Three student-athletes from Maple Grove High School and Farmington High School are suing the Minnesota attorney general, Keith Ellison, and the Minnesota State High School League over the state’s transgender athlete policy.
According to the Star Tribune, the three young women are represented by Female Athletes United, and they play softball at the two high schools. They allege that Minnesota’s transgender athlete policy creates an “unsafe and unfair environment,” and their Title IX lawsuit, “focuses on an unnamed metro-area player who the plaintiffs allege was born male."
The lawsuit goes on to discuss the unknown level of “medical intervention” the alleged transgender student-athlete has received. However, the girls argue, that no amount of pharmaceutical intervention or testosterone suppression would make them feel like there was an even playing field.
Following President Trump’s executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” Minnesota reviewed its transgender athlete policy, but did not remove it or make any changes. That policy currently allows students to play on teams “consistent with their gender identity.” In March, lawmakers in the state shot down a bill in the House of Representatives that would have banned transgender girls and women from participating in sport.
Related: Minnesota Lawmakers Fail to Ban Transgender Student-Athletes from Girls’ and Women’s Sports
Renee K. Carlson, an attorney representing one of the plaintiffs, told the Star Tribune, “These three girls are ... seeking justice after having been denied their Title IX rights. They have suffered harm by being denied opportunities to compete while the erroneous Minnesota State High School League bylaws allow a boy to compete on a girls’ team. They have suffered physical and emotional injuries due to playing with boys.”
Despite the lawsuit, Ellison released a statement reiterating his support of transgender athletes. He said he will “continue to defend the rights of all students to play sports with their friends and peers.” The lawsuit also names the MSHSL executive director, the state’s department of education commissioner and the department of human rights commissioner.
