Women's athletics exemption created in the Human Rights Act.
HF 1233 creates a specific exemption in Minnesota's Human Rights Act allowing athletic programs to restrict participation to females based on biological sex at birth, excluding trans-identifying athletes. It directly affects schools, sports organizations, and athletic associations by permitting them to enforce gender-based participation rules without facing legal challenges under the Human Rights Act. The bill defines "sex" as biological factors (like chromosomes and genetics at birth), separate from gender identity, and prohibits government agencies from pursuing complaints against such policies. This exemption applies to all female athletic teams and competitions, while still allowing males to train with such teams if it doesn't deprive females of opportunities.
Bill status
in committee
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 20, 2025
Last action Apr 7, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduction
→
1st Engrossment
·
3 edits
·
Mar 10, 2025
MINOR
The bill was updated from its introduction to its first engrossment, changing the title and posting date. The most significant substantive change is the redefinition of 'sex' in athletic eligibility rules; the text was altered to define sex strictly by biological reproductive systems and genetics, explicitly excluding gender identity from consideration. Additionally, the legal protection for entities enforcing these rules was broadened to cover all athletic policies for females, removing specific references to consistency with the new exemption.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding athletic eligibility was narrowed and clarified to strictly base participation on biological sex rather than gender identity.
DEFINITION
The definition of 'sex' was changed to rely solely on biological reproductive biology and genetics, explicitly stating it does not include gender identity.
ELIGIBILITY
The rule allowing entities to limit sports to females was updated to specify that limitations apply to the 'female sex' based on biological criteria.
ENFORCEMENT
The protection against complaints or investigations for entities adopting female-only athletic rules was expanded to cover all such policies without requiring them to match the specific exemption language.
Floor votes · House Apr 7, 2026
How they voted
67–65
Passed
Total votes 132
Apr 7, 2026
D
Democratic65
100% Nay
R
Republican67
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
11
Key actions
2
Committee
1
Apr 7, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (67-65)
house
Mar 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report, to adopt as amended
lower
Feb 20, 2025
Introduced
Introduction and first reading, referred to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law
lower
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Natalie Zeleznikar
RRepublican
Co
Elliott Engen
RRepublican
Co
Harry Niska
RRepublican
Co
Krista Knudsen
RRepublican
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