State Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester), leading advocate in the effort to preserve girls' sports, issued the following statement in response to reports the U.S. Department of Education has found Minnesota violated Title IX by allowing transgender athletes in girls’ athletic competitions, a decision that could jeopardize the state’s federal funding:

 

“Today’s decision by the U.S. Department of Education is an important step in protecting the promise of Title IX. Girls deserve to enter their competition knowing they are facing other girls, with their scholarships, records, privacy, and dignity safeguarded, and with the full confidence that their hard work and talent will be measured fairly. Girls' sports came to my high school because of Title IX, and it changed my life. Sports instilled in me so many important values, like discipline, teamwork, and confidence. Every girl deserves to have the same chance I did. Title IX was created to open doors for girls, and we must keep those doors wide open for generations to come.”