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Former Minnesota Vikings captain Jack Brewer says he feels like his family is figuratively being held “hostage” by Democratic policymakers in the North Star State who continue to allow transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports.
The state missed a Friday deadline set by the Trump administration to ban trans athletes from participating in women’s sports. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison cited the current government shutdown in a letter to the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, saying he has no “substantial response” to the Title IX deadline.
Brewer, who also served as captain of the University of Minnesota football team, has family and young relatives living in the state, and called its trans athlete policies “dark and demonic.”
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Former Minnesota Vikings safety Jack Brewer speaks during a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on February 27, 2021. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I still have a lot of family in Minnesota (nieces, nephews, cousins) and family who coach high school sports there,” Brewer told Pak Gazette Digital. “My family is being held hostage by these dark and demonic laws. I feel for my little nieces who dream of being athletes, for my young cousins who play high school sports, and for my former teammates who are now coaches and athletic directors across the state. These are my people, this is why I speak out. I say things they can’t. It’s a sad reality that they are forced to raise their children in the midst of this disease.”
The Trump administration determined in late September that Minnesota’s policies violated Title IX, citing a spring controversy in which a transgender softball pitcher led a high school girls’ team to a state title.
The findings also cited cases of trans athletes competing in alpine and Nordic skiing, lacrosse, track and field and girls’ volleyball in Minnesota.
The US Department of Justice has already filed lawsuits against educational agencies in Maine and California for similar violations. The Justice Department is now likely to make a referral for Minnesota when the government reopens.
“President Trump is absolutely right to demand that men stay out of women’s sports,” Brewer said. “When Congress is back in session, it should cut all federal funding to states that continue this madness. Minnesota has become America’s laughing stock – the shame of our nation.”
Ellison’s response to the ultimatum comes despite hundreds of Minnesota school board members writing an open letter urging the state to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order and change its policies to keep men out of women’s sports. As of Tuesday afternoon, 280 school board members in 113 school districts across the state had signed the letter, citing concerns about the girls’ privacy and safety, as well as potential federal funding cuts in response to the state’s noncompliance.
Brewer criticized Ellison and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for not adhering to the wishes of school board members.
MINNESOTA TEEN SOFTBALL PLAYER OPENS IN TRANS PITCHING PLAYOFF GAME AS TRUMP ADMIN PROMOTES ENFORCEMENT OF TITLE IX
“There are hundreds of school board members who have opposed this, but a governor and attorney general with so much control are imposing their leftist, satanic ideals on people who want nothing to do with this,” Brewer said. “The world is watching as Minnesota has become the epicenter of this darkness – the devil’s den. Something has to change and the people of Minnesota have to wake up.”
Brewer also cited his Christian beliefs for his stance on the issue.
“The Bible talks about this: Jesus said it is better to have a millstone tied around your neck and be thrown into the sea than to harm one of your little ones,” he said. “Our nation was founded as a Christian nation, not one that appeases or promotes sexual immorality. We are destroying the souls of our children.”
Ellison responded to school board members urging the state to keep biological males out of women’s sports by saying the issue “doesn’t hurt anyone.”
“Allowing a very small number of transgender students in Minnesota to play on their school’s sports teams doesn’t hurt anyone, but segregating them does,” part of Ellison’s statement read.
“I, too, am concerned about the Trump Administration’s threats to cut funding for children’s education throughout Minnesota, but this matter is before the courts right now. The federal government’s threats violate the U.S. Constitution, Minnesota law, and Title IX itself. I am fighting to prevent these harmful cuts, stop the Administration’s harassment of transgender children who just want to live their lives in peace, and protect the rights and freedoms of all of our students in Minnesota.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison arrives to speak at the Democratic National Convention on August 21, 2024 in Chicago. (Getty Images)
Ellison has already filed her own lawsuit against Trump and the Department of Justice for attempting to enforce her policies to protect women’s sports in Minnesota. He has also boasted of “sue them first” on the topic.
Pak Gazette Digital reached out to Ellison and Walz’s office for a response to Brewer’s comments.
