Minnesota transgender athlete policy heads to vote

The Minnesota State High School League is expected to vote Thursday on a policy regarding transgender student athletes.

The board met Wednesday to discuss two different drafts of the policy.

One requires schools to let transgender students play on the team that best aligns with their gender identity. Another version gives schools more control over that decision, but allows the league to have final say in disputes.

Chairman Scott McCready said the board will carefully weigh its options before making a decision.

"I can assure you that none of the 20 of us has taken that lightly. We have gotten thousands of emails, dozens if not hundreds of phone calls and everyone of us has given them their due and we realize how important of an issue this is," he said.

Supporters of the policy say it will make transgender students feel more welcome in sports. Critics say it's risky to let transgender girls, who were born as boys, play on girls' teams.