The Minnesota House has rejected a bill that would have banned transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

The Republican-backed bill was voted on Monday evening. All 67 GOP House members voted for the bill, while all 66 Democrats opposed it. Sixty-eight votes were needed for the bill to pass. 

An executive order from President Trump fueled debate inside the Minnesota State Capitol before the vote.

The hours-long debate capped a full day of rallies in support and opposition of the proposal, including a visit from Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimming star turned activist.

“For too long, Minnesota has dismissed its girls,” Gaines asserted. “I’m here to tell you there’s nothing to be ashamed of in standing up for girls and women.”

“This bill is about protecting fairness,” House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, added. “It’s protecting opportunity and safety in sports.”

Mr. Trump’s order, signed last month, bans transgender girls and women from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity. Schools that don’t comply with his order risk losing federal funding and could face legal action. 

After the order was signed, the Minnesota State High School League said its organization is “subject to state anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity,” and added that the participation and eligibility of transgender student-athletes are determined by the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Minnesota Constitution.

“History has never looked favorable upon any movement that criminalizes people based solely on the fact of who they are,” Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-Falcon Heights, said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

The NCAA updated their participation policy to say that competition in women’s sports is limited to student-athletes assigned female at birth only. While testifying before the U.S. Congress in December 2024, NCAA President Charlie Baker said he was aware of “less than 10” transgender athletes among the more than half a million student-athletes governed by the organization.

Jonah Kaplan

Jonah Kaplan is WCCO and CBS News Minnesota’s investigative reporter and has built a strong reputation for his balanced and in-depth coverage of high-impact issues including the economy, immigration, education, public safety, and the military, among others.