Minnesota boys file lawsuit to join girls high school dance teams

A pair of teenage boys in Minnesota have filed a lawsuit against the state athletic association, alleging that its rules barring boys from girls high school dance teams are unconstitutional.

Dmitri Moua and Zachary Greenwald, both 16, argue that the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is in violation of Title IX by preventing them from trying out for their respective dance teams. They filed the lawsuit with the help of their parents and the Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented students in similar cases in two other states.

From The Associated Press:

“Things are changing,” Moua told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “I feel that students should not be limited based on sex.”

Foundation attorney Caleb Trotter added in a statement: “Minnesota’s school sports league cannot discriminate against boys based on nothing more than an outdated stereotype that dancing is for girls only.”

The Minnesota State High School League doesn’t comment on pending litigation, spokesman Tim Leighton said Wednesday.

The MSHSL was threatened with a lawsuit in 2017 after it prevented a boy from competing in the high school dance championship. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights later determined there wasn’t enough evidence to conclude that the organization discriminated against boys, The Associated Press reported.

The South Dakota High School Activities Association last year suspended its rules to allow a boy to compete with the dance team. The change came after a lawsuit was filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation.

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