Latest news with #HF12
Fox News
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Minnesota lawmaker calls bill banning trans athletes from women's sports 'state sanctioned genocide'
A Democratic Minnesota state representative on Monday said that a bill aiming to limit women's sports to biological women was "another version of state-sanctioned bullying and genocide." "And I don't say that lightly," Rep. Liish Kozlowski, who identifies as "non-binary," said on the Minnesota State Capitol's House floor. The representative also claimed to be the "only two-spirit" representative in Minnesota and the U.S. "Problematic bills like HF12, a bill to bully trans and non-binary kids… It's not about fairness in sports, it's about erasing trans girls, non-binary, and two-spirit kids and people from public life," "I can assure you that our children will not stop being transgender just because you try to remove us from sports," Kozlowski said. The bill did not pass as it needed 68 votes and was struck down along party lines in a 67-66 resulting vote. The representative also called the proposal, formally titled the "Preserving Girls' Sports Act," "a bill to bully trans girls and non-binary kids." "As politicians and unelected billionaires from the White House to here in the Minnesota House, we're seeing this doubling down of efforts in an agenda of division of stoking fear, of stoking harm on our communities," Kozlowski said. The measure HF12, sponsored by Republican Rep. Peggy Scott, defines "female" to mean that a female is "biologically determined by genetics and defined with respect to an individual's reproductive system." "We cannot allow our girls to be vulnerable to losing their spot on the team, being on the podium, or to injury by a male teammate or male competitor," Scott said. "That is not safe and that is not fair to our girls," she added. Minnesota lawmakers' clash over HF12 comes after President Donald Trump signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order, fulfilling one of his major campaign promises of keeping biological men out of girls' and women's sports. After Trump's executive order, the Minnesota State High School League reportedly announced that they are defying federal law by allowing transgender athletes to continue playing in women's sports. Per the Minnesota Attorney General's office, the Minnesota State High School League's decision to allow transgender athletes to participate in women's sports does not violate the state's constitution. If they were to ban transgender athletes from women's sports, it would violate the Minnesota Human Rights Act in the state's constitution. The Minnesota Attorney General's Office stated that "based on the plain language of the statute, educational institutions and the Minnesota State High School League would violate the MHRA by prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in extracurricular activities consistent with their gender identity." Furthermore, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a warning to California, Maine and Minnesota to comply with the federal anti-discrimination laws that require them to keep boys out of women's sports. States defying federal law could face legal action. Kozlowski did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Minnesota House fails to pass bill banning trans athletes from participating in women's sports
The Minnesota House failed to pass the "Preserving Girls' Sports Act" weeks after President Donald Trump's executive order to ban biological males from competing in women's and girls sports. HF12 needed 68 House votes for passage, but the bill fell one vote short with 67 affirmative votes to 66 negative votes. The act stated that "only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls." "Female means a female as biologically determined by genetics and defined with respect to an individual's reproductive system," the bill mentions. A rally of supporters and opponents was seen at the Capitol, as they awaited the final vote. The Minnesota House had some "emotional discussion" before the bill was eventually voted on, and Republican state Rep. Peggy Scott, who sponsored the act, was among those who spoke. "We cannot allow our girls to be vulnerable to losing their spot on the team, being on the podium, or to injury by a male teammate or male competitor," she said. "That is not safe and that is not fair to our girls." "We have women and girls around the world that are so afraid of competing with biological men that they are dropping out of sports," Republican state Rep. Marion Rarick added in support of the bill, referencing a 2024 United Nations report on violence against women and girls. However, opponents of the bill pointed to trans discrimination in their arguments. "All children deserve to play," Democratic state Rep. Brion Curran, the Minnesota Queer Legislators Caucus chair, said. "We will not be complacent with this hateful and dangerous anti-trans rhetoric." Democratic state Rep. Liish Kozlowski added that the act was "a bill to bully trans girls and non-binary kids." While this heated debate was going on, the Senate voted on Monday on a bill banning trans athletes from competing in women's sports. The bill didn't get the 60 votes needed to go through, which means at least seven Democrats didn't vote yes. Trump's executive order last month directed the Education Department to inform school systems, as well as colleges, that forcing girls and women to compete with transgender females is a violation of Title IX. After the order was signed, the NCAA revised its own policy on trans athletes in women's sports, though the revision has been seen as controversial by some. Despite the executive order, the Minnesota State High School League announced it would continue letting trans athletes participate in girls' sports, arguing that the Minnesota Human Rights Act and their state constitution deem them eligible. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, though, wrote a letter late last month warning of the consequences of not passing the "Preserving Girls' Sports Act." "The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has begun a Title IX investigation into the Minnesota State High School League," the letter from Bondi read. "If the Department of Education's investigation shows that relevant Minnesota entities are indeed denying girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them to compete against boys, the Department of Justice stands ready to take all appropriate action to enforce federal law." State Democratic Rep. Leigh Finke said a trans athlete issue in the United States doesn't exist. "Minnesota has been inclusive for 10 years. We've had zero problems," Finke said. "But we are doing this for political reasons. And when you lie about a community for long enough, people will believe it." Republican state Rep. Peggy Bennett saw it entirely differently. "This bill is about fairness, safety and preserving girls sports in Minnesota." If the bill were to have passed in the House on Monday, it still wouldn't have been signed by Gov. Tim Walz, a strong advocate for transgender rights who was expected to veto it. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Minnesota lawmakers advance trans athlete ban bill as state faces investigation for defying Trump order
Minnesota's House Education Policy Committee passed a bill on Thursday that would prevent trans athletes from playing in women's and girls sports in the state. The bill, HF12, also known as the "Preserving Girls' Sports Act," states "only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls." Many of the guest speakers in attendance shared the experiences of girls who have been physically and emotionally affected by trans athletes in sports. A woman named Leanna Chambers shared the story of her 11-year-old daughter suffering a broken wrist after she was knocked down by a male. "I hope there needs to be no more broken bones to show this is a broken system," said Leanna Chambers. A Minnesota girls' volleyball player cited her friends' experience on the U.S. national volleyball team. "My good friend was on the USA volleyball team last summer. She told me, quote, 'I sat behind the 6'4" man serving the volleyball and thought, "I could never receive that."' My friend is a 6'3" guard," she said. "What is the point of girls and boys teams if males can play on girls-only teams? Members, fellow Minnesotans, this isn't easy for me." However, Democrats in attendance argued the rule would promote transgender discrimination. Minnesota state Rep. Alex Falconer preached this sentiment. "Apparently, any parent, coach, person in the stands can call to question somebody's gender, somebody's sex, and remove them from the court," Falconer said. "This bill denies kids the opportunity to find their purpose, to find their place in schools, denies them to find the team they can identify with, causes significant mental damage when this group of people already face disproportionally higher mental health issues leading to societal ideation and suicidal attempts. This is a dangerous bill. … It's going to lead toward discrimination and harm." After passing through the Education Policy Committee, the bill will now go to Minnesota's House of Representatives for a floor vote. If it passes there, it will go to Gov. Tim Walz's desk. However, Walz, is a passionate advocate for trans rights. Walz's daughter Hope Walz recently went viral on social media for a series of TikTok videos of her slamming President Donald Trump's recent executive order that bans trans athletes from girls and women's sports. The Minnesota State High School League announced Feb. 7 that it would not be following Trump's "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order that bans trans inclusion from women's sports. Minnesota joined California, Maine and other Democrat-run states in defying Trump on the issue after the order was signed Feb. 5. The U.S. Department of Education recently launched Title IX investigations into the Minnesota State High School League and the California Interscholastic Federation for refusing to comply with Trump on the issue. "The Minnesota State High School League and the California Interscholastic Federation are free to engage in all the meaningless virtue-signaling that they want, but at the end of the day they must abide by federal law," said Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights. "(The Office of Civil Rights') Chicago and San Francisco regional offices will conduct directed investigations into both organizations to ensure that female athletes in these states are treated with the dignity, respect and equality that the Trump administration demands. I would remind these organizations that history does not look kindly on entities and states that actively opposed the enforcement of federal civil rights laws that protect women and girls from discrimination and harassment." The DOE added that state laws do not override federal anti-discrimination laws, so the associations are subject to investigations. In California, state lawmakers have already introduced two bills to protect girls sports with similar purposes to the one that is being weighed in Minnesota. Meanwhile, Minnesota's blue state neighbor Wisconsin has complied with Trump's order. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) announced Wednesday an update to its policies that stated only athletes "designated as females at birth" would be allowed to compete in girls sports, despite previously allowing trans athletes in girls sports dating back to 2013. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
