By Gloria Ogbonna
The Trump administration announced Monday that it has formally referred the state of Minnesota to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for enforcement action, citing alleged violations of federal law related to the participation of transgender-identifying males in female sports teams and access to women-only spaces.
According to a joint statement from the Offices for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), both the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) are in violation of Title IX.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational programs and activities that receive federal funding.
Federal officials said their investigation concluded as far back as September 2025 that Minnesota’s policies allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports and access female-only intimate facilities such as locker rooms and bathrooms constitute clear violations of Title IX.
Despite these findings, the state declined to enter into a proposed Resolution Agreement offered by the Trump administration to bring Minnesota into compliance.
The Department of Education said the Resolution Agreement would have addressed what it described as ongoing harm to female students, including concerns over safety, privacy, and fairness in athletic competition. Minnesota’s refusal to accept the agreement ultimately led to the DOJ referral.
“Despite repeated opportunities to comply with Title IX, Minnesota has chosen defiance—continuing to jeopardize the safety of women and girls, deny them fair competition, and erode their right to equal access in educational programs and activities,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
McMahon also linked the referral to broader concerns about governance in the state, pointing to what she described as a major fraud scandal involving Minnesota leadership.
“As Minnesota reels from a massive fraud scandal exposing Governor Tim Walz’s dereliction of duty, today’s referral to DOJ underscores the state’s ongoing failure to safeguard its citizens and uphold the rule of law,” she said. “The Trump Administration will not stop until accountability is delivered for Minnesota’s students.”
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. echoed those concerns, emphasizing that the issue is not merely administrative but one that affects the legal protections guaranteed to girls under federal law.
https://twitter.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/1931019115281473847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“Minnesota is violating Title IX, and we will not look the other way,” Kennedy said. “When states allow males to compete in girls’ sports, they deny young women and girls the protections the law guarantees. After Minnesota refused to comply, we referred this case to the Department of Justice for enforcement.”
Federal officials highlighted several specific examples cited during the investigation. These include a transgender-identifying male who has reportedly played on the Champlin girls’ varsity fastpitch softball team since 2023, as well as biological males participating on girls’ alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, lacrosse, track and field, and volleyball teams over the past several years.
In its press release, the Department of Education warned that the DOJ referral could carry serious consequences.
JUST IN: President Trump signs executive order banning men from competing in women’s sports.
This is Trump's fourth executive order involving transgender people since taking office.
"With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over," Trump said, commenting on his… pic.twitter.com/mSVQFj6sFD
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 5, 2025
“Today’s letter notifies Minnesota that ED and HHS will refer the matter to DOJ for proceedings, which could result in termination of Minnesota’s federal funding from ED and HHS,” the department said.
The DOJ will now determine whether to pursue legal action against the state, a move that could escalate the dispute and potentially place millions of dollars in federal education and health funding at risk.
Source Breitbart
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