ACTION ALERT! Tell Your State Senator: Remove the anti-transgender language from the Education Omnibus Bill.
This morning, Gender Justice testified against the Senate Education Omnibus Bill (SF 960) in the Senate Education Committee because it includes language that attempts to ban transgender students from playing sports.
Let’s be clear: transgender inclusion in sports is already the standard in Minnesota schools and has been for years.
Transgender students have been participating in school sports without issue, thanks to a policy put in place by the Minnesota State High School League. In fact, since the Minnesota State High School League adopted a formal policy permitting students to play on teams based on their gender identity, girls’ participation rates in athletics have increased, not decreased.
If it remains in the bill, the anti-trans language in SF 960 will force coaches, teachers, staff, and schools to violate both the U.S. and Minnesota Constitutions; violate the Minnesota Human Rights Act; violate Title IX, which would cost schools any federal Title IX funding they receive; cost districts across the state untold millions of dollars in litigation costs; and harm girls’ sports in Minnesota.
Transgender students participate in sport for the same reason as their cisgender teammates: the physical and mental health benefits it brings, the invaluable lessons of teamwork and discipline, and lifelong friendships.
Minnesota students – and especially transgender youth – deserve to be safe and supported in school.
State legislators should be working to encourage youth participation in sports, not passing laws to push students out and reduce the number of young people who participate. Minnesota is a state rooted in the values of dignity and respect – everything this harmful language goes against.
Complete the form below to ask your state senators to reject sf 960 until this language has been removed.
Watch Gender Justice Advocacy Director Erin Maye Quade testify to the Minnesota Senate Committee on Education Finance and Policy:
Here is 2 minutes and 20 seconds of @ErinMayeQuade testifying to the MN Senate Committee on Education Finance and Policy. #mnleg #awesome pic.twitter.com/c4iiBDoiaF
— SD42DFL (@sd42dfl) April 6, 2021