ST.PAUL, Minn. – The Republican leader in the Minnesota House, Lisa Demuth, lit into Attorney General Keith Ellison for defending Minnesota law that allows transgender athletes to play on girls high school teams. Demuth was objecting to Ellison going to court against President Trump’s order for Minnesota to change its state policy or else. Trump’s “else” is to cancel every cent in federal funds to the state. Demuth said she agrees with Trump on transgender sport: “Keep boys out of girls sports.” She sidestepped the issue of Trump’s federal intrusion into state sovereignty State law flat-out forbids gender discrimination. Sad Demuth:
“Ellison would rather risk federal funding and file yet another taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the Trump administration than simply do the right thing and keep boys out of girls sports. It’s a waste of taxpayer money to further a political agenda that makes girls less safe and makes sports less fair.”
Ellison’s responded that he is the elected advocate for state policies as embodied in laws enacted by the state Legislature. About risking a cut-off federal funds, Ellison said he refuses subordinate rights of Minnesotans “based on a tabulation of dollars and cents.”