DOJ sues Minnesota over trans girls in school sports

1d Breaking Twin Cities 1 source 5 relevant data

The Trump Justice Department has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Minnesota and the Minnesota State High School League of violating Title IX by allowing transgender girls — athletes assigned male at birth — to compete in girls’ sports, a policy that covers every high school in the Twin Cities metro. The suit follows a September 2025 finding by the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services that Minnesota was in violation of Title IX after a civil‑rights investigation found trans athletes competing in girls’ Alpine and Nordic skiing, lacrosse, track and field, volleyball and fast‑pitch softball. Federal lawyers argue the state is engaging in sex discrimination against female athletes by "elevating gender identity over biology, fairness and safety" and point to nearly $3 billion a year in federal education funding Minnesota accepts under Title IX conditions; they’re asking the court both to force policy changes and impose monetary penalties. The investigation was triggered by a lawsuit over a top‑ranked transgender softball pitcher at Champlin Park who helped win a 2025 state title, making this more than an abstract policy fight — it’s about specific metro athletes and teams. Attorney General Keith Ellison calls the new DOJ suit a political distraction from Trump’s wars, gas prices and the fallout from Operation Metro Surge, vowing to keep defending trans students’ right to play on school teams. For Twin Cities families, districts and coaches, the case sets up a direct collision between federal civil‑rights enforcement and state‑level inclusion rules that could rewire who’s allowed on which teams and whether billions in federal aid stay flowing to local schools.

📌 Key Facts

The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit alleging Minnesota’s education department and the Minnesota State High School League violate Title IX by allowing athletes assigned male at birth to compete in girls’ sports.
A 2025 federal investigation found Minnesota allowed transgender girls to compete in girls’ Alpine/Nordic skiing, lacrosse, track and field, volleyball and fast‑pitch softball, including a high‑profile trans pitcher at Champlin Park.
DOJ cites nearly $3 billion in annual U.S. Department of Education funding Minnesota receives under Title IX and is asking a court to force compliance and levy monetary penalties, while AG Keith Ellison denounces the case as a political stunt targeting trans kids.

📊 Relevant Data

Males outperform females in many physical capacities because they are faster, stronger, and more powerful, particularly after male puberty.

Sex differences in human performance — The Physiological Society

Following 2 years of gender-affirming hormone therapy, transgender women completed a 1.5 mile run slower than cisgender men but still faster than cisgender women.

Sex differences and athletic performance. Where do trans women and men fit in? — PMC

Basic science and physiology predict increased injury risks for girls and women competing against biologically male transgender athletes due to differences in size, strength, and speed.

Expert Declaration Concerning Injury Risks Associated with Participation of Transgender Athletes in Female Athletics — Maine Legislature

Transgender women continue to be massively underrepresented in high school and college sports, making up a tiny fraction of athletes.

Trans Women in Sports: Facts Over Fear — SF.gov

The profound sex differences in sports performance are primarily attributable to the direct and indirect effects of sex-steroid hormones.

Evidence on sex differences in sports performance — Illinois Experts