MN Bill Would Restrict Girls' Sports To Biological Females

ST. PAUL, MN — A new bill introduced in the Minnesota House seeks to restrict participation in girls' youth sports teams to biological females.

"By allowing biological males to compete in biological girls’ competitions, all we’ve fought for through Title IX and women’s athletics is meaningless," states Republican Rep. Peggy Scott, of Andover, the bill's chief author.

Under the proposed amendment, any youth who wishes to participate in a female sports team will need to provide a signed statement from a physician if there is a dispute over the student's sex.

The physician's statement must include information based on the student’s internal and external reproductive anatomy, naturally occurring testosterone levels, and chromosome analysis.

The bill's sponsors argue that the legislation will protect the integrity of female sports and ensure a level playing field for female athletes.

"There’s a reason we don’t allow 98-pound wrestlers to compete in the heavyweight division," Scott added. "There are fairness issues and there are safety issues involving girls’ sports teams. When it comes to boys and girls' athletics, how you identify shouldn’t matter; how you were born should."

But the proposal has sparked debate among advocates for transgender rights, who argue that it may unfairly exclude transgender girls from participating in school sports.

"This isn’t policymaking—it’s political theater designed to dehumanize and control," Iman Hassan, advocacy director at the progressive Gender Justice group, said in a statement.

"Forcing women and children to undergo invasive exams just to play sports is state-sponsored harassment, plain and simple. Minnesota has become a place where people come to live with dignity and self-determination, yet House GOP lawmakers are pushing a cruel, Trump-style agenda that seeks to strip away those freedoms."

Republicans held a hearing for the bill in the Education Policy Committee on Wednesday. But even if it passes the House, the bill is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Minnesota Senate.

"But that doesn’t make it harmless," Hassan wrote. "Every time lawmakers choose to fixate on controlling trans people instead of governing, they send a dangerous message that fuels harassment and violence. Minnesotans see through these bad-faith attacks, and we will not stand by while extremists try to strip our neighbors of their rights and dignity."

Learn more about the bill here.

While the state House debates the bill, the Minnesota State High School League is facing an investigation from the Trump administration for its transgender athlete policies.

President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order, "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports," states that "it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities," and to take "all appropriate action to affirmatively protect all-female athletic opportunities and all-female locker rooms and thereby provide the equal opportunity guaranteed by Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972."

Following Trump's order, the MSHSL reportedly announced their intentions to abide by state law, which allows athletes to participate on teams based on an individual’s gender identity rather than biological sex.

FOX 9 obtained a copy of the letter that MSHSL sent to its member schools:

In Minnesota, participation and eligibility of transgender student-athletes is determined by state law, through the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Minnesota Constitution. The Minnesota State High School League, similar to other youth sports organizations, is subject to state anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.Therefore, students in Minnesota are allowed to participate consistent with their gender identity. League Member Schools have done excellent work in respecting students and their individual situations as they determine their participation and eligibility within interscholastic sports.The League will continue to review the existing state laws alongside the new Presidential Executive Order and its timeline, processes for states, and requirements that are included.

State laws do not override federal anti-discrimination laws, and these entities and their member schools remain subject to Title IX and its implementing regulations, federal officials said.

The Trump administration said they are reviewing athletic participation policies at a number of schools to evaluate their compliance with Title IX protections for female athletes