National religious right legal firm gets involved in MSHSL’s trans-inclusive proposal

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The Alliance Defending Freedom, a well-funded religious right legal outfit, has inserted itself into the debate over a transgender-inclusive athletics policy being considered by the Minnesota State High School League.ADF, formerly known as the Alliance Defense Fund, was founded in 1994 by half a dozen prominent religious right groups including Focus on the Family, Campus Crusade for Christ, and the American Family Association. The group opposes reproductive rights, LGBT rights, and a secular society, and often uses its lawyers to insert itself into local debates.On Tuesday, the group announced that it has sent a letter to the Minnesota State High School League which is in the process of drafting a framework for how schools can create an inclusive environment for transgender athletes.The letter represents a fundamental misunderstandings about transgender students, misgendering them in the process: “Forcing students into vulnerable interactions with members of the opposite sex in secluded locker and hotel rooms disregards basic notions of personal dignity, which federal courts have recognized in a variety of contexts…. MSHSL and its member schools also have a common law duty to maintain school “property free of unreasonable risks of harm.”ADF also warned that religious schools might sue if the policy is implemented: “It is unlikely that a court would uphold the proposed transgender policy’s interference with religious freedom. Most, if not all, religious schools regard facilitating the denial and rejection of one’s God-given sex to be a grave sin. And religious students are precluded by basic modesty principles from sharing locker or hotel rooms with members of the opposite sex.”The group is also targeting transgender-inclusive policies in Wisconsin’s Sparta Area School District and Rhode Island’s Westerly Public Schools.Here’s the full letter:Download (PDF, 374KB)Related stories:Minnesota League tables trans-inclusive policy under mounting opposition (Sheila Regan, TC Daily Planet, 2014)State athletics league mulls transgender inclusion in sports (Andy Birkey, The Colu.mn, 2014) Continue Reading

Minneapolis investigates banning Washington team name

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After shaking up University of Minnesota administrators and other policymakers, the controversy surrounding the Washington Redskins has moved downtown to City Hall, where elected officials are mulling a ban on the NFL team’s name.Because of a City Council vote earlier this month, the city attorney will investigate whether Minneapolis has legal authority to ban the football team’s name and logo when it plays the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium on Nov. 2.Though the attorney’s office will provide its opinion by next Wednesday, some city leaders aren’t confident they can take legal action.“I have my doubts,” said Cam Gordon, who represents the University and surrounding areas on the City Council.He said there might be issues with the ban violating freedom of speech. And at a council committee meeting late last month, the councilman called the issue a “minefield.”Because the city attorney’s office’s deadline for giving counsel hasn’t arrived, it didn’t provide comment.Gordon said many existing factors, like local ordinances and other laws, could affect the city’s legal authority.“I think it’s really important to take a deep look at what we can and cannot do,” Ward 5 City Councilman Blong Yang said at the committee meeting.When he first considered a ban on the team’s name and logo, Yang said, he immediately thought of potential conflicts with the First Amendment.Certain types of racist speech or hate speech aren’t protected by the First Amendment, according to the American Bar Association. For example, a racist statement meant to start a fight is against the law.Another potential legal question that stands is whether city leaders will be able to ban only the Washington team’s name and not others, like the MLB’s Cleveland Indians, that some would consider offensive, said Joan Howland, a professor at the University’s Law School and an expert on American Indian law.‘A sensitive city’Names of at least 11 of the 87 counties inscribed on TCF Bank Stadium’s walls are rooted from American Indian tribes or words.And on Nov. 2, some activists and government leaders say the arrival of the Washington Redskins will tarnish the legacy of these tribes.Gordon said he believes placing the county names on the stadium’s outer walls was an attempt to honor the contributions of Native Americans and acknowledge the hardships they’ve faced.“It’s unfortunate that we have some out-of-town business coming in here [that] is going to be spoiling the good efforts of everybody to have a sensitive city, and a sensitive University, and a sensitive stadium, even,” he said.The University has already said it doesn’t have authority to block the “Redskins” name, but it has taken a stance against its use.In an Aug. Continue Reading

GLOBAL GROCERIES | Sports, whiskey, cool technology and food

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I got the Call of the Wild late last month. The Minnesota Wild invited journalists and local VIPs to the “See the Big Picture” event, to show off new digital renovations at the Xcel Energy Center. Of course, when new fancy technology isn’t enough to bring in the curious, just add free food and drink and a connection to St. Paul city pride.

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BEHIND THE STORY | What’s so problematic about equal rights?

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It’s disappointing that our Governor thinks supporting transgender student athletes is “problematic.” As reported by the Huffington Post, Governor Mark Dayton, when asked at a recent debate whether he supported “allowing transgender high school students to participate in sports based on their gender identity,” Dayton, like the other gubernatorial candidates deferred the decision to the Minnesota State High School League, saying it was a complicated issue. “Giving transgender students the choice of which team they want to play on is, I think, problematic,” he is quoted as saying.It’s the wrong answer. The right answer is to follow the bill that Dayton supported and signed into law, the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, which requires districts and schools to “establish strategies for creating a positive school climate and use evidence-based emotional learning to prevent and reduce discrimination and other improper conduct.”How, may I ask, is denying young people the opportunity to participate in sports because they happen to be transgender reducing discrimination? It seems to me that it actually encourages discrimination, not by other kids but by the school itself (which has the ripple effect of encouraging discrimination from students). Naysayers might argue- oh, well they can still play sports as long as they play on the team whose gender aligns with that on their birth certificate, but that doesn’t work, because in that case you would be requiring a student to deny their very identity just to participate in an athletic activity. Continue Reading

Washington team name controversy sparks educational outreach

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Though University of Minnesota officials can’t stop the Washington Redskins from playing at TCF Bank Stadium next month, administrators are using the team’s presence on campus as an educational opportunity.The nickname has stirred controversary on campus, as some students and school leaders say it’s derogatory and offensive to the state’s large Native American population.On Friday, the University announced a series educational programs leading to the Nov. 2 game against the Vikings. The events, which include film screenings, panels and exhibits, will begin on Oct. 24 and last until Oct. 30.Vice President for Equity and Diversity Katrice Albert said in a conference call Friday the University hopes the programs engage people from all sides of the issue.“Our hope is that we raise awareness for our community. Continue Reading

Minnesota League tables trans-inclusive policy under mounting opposition

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Zeam Porter just wants to play basketball. A trans youth who is a junior in high school, Porter played for the women’s team last year, and was constantly misgendered and called the wrong name. Porter won Most Improved Player, but today feels the trophy was a lie.“My love for basketball last year made me believe I could handle being on the wrong team,” Porter said. “I love basketball. Do not take basketball away from me. Continue Reading

Facing pressure from anti-LGBT groups, Minnesota league tables trans-inclusive policy

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On Thursday morning, the Minnesota State High School League tabled a proposal that would provide guidance to schools on inclusion of transgender students in high school sports.For two hours on Wednesday afternoon, and again on Thursday morning, supporters and opponents of transgender inclusion in high school sports took turns giving their input about the proposed policy.Though the MSHSL announced last spring that is was researching transgender inclusion, the issue did not ignite until an anti-LGBT group placed a full page ad in the Star Tribune that painted transgender students as dangerous. The Minnesota Child Protection League placed the ad, and have been joined by the Minnesota Family Council and the Minnesota Catholic Conference — two groups opposed to LGBT rights — in organizing opposition to the policy. Most of the speakers in opposition to the policy had a connection with either the Child Protection League or the Minnesota Family Council.Autumn Leva of Minnesota Family Council complained that that group’s letters to the MSHSL weren’t responded to. Her group is housed at the office building at 2855 St. Anthony Lane in Minneapolis. Continue Reading