Trump prepares to extort Minnesota over its transgender student athleteshttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/prepares-to-extort-minnesota-over-its-transgender-student-athletes/ 🔗Daniel Villarreal (26 Jan 2026)
The U.S. Department of Education recently referred its investigation of transgender athletes in Minnesota schools to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), a critical step to denying the state federal funding as part of the president's anti-trans crusade. Minnesota is fighting the president's attempts in federal court.
In April, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced his filing of a federal lawsuit challenging the president's anti-trans executive order directing agencies to withhold federal funding from educational programs that allow transgender girls to compete on women's sports teams, under the claim that it violates both constitutional rights and Title IX of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Last February, Ellison issued a formal legal opinion expressing concerns that complying with the executive order entitled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" would violate the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA).
"We will not let a small group of vulnerable children who are only trying to be healthy and live their lives be demonized," Ellison said at the time, adding, "The bottom line is: In our Minnesota, everyone is included in the circle of our compassion, and no one is out of our circle of protection."
"Sometimes countries face a moment like this — faced with a leader bent on destroying entire communities and instilling fear in those who protect them," Ellison said. "The lessons of history tell us a leader like that doesn't stop at one community — after he's destroyed one, he goes after another, and another, and another."
