances of trans athletes competing in girls Alpine skiing, girls Nordic skiing, girls lacrosse, girls track and field team and girls volleyball in Minnesota.

The letter from Ellison’s office also expressed that it was “disappointed that the Joint Letter includes sensitive information about minors in a public document.” However, information about the trans softball pitcher has been public for months after the athlete did media interviews. 

Maine and California declined similar ultimatums over the issue from the Trump administration earlier this year. As a result, the Department of Justice launched lawsuits against both of the state’s education agencies and school sports leagues. 

Ellison’s office’s lack of substantive response to the ultimatum comes despite the fact that hundreds of Minnesota school board members penned an open letter urging the state to comply with Trump and change its policies to keep males out of girls sports. 

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

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

“Compliance with Title IX is not only a legal obligation but also essential to maintaining the integrity of our educational and athletic programs.

“Protecting fairness in women’s sports is paramount. The federal determination highlights how permitting males to compete on female teams displaces female athletes from podiums, denies them advancement opportunities, and diminishes their visibility and recognition in competitions. 

“Female students in our districts and across Minnesota deserve equal chances to excel in sports, free from unfair physical advantages that biological differences confer. By entering into the resolution agreement, MDE and MSHSL can ensure equal treatment and foster an environment where female athletes can thrive.”

Ellison has already filed his own lawsuit against Trump and the DOJ for trying to enforce its policies to protect girls sports in Minnesota. He has also bragged about “suing them first” over the issue. 

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Meanwhile, the situation involving the softball player has already prompted another lawsuit by three teenage girls who have had to compete against the trans pitcher. 

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

One of the anonymous plaintiffs called out Ellison for supporting the policies that have allowed the trans pitcher to play against females.

“It’s really upsetting to know that [Ellison] isn’t taking the rights of girls and women seriously. He is allowing boys to compete with girls, and it is not safe and completely unfair,” the player previously told Fox News Digital. “To know that AG Ellison is in complete support of letting boys and men take advantage of females in sports is absolutely disgusting and wrong.”

The trans athlete threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out six in the championship game, capping off a run that saw the trans athlete pitch all 21 innings across three state tournament games, giving up just two runs. The junior allowed just two runs across 35 total innings in the postseason.

One of the plaintiffs previously told Fox News Digital about what it was like playing against the trans athlete. 

“Hitting against him is not only a physical challenge but a mental, too. It’s a mental battle knowing that he has an advantage in the sport that I grew up playing, making it hard to even want to hit against him,” the player said. 

Former White Bear Lake High School softball player Kendall Kotzmacher previously told Fox News Digital that losing to a trans pitcher in the state tournament left her in tears.

“How do you acknowledge that you lost to a biological male? How do you process those events that happened? And that was something that entire night. I still couldn’t do it. … We lost to a biological male in a female state tournament,” Kotzmacher said.

Kotzmacher also pointed out Gov. Tim Walz’s history as a high school football coach and seeing the physical prowess of male high school athletes up close. 

“As a coach, you should see the differences and the vast differences that there are between biological males and biological females,” Kotzmacher told Fox News Digital. 

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