This week, True North Legal announced a partnership with our legal allies at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) in a critical new case: Female Athletes United v. Minnesota, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.
This lawsuit challenges a Minnesota policy that allows male athletes to compete in girls’ high school sports—a policy that has harmed young women and violated the equal opportunity protections guaranteed by Title IX.
Our own Renee K. Carlson, General Counsel of True North Legal, is serving as co-counsel in the case. She offered this powerful statement:
“For more than a decade I have been fighting on the frontlines for female athletes when the MSHSL first adopted its discriminatory policy erasing girls from girls’ sports and have worked tirelessly to overturn it since. Defending against aggressive attempts to push women and girls out of their own sports is always the right thing to do, not just because it’s a good policy or lawful.
At the heart of this issue is something deeper than sports. We’re in a cultural battle over truth—about the real, physiological differences between men and women. Those differences matter because they’re what make girls’ sports worth protecting.”
The Lawsuit
Filed by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys and True North Legal on behalf of Female Athletes United (FAU), the case outlines how Minnesota’s current sports policy has harmed real high school girls in softball competitions—athletes who now face the prospect of being displaced and even injured by male athletes in direct competition.
“Minnesota is failing its female athletes,” said ADF Legal Counsel Suzanne Beecher. “The state is putting the rights of males ahead of females, telling girls their hard work may never be enough to win and that they don’t deserve fairness and safety.”
The complaint highlights the experience of three FAU members currently competing in high-school softball in Minnesota.
One, a junior, has competed in varsity softball for two years against a male athlete and has lost in games during the regular season and sectionals, which meant that her team didn’t have a chance to advance to the state tournament. Her team competed against and lost to this male athlete in a regular season game this year. In that game, the FAU member’s team didn’t score at all; the male athlete pitched seven strikeouts. Her team is likely to compete against this mixed-sex team again in a sectional competition this season, and again next year.
Another athlete, also a junior, is a star pitcher who has already committed to play collegiate softball. This member was on the male athlete’s club team until she found out that she would have to compete against the athlete for pitching time. She then decided to quit the club team. She will likely have to compete against the male athlete at the state softball tournament this season.
The third FAU member is a sophomore who was hit by a pitch thrown by this male athlete during club softball. The speed and strength of the pitch made the pain more intense than she has felt at other times getting hit by a pitch thrown by a girl. She also anticipates she’ll have to compete against this male athlete at the state softball tournament this year.
Minnesota currently places no physical limitations on male participation in female sports, despite well-documented physiological advantages—an omission the suit argues is a direct violation of Title IX.
What’s Next
True North Legal and ADF are committed to protecting fairness, safety, and opportunity for Minnesota girls. At its core, this case is about more than sports; it’s about making sure the law defends what’s right.
We will keep you updated as the case moves forward. Donate now to support our mission at truenorthlegal.org/donate.
NEWS COVERAGE OF THE CASE