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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a Title IX investigation into the state of Minnesota after a transgender pitcher led Champlin Park High School to a state championship earlier this month.
HHS announced the investigation on Thursday, directly citing the controversial softball situation.
“The male athlete’s participation was instrumental, leading the team to win the state title,” the announcement read.
HHS’s Office of Civil Rights Paula M. Stannard insisted that the state must follow federal law, and not its current state laws that permit trans inclusion in girls’ sports.
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Marissa Rothenberger celebrates in the dugout with teammates after Champlin Park’s dramatic win. (Amber Harding)
“Females cannot be relegated to the sidelines under Title IX,” Stannard said in the announcement. “As a recipient of Federal funds, Title IX requires Minnesota to ensure fair and safe opportunities for females to compete on sex-segregated teams – regardless of state law obligations.”
The state is already under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for its state laws that allow biological males in girls’ sports and defy President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. That investigation was elevated to the federal Title IX investigation team, which operates in conjunction with the Department of Justice, on June 12.
The state is also engaged in a pair of lawsuits over the issue, one filed by state Attorney General Keith Ellison against the Trump administration, and another filed by three anonymous girls softball players against Ellison and the state over having to compete with a trans athlete.
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 organization representing the plaintiffs suing the state over its policies, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), previously provided a statement from one of the female players about her experience facing the trans athlete.
“Hitting against him is not only a physical challenge but a mental, too. It’s a mental battle knowing that he has an advantage in the sport that I grew up playing, making it hard to even want to hit against him. His ability to get outs and spin the ball is a strong advantage, but like I said, it’s also incredibly mentally challenging knowing that you’re competing against someone who has unfair advantages leaving you with little to no confidence,” the player said.
“This issue has affected me in ways that I never imagined. It’s simply unfair, and I hate that nothing is happening to change that. Boys should not be able to take girls’ spots on teams just because they are capable of doing so. I hope that more girls affected by this issue will stand up against this.”
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The anonymous player also called out Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for aggressively defending trans inclusion in girls’ sports in the state. Ellison has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice over Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order.
“It’s really upsetting to know that [Ellison] isn’t taking rights of girls and women seriously. He is allowing boys to compete with girls, and it is not safe and completely unfair. To know that AG Ellison is in complete support of letting boys and men take advantage of females in sports is absolutely disgusting and wrong,” the player added.
Champlin Park’s school district provided a statement to Fox News Digital defending the decision to allow the athlete to compete on the softball team.
“Throughout the entire season, and as the Rebels advance to the state tournament, it is important to note that all of the student athletes participating for the Champlin Park Softball team are eligible to compete in compliance with Minnesota State High School League rules and applicable state law. Due to data privacy laws, the District is not able to provide public comment regarding a specific student athlete,” a statement from the Anoka-Hennepin School District stated.
“In addition, the District is named in an active lawsuit which limits what information can be shared.”
Ellison’s office previously released a statement responding to the lawsuit against the state over Rothenberger’s participation in the girls’ softball season.
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“In addition to getting exercise and the fun of competition, playing sports comes with so many benefits for young people. You build friendships that can last a lifetime, you learn how to work as part of a team, and you get to feel like you belong,” Ellison said.
“I believe it is wrong to single out one group of students, who already face higher levels of bullying and harassment, and tell these kids they cannot be on the team because of who they are. I will continue to defend the rights of all students to play sports with their friends and peers.”
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