Transgender athlete ban up for a vote in Minnesota House Monday

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Supporters and opponents of a bill that would ban transgender athletes from participating in girls' sports in Minnesota will rally at the Capitol on Monday ahead of a House vote on the proposal. 

Republican lawmakers in Minnesota are looking to put the state in compliance with President Donald Trump's executive order that keeps transgender athletes out of youth and high school sports. 

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Supporters of the bill will hold a rally at 11 a.m. on Monday. The rally will feature decorated collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines and former Vikings captain Jack Brewer. 

Opponents of the bill, including members of the Minnesota Queer Legislators Caucus and Minnesota House DFL, will hold an event at noon. 

The House will vote on the bill during its 3:30 p.m. session. 

Watch the rallies and the House Floor session in the player above. 

Transgender athlete ban in Minnesota

Local perspective:

Sponsored by Rep. Peggy Scott (R-Andover), H.F. 12 is known as the "Preserving Girls' Sports Act", which is up for a vote on the House floor on Monday. 

The proposal states in part that "only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school-level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls." Within the bill, "female" is defined as "a female as biologically determined by genetics and defined with respect to an individual's reproductive system."

The bill does face an uphill battle to become law. 

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An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 5 – titled "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" – effectively bans transgender girls and women from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

However, the Minnesota High School League (MSHSL) said it won't comply with Trump's order, saying it violates Minnesota law. Following the statement, the federal Department of Education (DOE) said high school leagues in both Minnesota and California will be investigated "to ensure that female athletes in these states are treated with dignity, respect, and equality that the Trump Administration demands." 

Meanwhile, last week, U.S. Attorney General Pam Boni warned Minnesota, as well as California and Maine, to comply with Trump's executive order. 

At the collegiate level, the NCAA announced a new policy that limits competition in women's sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth only. The policy only permits student-athletes assigned male at birth to practice with women's teams and receive benefits such as medical care while practicing. Student-athletes assigned female at birth and who have begun hormone therapy, like testosterone, cannot compete in a women's team.

According to The Associated Press, the number of transgender athletes competing at the high school and college level is believed to be small, but the topic became a campaign issue for Trump last year as he declared his intent to "keep men out of women’s sports." NCAA President Charlie Baker, a former Massachusetts governor, has said there are fewer than 10 transgender athletes competing in sports under his purview.