Latest news with #MarissaRothenberger
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump White House sends message to Minnesota after trans softball pitcher leads team to state championship
EXCLUSIVE: A transgender softball pitcher in Minnesota sent shock waves throughout the nation after leading Champlin Park High School to a state championship on Friday. The trans athlete's participation in the girls' softball season was in defiance of President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order, and is the focus of a lawsuit filed by three anonymous female players. The White House responded to news of the trans athlete's championship in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. "President Trump is protecting women in sports and restoring common sense. Those who choose to violate federal law will be held accountable," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in response to an inquiry on the situation in Minnesota. Minnesota is currently under a federal investigation for potential Title IX violations for refusing to comply with Trump's executive order. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against Trump's administration in April in an effort to protect its current gender eligibility policies. The state also failed to pass a bill that would have barred biological males from girls' and women's sports in early March after Democrats in the state's legislature voted against it. This allowed the trans pitcher, junior Marissa Rothenberger, to have a dominant playoff run for Champlin Park. Rothenberger threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out six in the championship game Friday, capping off a run that saw Rothenberger pitch all 21 innings across three state tournament games, giving up just two runs. The junior allowed just two runs across 35 total innings in the postseason. Then, after conservative influencer and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines shared news of Rothenberger's victory on X on Friday, it sparked a widely publicized feud with Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. Biles responded to a post in which Gaines pointed out that the Minnesota State High School League disabled comments on its post announcing Champlin Park's softball team as state champions, calling Gaines "truly sick." The feud has sparked widespread backlash against Biles, including by Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. The White House has previously addressed Ellison's lawsuit against Trump's administration in a statement to Fox News Digital, as well. "Why would a grown man sue the Trump administration to allow other biological males to participate in women's sports? This is creepy and anti-woman," Fields said in April. A New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democratic, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Olympian Simone Biles slams anti-trans activist Riley Gaines: Here's why they are clashing over transwomen in sports
The Minnesota State High School Softball Championship became a national flashpoint when Marissa Rothenberger, a transgender girl and star pitcher for Champlin Park High School, led her team to a dominant 6–0 win in the Class 4A title game. Her standout performance, which included seven shutout innings and two doubles, reignited the national debate surrounding transgender participation in women's sports. Minnesota's 2015 policy allowing transgender athletes to play in alignment with their gender identity has long been controversial. But Rothenberger's success in a high-profile championship, just months after a federal executive order sought to ban transgender girls from girls' and women's sports, brought the issue to national attention. The victory set off a social media firestorm, culminating in a bitter and highly public feud between former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles . Minnesota's policy: Transgender's participation under fire Marissa Rothenberger began transitioning at age nine and was cleared to play under the Minnesota State High School League's guidelines. These rules allow transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity after undergoing a review process. Her teammates and coaches praised her performance and resilience, but her participation quickly became a focal point for critics of transgender inclusion. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo A lawsuit filed in May 2025 by the advocacy group Female Athletes United argues that Rothenberger's inclusion violates Title IX, which bars sex-based discrimination in federally funded education. Plaintiffs in the case allege that cisgender female athletes lost opportunities due to Rothenberger's presence, including one who reportedly missed a chance to advance to the state tournament and another who suffered an injury from a fast pitch. Riley Gaines responds: 'When your star player is a boy' you win Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who has become one of the most vocal critics of transgender participation in women's sports, responded swiftly to Champlin Park High School's state championship win. She framed the outcome as yet another example of biological males dominating girls' sports, arguing that the inclusion of Marissa Rothenberger compromised the fairness of the competition. Gaines also took aim at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for supporting the state's transgender inclusion policy, accusing him of failing to protect the rights and opportunities of cisgender female athletes. She further criticized the team for turning off public comments on their championship post, implying it was an attempt to silence backlash over Rothenberger's gender identity. In a widely circulated comment, Gaines remarked, 'Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy,' underscoring her stance that allowing transgender athletes in girls' sports undermines integrity and transparency. Her activism is deeply rooted in her personal experience at the 2022 NCAA Championships, where she tied with Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle. While both finished with identical times, Thomas was awarded the fifth-place trophy, a decision Gaines has since cited as symbolic of what she sees as the disadvantages faced by female athletes in the current landscape. Simone Biles defends inclusivity Simone Biles responded strongly to Gaines's remarks, condemning her for using past trauma for political arguments. Biles accused Gaines of being a sore loser and suggested that her campaign against transgender athletes was rooted more in personal resentment than genuine concern. Biles called for more inclusive solutions, such as developing new categories or structures that could allow transgender athletes to compete fairly and safely. Biles emphasized that the well-being and mental health of all athletes should be prioritized and argued that inclusivity and fairness do not need to be mutually exclusive. Her stance, shaped by her own experience of abuse and advocacy for athlete protection, emphasized creating safe and respectful environments for everyone in sports. The Nassar Controversy The controversy escalated when Gaines drew a comparison between transgender inclusion and the sexual abuse scandal involving former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. She referenced Simone Biles's advocacy for inclusion and contrasted it with Biles's history as a survivor of Nassar's abuse. Gaines suggested that Biles's support for policies allowing transgender women in locker rooms conflicted with her previous efforts to speak out against sexual exploitation in sports. Riley Gaines shared a video of Simone Biles testifying about surviving Larry Nassar's sexual abuse alongside Biles' recent tweet criticizing Gaines, with the text "Simone Biles when she had to endure a predatory man Vs Simone Biles when other girls have to endure predatory men," suggesting inconsistency in Biles' stance on athlete safety regarding transgender inclusion. The post, with over 1 million views, drew mixed reactions, with critics like @NebsGoodTakes calling it "evil" for exploiting Biles' trauma, while supporters like @ValentinaForUSA found Biles' support for transgender inclusion "astonishing" given her Nassar experience. Gaines clarified her position, hoping Nassar "rots in prison" and arguing both Nassar's abuse and transgender inclusion threaten female athletes, but the post's sensitivity has intensified the debate over fairness and inclusivity in sports. The reference to Nassar hit a nerve because it reopened wounds from one of the most horrifying abuse scandals in sports history. Larry Nassar, the longtime team doctor for USA Gymnastics and a physician at Michigan State University, sexually abused more than 300 girls and young women under the guise of medical treatment. Despite multiple reports over decades, institutions failed to act, allowing the abuse to continue unchecked. The scandal came to light in 2016, and in the years that followed, top athletes like Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and Jamie Dantzscher gave powerful testimony about how a culture of silence and institutional protection enabled Nassar's crimes. His case exposed how sports organizations had prioritized medals and reputation over athlete safety. Legal and social ramifications The ongoing lawsuit in Minnesota could become a pivotal legal case as it challenges the long-standing policy of transgender inclusion at the state level. Female Athletes United is demanding changes that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls' sports and retroactively adjust records where they believe competitive integrity was compromised. On social media, reactions have been highly polarized. Supporters of Gaines continue to argue that allowing transgender athletes creates an unfair advantage and diminishes opportunities for cisgender girls. Others, like supporters of Biles, stress the need to support transgender youth and argue that inclusion can be achieved while still respecting the integrity of competition. The Minnesota softball championship has become a defining moment in the escalating debate over gender identity and fairness in school sports. At the core of the controversy is a growing concern among female athletes and advocates like Riley Gaines, who argue that the integrity of girls' sports is being compromised. For them, allowing biologically male athletes to compete in female categories threatens the level playing field Title IX was meant to protect. Gaines and others are calling for clear boundaries to ensure that cisgender girls retain equal opportunities, scholarships, and safety in competition. As Marissa Rothenberger's dominant performance reignites national attention, many believe it is time to prioritize fairness over ideology and protect the spaces originally created for women and girls.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Simone Biles spars with Riley Gaines over trans athlete debate, launches personal attack: 'Truly sick'
Simone Biles took offense to OutKick contributor Riley Gaines calling out a Minnesota high school whose softball team won a state championship Friday with a transgender pitcher. Marissa Rothenberger, a transgender athlete, tossed a shutout to continue a dominant postseason and give Champlin Park High School a state championship. The Minnesota State High School League posted a photo of the team on social media after the game, and Gaines noted the comments on X were turned off. "To be expected when your star player is a boy," Gaines wrote. Biles, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, saw the post and told Gaines she was "truly sick." "All of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser," Biles wrote to Gaines, who competed against trans swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022. "You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!" In another post, Biles added, "bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male." "This is actually so disappointing. It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Men don't belong in women's sports and I say that with my full chest," Gaines responded. Gaines added in a separate post, "My take is the least controversial take on the planet. Simone Biles being a male-apologist at the expense of young girls' dreams? Didn't have that on my bingo card. Maybe she could compete in pommel horse and rings in 2028." "And the subtle hint at 'body-shaming' ???? Plzzzz I'm 5'5," Gaines also said in response to the personal attack. Biles did not go as far as saying transgender athletes belong in competition against girls and women. When an X user told Biles "there is a reason they have rings in men's gymnastics, and not women's," Biles questioned the users "comprehension skills." "Can you even read? I see we are lacking comprehension skills as well….." Biles wrote. Biles did recommend a transgender category in her first post to Gaines. Studies have shown that nearly 80% of people believe that biological males should stay out of girls and women's sports. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
After being forced to compete with a male athlete, this Minnesota softball player is fighting back: EXCLUSIVE
MINNEAPOLIS – M.S. had worked for years to become one of the top pitchers on her club softball team. She trained hard, earned her spot and was used to competing under pressure. But when she learned that the teammate she was now expected to compete against for pitching time was actually male, everything changed. "I just started bawling right away," the 17-year-old told OutKick. "I was pushing myself all season to do my best, and once I found out, I was like, all that work was for nothing — because the boy's still gonna beat me no matter what." M.S. ultimately made the decision to walk away from her club team. For her, she said, it was a no-brainer. "If there's a boy on this team, I'm not going to be playing," she said. That boy (who identifies as a girl) was Champlin Park High School junior Marissa Rothenberger, who took the mound in the Class AAAA Minnesota girls' softball state championship game on Friday morning and led the team to a title after pitching a shutout. Now, M.S. is a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) on behalf of Female Athletes United (FAU). The lawsuit challenges the state of Minnesota and its public school districts over policies that allow trans-identifying male athletes to compete in girls' sports. The lawsuit, filed last month, argues that Minnesota's gender-identity-based eligibility rules are a direct violation of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, including athletics. "Minnesota currently has a policy that allows male athletes to compete in women's sports," explained ADF Legal Counsel Suzanne Beecher, who is representing the athletes. "But under Title IX, schools that accept federal funding are required to provide equal opportunities for female athletes. Title IX preempts state policies like this, which violate the equal accommodation requirement of federal law." The problem, Beecher said, goes beyond basic fairness. It's also about safety, lost opportunity and institutional neglect. "This is harming girls," she told OutKick. "It's putting them at safety risks, and it's also denying them the opportunity to advance and experience victory. These are girls who have dedicated hours and years of hard work to being the best they can be. It's heartbreaking to see that Minnesota's unfair policies are denying them a level playing field." In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning males from competing in girls' and women's sports, citing these same Title IX protections. The order made clear that any state failing to comply would risk losing federal funding. In direct defiance of this order, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) announced that it would continue its longstanding policy of allowing student-athletes to compete in events consistent with their gender identity, regardless of biological sex. The league cited the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the state constitution as the basis for this policy. Further, Minnesota allows individuals to change the sex marker on their birth certificate with either a letter from a physician or a court order, creating a loophole that essentially renders sex-based protections useless. "The justification for having separate sports is because of the physiological differences between males and females," Beecher said. "States need to have policies that meaningfully separate sports so there is a protected category for females. Girls deserve a fair and safe place where they can compete and win." The issue exploded into public view this week during the MSHSL Girls' State Softball Tournament, where Rothenberger helped lead Champlin Park High School to the state championship game. Champlin Park took down Eagan High School, 5-0, in the quarterfinals and White Bear Lake, 3-2, in the semifinals. In addition to pitching back-to-back complete games, Rothenberger hit two doubles in that semifinal win. M.S. pitched in the tournament for Farmington High School but lost in the quarterfinals. She didn't have to face Rothenberger directly, but she watched closely as other girls did. "There are so many more girls that deserve it more than just a boy," she said. "It was just so sad to see all the girls crying and having to accept the fact that their chance at winning a state title was taken from them just because a boy was pitching against them." M.S. has already committed to play college softball at St. Cloud State, but her decision to join the lawsuit wasn't just about herself — it was about protecting girls' sports for those coming next. "I wanted to join the lawsuit because it's just painful to see a boy dominating the sport that me and other girls have grown up playing," she said. "It's been a safe space for so long. And to see that safe space change — I feel like that's the biggest reason why I wanted to do it." And her message going forward is simple: "I want just girls playing in girls' sports. Get men out of women's sports." ADF says Minnesota's policy doesn't just violate federal law — it also silences those impacted by it. As OutKick previously reported, several parents and students in the tournament were warned by school officials not to speak out or wear messages opposing trans participation in the state tournament. "Not only is Title IX being violated, but also the voices of female athletes are being silenced," Beecher said. "They're being told they can't speak out about their rights." Kristi Burton Brown, chairperson of the board for Female Athletes United, issued a powerful statement to OutKick in support of M.S. and the others. "Minnesota's extreme gender ideology has caused many girls in Minnesota to lose out on opportunities and risk their safety, including three of our high school athletes," she wrote. "Science is clear that male athletes have physiological advantages that make it unfair and unsafe to allow them to compete against women, no matter how they identify. But Minnesota places its ideology over fairness and safety. "The only way to protect female athletes' safety and opportunities is to ensure that only girls compete in girls' sports. Minnesota is failing its female athletes, and its policy must be changed to reflect biological reality." M.S. will be back on the field next year for her senior season. Maybe by then, the rules will catch up with reality. "I hope that the state tournament next year is a lot different than it was this year," she said. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Champlin Park wins Minnesota softball state title behind trans pitcher's complete game shutout
MINNEAPOLIS – The Champlin Park Rebels are state champions. The No. 2-seeded Rebels shut out No. 4 Bloomington Jefferson, 6–0, in the Class AAAA Minnesota high school girls' softball championship game Friday morning at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Once again, it was junior pitcher Marissa Rothenberger, a trans-identifying male athlete, who took the mound for Champlin Park — and never gave it up. Rothenberger threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out six to secure the title. The performance capped off a dominant tournament run in which Rothenberger pitched all 21 innings across three games, giving up just two runs total and leading the Rebels to three-straight wins. For the effort, Rothenberger was named to the All-Tournament team. Rothenberger's tournament began with a complete-game shutout in the quarterfinals against No. 7-seeded Eagan, allowing seven hits and striking out four in a 5–0 win. In the semifinals, Champlin Park edged No. 6 White Bear Lake, 3–2, behind another complete game from Rothenberger, who gave up two runs (one earned), struck out three and hit two crucial doubles — including one that led to the game-winning run in the seventh. Including the 14 shutout innings that Rothenberger pitched in the sectional finals to help Champlin Park reach the state tournament in the first place, the junior allowed just two runs across 35 innings to close out the postseason. Champlin Park's other pitcher, Ava Abrahamson, was listed as a designated player throughout the tournament but never entered as a pitcher. Outside the stadium Friday morning, a small group of protesters gathered peacefully, holding signs that read "Females deserve fair sports" and "Democrats for Title IX," signaling bipartisan opposition to the policies that allowed Rothenberger — a biological male — to compete in the girls' division. The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) allows student-athletes to compete in events based on gender identity, regardless of biological sex. Attempts to speak with Champlin Park parents after the win were largely declined. One parent, the father of junior outfielder Ava Parent, did offer a brief comment. "Happy to see the Rebels' bats come alive," he said, referencing the team's stronger offensive showing compared to their close semifinal win. Another Champlin Park dad, when asked for comment, asked which outlet he'd be speaking with. Upon hearing "OutKick," he responded, "Go talk to the other side. I'm sure they have plenty to say to you." For Bloomington Jefferson parents, the loss was heartbreaking, but they were proud of the Jaguars' efforts throughout the tournament. "It was tough, but what can you do? They're following the rules, whether we like it or not," one dad told OutKick. Another Jefferson father said, "It was disappointing. I give the other team credit: They hit the sh*t out of the ball. But you can't help but wonder how things could have gone with an equal playing field." A third dad emphasized his support for the girls, regardless of the final score. "I'm very proud of the way our girls played this whole tournament," he said. "We teach them sportsmanship, and someone had to lose. This is a hard pill to swallow, though." One Jefferson mom decided to make the best of a tough situation. "We exceeded expectations this season. No one expected us to be in the championship in the first place," she said. "We're going to celebrate anyway." Champlin Park walks away with the title — and leaves behind a conversation that's far from over. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
