Minnesota lawmaker calls bill banning trans athletes from women's sports 'state sanctioned genocide'

A Democratic Minnesota state representative on Monday said that a bill aiming to limit women's sports to biological women was "another version of state-sanctioned bullying and genocide."

"And I don’t say that lightly," Rep. Liish Kozlowski, who identifies as "non-binary," said on the Minnesota State Capitol’s House floor.

Minnesota lawmakers reject the Preserving Girls’ Sports Act, a bill aiming to prohibit transgender athletes from participating in women's sports. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

The representative also claimed to be the "only two-spirit" representative in Minnesota and the U.S. 

"Problematic bills like HF12, a bill to bully trans and non-binary kids… It’s not about fairness in sports, it’s about erasing trans girls, non-binary, and two-spirit kids and people from public life," "I can assure you that our children will not stop being transgender just because you try to remove us from sports," Kozlowski said.

The bill did not pass as it needed 68 votes and was struck down along party lines in a 67-66 resulting vote.

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The representative also called the proposal, formally titled the "Preserving Girls’ Sports Act," "a bill to bully trans girls and non-binary kids."

A Democratic Minnesota state representative on Monday said that a bill aiming to limit women sports to biological women was "another version of state sanctioned bullying and genocide." (YouTube screenshot)

"As politicians and unelected billionaires from the White House to here in the Minnesota House, we’re seeing this doubling down of efforts in an agenda of division of stoking fear, of stoking harm on our communities," Kozlowski said.

The measure HF12, sponsored by Republican Rep. Peggy Scott, defines "female" to mean that a female is "biologically determined by genetics and defined with respect to an individual's reproductive system."

"We cannot allow our girls to be vulnerable to losing their spot on the team, being on the podium, or to injury by a male teammate or male competitor," Scott said. 

"That is not safe and that is not fair to our girls," she added.

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Minnesota lawmakers' clash over HF12 comes after President Donald Trump signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order, fulfilling one of his major campaign promises of keeping biological men out of girls' and women’s sports.

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a warning to California, Maine and Minnesota to comply with the federal anti-discrimination laws that require them to keep boys out of women’s sports. States defying federal law could face legal action. (Getty Images)

After Trump's executive order, the Minnesota State High School League reportedly announced that they are defying federal law by allowing transgender athletes to continue playing in women's sports.

Per the Minnesota Attorney General’s office, the Minnesota State High School League’s decision to allow transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports does not violate the state’s constitution. If they were to ban transgender athletes from women's sports, it would violate the Minnesota Human Rights Act in the state's constitution.

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The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office stated that "based on the plain language of the statute, educational institutions and the Minnesota State High School League would violate the MHRA by prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in extracurricular activities consistent with their gender identity."

Furthermore, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a warning to California, Maine and Minnesota to comply with the federal anti-discrimination laws that require them to keep boys out of women’s sports. States defying federal law could face legal action.

Kozlowski did not immediately respond to a request for comment.