State by State · Amicus briefs
ICONS has filed briefs backing Female Athletes United’s challenge to Minnesota’s policies letting male athletes compete in girls’ high school sports, and supporting USA Powerlifting’s women-only category in Minnesota’s courts.
The law in Minnesota
State policy allows males on girls' teams
Minnesota has no law protecting girls' sports. The state says its human rights law requires schools to let males who identify as girls play on girls' teams, and the U.S. Justice Department sued the state over it in March 2026. A bill to protect girls' sports failed in the state House by one vote.
Past attempts
HF 12 (2025), “Female sports team participation restricted to the female sex,” failed on the House floor 66-67 on March 3, 2025. It was reconsidered and tabled. On April 7, 2026, a motion to take it from the table failed 67-66, short of the 68 votes needed. The Senate companion was SF 916 (source;f=HF12&ssn=0&y=2025).
The law in detail, with sources
The law
None. The Minnesota Human Rights Act lists “gender identity” as a protected trait in education (Minn. Stat. §363A.13, source). The state says this law overrides the 2025 federal executive orders, and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) lets males who identify as girls play on girls’ teams (source).
Who it covers
MSHSL member schools (public and private high schools).
Notes
April 2025: Attorney General Keith Ellison sued the Trump administration first, arguing the Human Rights Act controls. March 30, 2026: the U.S. Justice Department sued the Minnesota Department of Education and the MSHSL in federal court under Title IX. It cited a male pitcher on Champlin Park High School’s varsity girls’ softball team, which won the 2025 state title. As of that report a motion to dismiss Minnesota’s own suit was pending (source). No ruling had been reported in either case.
What ICONS has done in Minnesota
- June 14, 2023 · Listen: the ICONS and USA Powerlifting press conference on the Minnesota ruling
- June 13, 2023 · ICONS and USA Powerlifting asked for public support after a Minnesota court ruled that USA Powerlifting must let males compete against women or stop operating in the state
- June 8, 2023 · ICONS launched “I Stand with April” in support of powerlifter April Hutchinson and USA Powerlifting
In the courts and statehouses
December 8, 2025 · U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Injunction denial affirmed
Amicus brief urging the Eighth Circuit to hear Female Athletes United’s case on its merits
ICONS filed a second brief backing Female Athletes United’s appeal against Minnesota officials and school boards over policies letting male athletes compete in girls’ high school sports, arguing the case should be heard on its merits. The Eighth Circuit decided the appeal on April 15, 2026.
Outcome: The Eighth Circuit affirmed the denial of a preliminary injunction on April 15, 2026, holding that FAU had no private right of action under Title IX for its claims; the case goes on in district court. Source
October 13, 2025 · U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Injunction pending appeal denied
Amicus brief supporting Female Athletes United’s injunction motion
ICONS asked the Eighth Circuit to grant Female Athletes United an injunction pending appeal in its challenge to Minnesota’s policies on male participation in girls’ sports.
“The Title IX athletics regulation was meant to ensure that women have access to the same experience on the athletic field and in the locker room as men.” From the brief, p. 2
Outcome: On Nov. 5, 2025, the Eighth Circuit denied Female Athletes United's motion for an injunction pending appeal and expedited the appeal instead. Source
October 2024 · Minnesota Supreme Court
Ruled for Cooper; part remanded
Amicus brief in Cooper v. USA Powerlifting
ICONS supported USA Powerlifting’s women-only category when the case reached Minnesota’s highest court. The court ruled for Cooper on October 22, 2025.
Outcome: On Oct. 22, 2025, the court held the women's-division policy facially discriminatory under the Minnesota Human Rights Act and upheld judgment for Cooper on public accommodations, but sent the business-discrimination claim back to decide whether competitive fairness is a legitimate business purpose. Source
June 16, 2023 · Minnesota Court of Appeals
Won on appeal; partly reversed
Amicus brief in Cooper v. USA Powerlifting
ICONS supported USA Powerlifting's appeal of a ruling that its women's-category eligibility policy violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
“Deferring protection of girls will cause them to leave competitive sport, never learning to love it or discovering the benefits it can provide them.” From the brief, p. 2
Outcome: On March 18, 2024, the Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment for Cooper and ordered a trial, but the Minnesota Supreme Court reversed that in part on Oct. 22, 2025. Source
In the news
- VIDEO: Advocates Defend Bio-Based Women's Sports (Dallas Express, June 14, 2023)