FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Gavin Miller
gavin.miller@house.mn.gov
Minnesota House Democrats Vote Against Preserving Girls’ Sports Act
St. Paul - [03/07/25] – On Monday this week, Minnesota House legislators convened to vote on the Republican-led Preserving Girls' Sports Act, aimed at ensuring the safety and fairness of young girls' athletics. The bill would have restricted participation in girls' sports to biological females, addressing concerns over competitive fairness, safety, and opportunity.
All 66 House Democrats unanimously voted against this bill, allowing biological males to compete in girls' athletic programs, a decision that Representative Duran (R-Bemidji) calls a serious safety risk for young female athletes.
“As a father of three young girls, two of whom are actively involved in sports, it’s deeply disappointing to see their safety and future athletic opportunities voted down on the House floor,” said Representative Duran. “This bill was about protecting our daughters. It’s unfortunate that, instead of prioritizing their well-being, lawmakers chose to stand with activists rather than the families they represent.”
HF 12, the Preserving Girls' Sports Act, aimed to prohibit males from competing in sports designated for girls and women, ensuring that female students would have fair and equal opportunities in school sports.
“This is the kind of commonsense legislation that Minnesotans elected me to support,” Representative Duran continued. “Recent polling data shows that the vast majority of Minnesotans agree that allowing boys to compete against girls in sports is not only unfair, it’s dangerous. My hope was that we could address this obvious issue quickly and move forward with tackling other important concerns for our state, such as the growing budget deficit, declining test scores, and public safety.”
The floor vote followed a rally earlier in the day on the Capitol steps, which featured Riley Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and advocate for fair female athletics, who has been outspoken about the need to protect women’s sports from unfair competition. Gaines and other speakers, addressed the crowd, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding opportunities for female athletes.
After the vote, Republicans tabled the bill for future consideration, signaling ongoing efforts to bring attention to the issue and continue the fight for fairness in women’s sports.