House Republicans cite DOJ suit in push to take up transgender athletes bill

In light of the U.S. Department of Justice’s March 30 lawsuit over transgender athlete policies in Minnesota, Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to push a bill forward on the House Floor Tuesday bringing those policies in line with federal standards. 

“Protecting girls is not hate,” said Rep. Krista Knudsen (R-Lake Shore).

She sponsors HF2685, which would require school-sponsored interscholastic, intramural, or club athletic teams to be based on sex at birth. Teams would be required to be designated as either males, females or coed with teams designated for females open only to participants who were females at birth.

“When biological males enter girls’ sports, girls lose. They lose medals, they lose roster spots, they lose college scholarships and they lose their safety,” Knudsen said.

DFLers disagree that the bill would protect women and girls.

“My colleagues across the aisle say that you are bringing this to protect women and girls and that couldn’t be further from the truth. The real threat to women and girls is sexual assault and gender-based violence,” said Rep. Kelly Moller (DFL-Shoreview).

The House failed to suspend the rules on a 67-66 party-line vote. The same result occurred for motions to bring up HF12 — female sports team participation restricted to the female sex — and HF1233 — women's athletics exemption created in the Human Rights Act.

The lawsuit against the Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League alleges the policies violate Title IX, the law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at education institutions that receive federal funding.

Rep. Mike Wiener (R-Long Prairie) referenced the lawsuit, saying, “Title IX was created to ensure that girls and women had equal opportunity in sports, opportunities that had long been denied […] but if biological males are allowed to compete in female categories, these opportunities erode.”

“We have inclusion as the law of Minnesota. That law has neither been changed nor overturned,” said Rep. Leigh Finke (DFL-St. Paul).

For Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL-Mpls), the issue was the matter of urgency. “There is no sense of emergency for this. We need to make sure that we can continue to pursue the House’s business.”

Rep. Kristin Robbins (R-Maple Grove) disagreed, saying, “It is urgent as we think about the girls that are competing this spring.”