St. Paul Reporter

Girls’ sports in Minnesota are facing new challenges following a recent Minnesota Supreme Court decision related to USA Powerlifting. State Representative Jeff Dotseth commented on the ruling, expressing concern about its impact on female athletes.

“Girls’ sports have always been about more than competition. They’re about teamwork, growth, and giving young women the chance to test their limits on a level playing field. We owe it to them to keep that promise of fairness intact. Today’s ruling is yet another setback for girls’ sports in Minnesota, potentially making it discriminatory under the Minnesota Human Rights Act to have girls’ sports that exclude males based on sex. This shift threatens the fairness and opportunities that generations of female athletes have worked hard to achieve, and the future opportunities of girls across our state,” said Rep. Dotseth.

In response to concerns over fairness in girls’ athletics, House Republicans previously introduced House File 12 and House File 1233 during the last legislative session, aiming to address these issues. However, those bills did not advance due to opposition from Democrats. According to Rep. Dotseth, Republicans plan to reintroduce these measures when the legislative session resumes in February.