Biles, Gaines clash over MN trans softball star as MSHSL defies Trump's order

Gaines, who is against transgender girls competing in female sports, mocked the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) for not accepting comments on its X post featuring the state champion softball team. 

"Comments off [laugh out loud]," Gaines wrote. "To be expected when your star player is a boy[.]"

Biles responded to Gaines: "You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!"

Gaines failed to mention that the MSHSL hasn't accepted comments on its X posts for as far back as Bring Me The News can see. However, the MSHSL does allow comments on Facebook posts, but the softball tournament photos shared on X weren't published on Facebook. 

The league did post photos of student-athletes and championship teams during recent state tournaments for track & field, adapted softball, adapted bowling, robotics, basketball, hockey, swimming and diving, and wrestling. Notably, publishers can turn off comments on individual Facebook posts, so why the MSHSL omitted softball photos from Facebook is unclear. 

Singling out a high school student

When the pitcher's team clinched a spot in the state tournament last week, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District, reposted Gaines after she singled out the high school junior — and he did so using his official House Majority Whip account.

“Last night, a team of hardworking female athletes in Minnesota were denied a state title because our state’s ‘leaders’ refuse to stand up for reality, safety, and fairness,” Emmer wrote on X. "This insanity must end."

The original post from Gaines named the pitcher, featured video from a game, and referred to the teen as a "man."

Gaines, 25, has pursued politics after swimming at the University of Kentucky. In her final competitive swim meet, she tied for fifth place with the University of Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas, who became the first openly trans woman champion in NCAA history. 

After the race, Gaines told media that she was "in full support of her and full support of her transition and swimming career." Gaines admitted that the transgender opponent was "just abiding by the rules that the NCAA put in place."  

Since then, Gaines has used the race as a platform to build support from Republican lawmakers in a crusade to ban transgender athletes from youth sports. The NCAA changed its policy in February to limit the participation of transgender women in college sports, in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump.

The MSHSL's stance versus Trump's executive order

Transgender athletes are allowed to play under Minnesota State High School League bylaws, which has not been altered in response to President Donald Trump's February executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." 

The White House executive order states: "In recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports. This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports."

The MSHSL bylaw states: "In accordance with applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations, the Minnesota State High School League allows participation for all students consistent with their gender identity or expression in an environment free from discrimination with an equal opportunity for participation in athletics and fine arts."

A week after Trump signed the executive order, the MSHSL issued a statement saying the order conflicts with the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the state Constitution. 

The MSHSL asserts that it was not defying the executive order because the order provided a 60-day window to conform. At the time, the league stated that it was "seeking guidance to better understand how to proceed in the future." 

Despite the cushion to comply, the U.S. Department of Education announced in February that it was investigating the MSHSL, saying, "state laws do not override federal antidiscrimination laws."

More than 120 days have passed since Trump signed the order, and it's unclear if the MSHSL will change its bylaws ahead of the 2025-26 school year.