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President Donald Trump Minnesota's deadline to amend transgender athlete laws to protect women's sports came and went Friday, with the state rejecting the ultimatum during the current government shutdown.
On Friday evening, Attorney General Keith Ellison's office sent a letter to the department's Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights, saying it had no “substantial response” to the Trump administration's demands to exclude biological males from women's sports. Ellison's letter also mentions the current government shutdown due to lack of response.
“The Federal Government is currently closed and it is my understanding that staff from both Offices of Civil Rights have been furloughed. As a result, the Minnesota Department of Education will not provide any substantive response at this time,” reads part of the letter.
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The deadline was set by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) after a transgender softball pitcher led a girls high school team to a state championship in the spring. But the Trump administration also cited examples of trans athletes competing in girls' alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, lacrosse, women's track and field and women's volleyball in Minnesota.
The letter from Ellison's office also said they were “disappointed that the Joint Letter included sensitive information about minors in a public document.” However, information about the trans softball pitcher became public within months after the athlete was interviewed by the media.
Maine and California rejected similar ultimatums on the issue from the Trump administration earlier this year. As a result, the Department of Justice filed lawsuits against both state educational agencies and school sports leagues.
The lack of a substantive response from Ellison's office to the ultimatum comes despite hundreds of Minnesota school board members writing an open letter calling on the state to bow to Trump and change its policies to keep men out of women's sports.
As of Friday evening, 253 school board members from Minnesota's 105 school boards had signed the letter, citing concerns about girls' privacy and safety, as well as potential reductions in federal funding in response to failure to comply with state requirements.
“As recipients of federal financial assistance, failure to correct these violations directly threatens our schools’ ability to serve our students and communities,” school board members said in the letter.
“Compliance with Title IX is not only a legal obligation, but also necessary to maintain the integrity of our educational and athletic programs.
“Advocating for fairness in women's sports is of the utmost importance. The federal decision highlights how allowing men to compete on women's teams pushes female athletes off the podium, deprives them of promotional opportunities and reduces their visibility and recognition in competition.
“Student women in our districts and across Minnesota deserve an equal chance to succeed in sports, free from the unfair physical advantages that biological differences provide. By entering into an agreement, MDE and MSHSL can ensure equal treatment and create an environment in which female athletes can thrive.”
Ellison has already filed his own lawsuit against Trump and the Justice Department for trying to enforce policies protecting women's sports in Minnesota. He also boasted “Sue them first” on this issue.
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Meanwhile, the softball player's situation has already sparked a new lawsuit from three teenage girls who had to compete with a trans pitcher.
The lawsuit was filed by three anonymous athletes against Allison, Minnesota High School League Executive Director Erich Martens, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero and Minnesota Education Commissioner Willie Jett.
One anonymous plaintiff accused Ellison of supporting a policy that would allow a trans pitcher to play against women.
“It’s very disappointing to realize this [Ellison] does not take the rights of girls and women seriously. It allows boys to compete with girls and it's unsafe and completely unfair,” the player previously told Fox News Digital. “Knowing that E.G. “Allison fully supports allowing boys and men to take advantage of women in sports is absolutely disgusting and wrong.”
Trans Sportsman shut out the entire game, allowing just three hits and striking out six in the championship game, ending a streak in which Trans Sportsman pitched all 21 pitches in three state tournament games while giving up just two runs. The junior allowed just two runs in 35 postseason innings.
One of the plaintiffs previously spoke to Fox News Digital about what it was like playing against a trans athlete.
“Hitting him is not only a physical challenge, but a mental one as well. It's a mental battle, knowing that he has an advantage in the sport that I grew up in, so it's hard for me to even want to hit him,” the player said.
Former White Bear Lake High School softball player Kendall Kotzmacher previously told Fox News Digital that losing to a trans pitcher in the state tournament brought her to tears.
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Tim Walz, Kendall Kotzmacher and President Donald Trump (Getty Images/Fox News)
“How do you admit that you lost to a biological male? How do you perceive the events that happened? And this happened all night. I still couldn’t do it… We lost to a biological male in the women’s state tournament,” Kotzmacher said.
Kotzmacher also pointed to Gov. Tim Walz's experience as a high school football coach and his close observation of the physical prowess of male athletes.
“As a coach, you have to see the differences and the vast differences that exist between biological males and biological females,” Kotzmacher told Fox News Digital.
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