SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Senate Republicans heard legislation yesterday targeting transgender youth whose assigned sex at birth is different from their true gender. The Senate Republican-controlled Education Committee heard a bill which would prohibit schools from allowing any student whose “sex is male” from participating in girls’ sports.
Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL-Mendota Heights), chair of the House Education Policy Committee condemned the measure and released the following statement in response:
“For Minnesota to be a state with world class education we must ensure an inclusive school experience for students of all genders with equitable access to the activities that support their learning and well-being. As the House Education Policy Chair, I am committed to using my gavel to expand opportunity, not restrict it on the basis of transgender status. Our committee will not give Senate Republicans’ bill a hearing because it would have a harmful and exclusionary impact on children in our schools.
All of our students in Minnesota deserve every opportunity to be successful in and out of the classroom and that includes participating in extracurricular activities and sports. We ought to be celebrating the contributions our students are making to their school teams among their peers, not denying or restricting their opportunities based on transgender status.”
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