The Trump administration escalated its challenge to Minnesota’s transgender student policies this week, referring the state to the Department of Justice over its decision to allow transgender girls to participate in school sports consistent with their gender identity.
In a joint statement on Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education announced they had concluded Minnesota violated Title IX. The agencies cited policies adopted by the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League, which do not ban transgender students from participating in athletics.
In a joint announcement, federal officials said Minnesota failed to comply with federal law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls’ teams. According to HHS, the agencies determined that “over the course of several years, MDE and MSHSL allowed male athletes to compete on the girls’ Alpine ski team, the girls’ Nordic skiing team, the girls’ lacrosse team, the girls’ track and field team, the girls’ volleyball team, and the girls’ fastpitch softball team.”
Minnesota is among the states that have declined to enact bans on transgender athletes. Twenty-seven states currently restrict transgender girls from participating in school sports, but Minnesota is not one of them. Federal officials concluded in September 2025 that the state’s policies violated Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the administration would pursue enforcement action after Minnesota declined to change course. “When states allow males to compete in girls’ sports, they deny young women and girls the protections the law guarantees,” Kennedy said. “After Minnesota refused to comply, we referred this case to the Department of Justice for enforcement.”
The announcement comes as the administration faces scrutiny over immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota. When asked whether the timing was retaliatory, HHS Press Secretary Emily G. Hilliard rejected that claim.
“As the press release makes clear, HHS initiated a compliance review in June 2025,” Hilliard said in a statement. “Minnesota has repeatedly refused to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 by allowing males to compete in girls’ sports and to access female-only facilities.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended the decision, saying Minnesota’s refusal continues to “jeopardize the safety of women and girls, deny them fair competition, and erode their right to equal access in educational programs and activities.”
In April, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison challenged the administration’s position in federal court, arguing that compliance would violate state law and constitutional protections.
The Justice Department’s involvement raises the possibility of future funding consequences, though no penalties have been imposed. Federal officials said enforcement proceedings could ultimately affect funding from the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
As the dispute continues, Minnesota remains among the states resisting federal pressure to restrict transgender students’ participation in school sports, setting up a broader legal and political fight over civil rights enforcement, education policy, and federal overreach.