The Minnesota House of Representatives on Monday rejected a bill that would ban trans athletes from competing for women’s sports teams.
The proposal came to the House floor after handing out a partisan vote at the House Education Policy Committee, managed by the GOP. But the current composition of the entire house – 67 Republicans and 66 Dflers, and the 68 votes needed to pass the bill, was expected to fail. I did that along the party line.
But GOP lawmakers used Monday’s debate to press for a case in which a bill was needed to prevent trans athletes from gaining an unfair advantage in women’s sports.
Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer who defends transgender women in center and women’s sports, takes the stage during a rally outside the Minnesota State Capitol.
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Rep. Bill Sponsor Peggy Scott (R-Andover) said the law was “about preserving women’s sports for women.”
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“Our girls can’t lose their spot on the team, get on the podium or be vulnerable to injuries from male teammates or male competitors,” Scott told lawmakers during the afternoon debate over the bill. “It’s not safe and it’s not fair to our girls. It’s our duty to protect female athletes in Minnesota.”
Trans athletes and coaches, LGBTQ+ advocates and DFL lawmakers have stepped back by saying the bill could discriminate against trans women and girls and create problems with enforcement.
People support trans rights protests outside the Minnesota home chamber of commerce, while lawmakers vote for a bill to bar trans athletes from competing on women’s sports teams.
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“The law, by design, encourages anyone to request sex checks from girl athletes whenever they feel that way. That’s not a simple bill.”
“Where is the surveillance? Nothing… So, how does this work? If there’s sex checks from the audience, who will handle it? 14-year-old ref? Dad’s coach? What about the pastor?” she added. “The bill creates a path of intense scrutiny and harassment on 200,000 Minnesota girls who are currently playing sports, ages 5-18. This bill puts all girls at risk.”
The bill came before the House as state and federal officials continue to fight positions on the Minnesota issue.
The Minnesota High School League allows students to participate in teams that match their gender identity for 10 years. Supporters say it worked fine for 10 years.
However, a recent executive order by President Donald Trump banned trans athletes from participating in women and girls’ sports. Federal officials are putting pressure on states to comply with Trump’s executive orders. This includes examining high school league policies.
Minnesota Republican leader Lisa Demus will speak at a rally for HF12, a bill banning transgender athletes on women’s sports teams outside the Minnesota Capitol.
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the Minnesota Human Rights Act will allow trans athletes to compete in sports consistent with their gender identity, and state law will replace Trump’s executive order.
The House GOP bill reflects Trump’s orders. Student-athletes would have banned competing in female and girl school athletic teams unless they had “a reproductive system that produces, transports and uses eggs to produce, transport and utilise them for fertilization at some point.”
Rep. Lee Finke, the first openly trans person to be elected to the house, told the room of the house that the GOP bill was trying to solve the problem that doesn’t exist.
Pastor Terry Berner supports trans rights outside the Minnesota House of Representatives at the Minnesota Capitol.
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“I have never heard a single testimony on the floor of actual problems caused by committees or sports trance girls,” DFL-ST. pole. “There were a lot of emotions. A lot of people get nervous. Many parents think that might be bad for their children. But do you know that we’ve never heard of it? One person who says this happened with my child’s team is a problem.”
It’s not clear how many trans athletes play sports in Minnesota, but a recent statewide student survey found less than 3% of Minnesota ninth graders identified as transgender. Less than 30% of these people participate in sports every week.
Supporters and opponents gather before the vote
Republicans held a rally on Monday with swimmer and activist Riley Gaines prior to the floor vote.
“Minnesota has long turned its back on women and girls,” Gaines told the people who gathered.
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LGBTQ+ supporters held a press conference Monday afternoon and then held a rally outside the house chamber before the vote to support trans athletes, chanting things like “We love trans kids” and “Trans rights are human rights.”
Beth Gromesh of St. Louis Park has a son who has transitioned to middle school and equated with him/their pronouns. They were able to participate in the ultimate high school Frisbee, and the experience helped them feel like they were and build a sense of community.
“That’s what we should do, let the kids play,” Gromesh said. “Now they don’t describe themselves as athletes, but they’re still on the team, they love it, they choose that team, they choose a boys team, they can have a sense of community and belonging, which was affirming them.
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Regardless of the outcome of Monday’s House vote, the DFL-led Minnesota Senate rarely lifted the GOP bill to the vote, but could be part of a later conversation about education costs and policy proposals.
Senate Education Committee Chair Steve Kuwzinski and DFL-Eden Prairie have told members they have no plans to hold a hearing at the panel this year. The proposal could emerge as a floor modification if other educational proposals were brought for consideration.
