![Chris Voelz in 2002, when she was ending her term as women's athletic director at the University of Minnesota. The 66-year-old women’s sports advocate believes in a pathway “where a young person can [be transgender] — and if they choose to be an athlete and involved in sport, that it shouldn’t be taken away from them."](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/58429557/2b32b940fa8a9e0a34dd7726b55ed471b1cc12c5840e18c0fb38e190ef34382a)
Overview
- The state let Friday’s 10-day OCR deadline pass without a substantive response, with Attorney General Keith Ellison citing the federal shutdown and noting the dispute is already in court.
- Education and health civil-rights offices on Sept. 30 found Minnesota in violation of Title IX and sought a resolution requiring updated guidance and a ban on transgender participation in girls’ sports.
- Federal officials have warned of enforcement that could include funding consequences, and the Justice Department has already sued Maine and California after similar refusals.
- Hundreds of Minnesota school board members urged compliance to protect girls’ sports and avoid risking federal funds, while a separate letter from more than two dozen officials backed inclusive participation.
- Ellison continues to defend Minnesota’s policy under the state Human Rights Act and has sued to block the administration’s interpretation, as a separate lawsuit by three girls challenges competition against a transgender softball pitcher.