The Trump administration has ruled that the state of Minnesota and its high school athletics governing body are in violation of federal law by permitting transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports.
The announcement, made on Tuesday, came from the civil rights offices of the US Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, which concluded that such policies breach Title IX, the federal statute prohibiting sex discrimination in education.
Officials said the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League had allowed biologically male athletes to take part in female competitions, including Alpine and Nordic skiing, lacrosse, track and field, volleyball, and softball, and to access facilities reserved for girls.
The ruling follows an investigation launched after President Trump signed an executive order in February granting the federal government powers to withdraw funding from institutions deemed to have denied women fair sporting opportunities.
Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education, said in a statement that the government would not tolerate policies that compromise female athletes’ safety or dignity.
He warned that once an institution accepts federal funds, compliance with Title IX becomes mandatory. The administration has given Minnesota ten days to amend its rules or face enforcement action, including the potential loss of federal education funding.
The Minnesota State High School League has previously stated it would follow state law rather than the president’s order, continuing to allow transgender participation in school athletics.
The Minnesota Department of Education said it was reviewing the letter from Washington and remained committed to supporting every child within a safe school environment. The league did not immediately respond to the latest news.
The decision is part of a wider push by the Trump administration to enforce Title IX in cases involving transgender policies. Federal officials have opened more than two dozen investigations into schools and colleges across the country, examining issues ranging from access to sports teams to the creation of all-gender bathrooms.
In August, the Education Department concluded that Denver schools had also violated the law by introducing such facilities.
Title IX was introduced in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments and is best known for transforming opportunities for women in American education and sport.
It requires that no person, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation or denied benefits under any educational programme receiving federal assistance. Its application to transgender participation in sport has emerged as one of the most contested areas of debate in US education policy in recent years.
Federal and state authorities are preparing for a potential clash over the interpretation of one of America’s most significant civil rights laws.
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