Hold the line for trans children.

On Thursday, February 25th, HF 1657 was introduced – a hateful bill that not only bans transgender children from participating in school sports, but actually imposes criminal misdemeanor penalties on them.

The Minnesota Constitution protects transgender students from discrimination in our schools, including in sports and locker rooms. But this bill is more than unconstitutional, it is extraordinarily harmful to the children in our state. It’s outright cruel when legislators equate being a trans kid with crimes like drinking and driving and domestic violence. Bills like HF 1657 give cover to adults and students to continue to dehumanize and demean trans kids. Enough.

The wave of anti-trans youth in sports bills that are sweeping the country have nothing to do with sports or fair competition. These bills are part of a coordinated attack meant to push transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary people out of existence. We need to stand firmly and loudly against these attacks–and stand proudly with trans kids.