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In another action related to the presence of transgender athletes in sports, the Trump Administration has filed a suit against the state of Minnesota, alleging that by allowing transgender female athletes to compete in women’s sports, the state was violating Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination for any programs that receive federal funding. This is the latest of the Trump administration’s efforts to discourage the presence of transgender women in women’s sports, following a previous executive order that withheld funding for schools and universities that allowed transgender athletes to compete in categories consistent with their gender identity. Though Trump has taken public issue with the controversy before, this is the first time he seems to have targeted it using the full resources of the Justice Department. 

Opponents of transgender women competing in women’s sports argue that biological differences create unfair advantages in sports. Proponents of this view often cite the case of Lia Thomas, an openly transgender female athlete at the University of Pennsylvania who won an NCAA Division I title in the 2021-22 season. Thomas was recently stripped of this title following Justice Department involvement with the University of Pennsylvania. Advocates for transgender inclusion argue that sports should be trans-inclusive, where athletes can participate in their chosen sports regardless of their gender identity. 

Despite the large amount of public attention it has received, transgender athletes make up a minuscule proportion of athletes as a whole. Out of 500,000 NCAA athletes, fewer than 10 have been confirmed to be transgender. Critics thus argue that the administration is focusing disproportionate attention on a small number of athletes. 

The specific Minnesota case seeks to target schools that receive federal funding, primarily Minnesota’s public schools, which receive over three billion dollars from the federal government every year. The administration has maintained that this funding is contingent on compliance with Title IX. Title IX, originally intended to target school programs with discrepancies in the availability of programs by gender, is now being used by the Trump Administration to target the ongoing controversy over transgender athletes.

The State of Minnesota has argued that they do not violate the statute. State Attorney General Keith Ellison already sued the administration over the same issue in April 2025. This time, Ellison has declared that the actions of the Trump Administration are nothing more than a publicity stunt.

“[The lawsuit] is just a sad attempt to get attention over something that’s already been in litigation for months,” Ellison said in reference to the prior suit already filed by the State of Minnesota. 

This assertion becomes even more complex considering Trump’s recent firing of his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, who was let go from the Justice Department on April 2.

Though Minnesota has remained firm that they do not violate the statute, it seems relatively uncertain as to how the case will be decided in court. Advocacy organizations claimed in an Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals argument in January that Minnesota’s state law was a non-neutral law that does not comply with the standards of Title IX. As the lawsuits surrounding the application of federal law continue, much hangs in the balance for Minnesota regarding federal funding of its programs and application of its own policy.