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Transgender pitcher Marissa Rothenberger led Champlin Park High School to Minnesota’s state softball championship game after a pair of playoff wins on Wednesday.
The pitcher’s dominance this season has prompted a lawsuit by three anonymous opposing players amid a national divide over the legality of trans athletes in girls’ sports.
One of the players involved in the lawsuit reacted to the pitcher’s run to the championship game in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, provided by her attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
“It is upsetting to see a male athlete dominating our sport and taking opportunities away from girls who have worked hard all season to make it to the championship game in the state tournament. On top of the unfairness, it is oftentimes a risk to play a physical sport like softball against a male athlete,” the statement said.
“I am proud of the girls who played hard, and at the end of the day deserve it more than a boy, but I hope that more people will continue to stand up for female sports and take the rights of women and girls seriously.”
The anonymous player’s team did not reach the championship game, the ADF said.
ADF attorney Suzanne Beecher weighed in on the situation as well.
“A male’s belief about his gender doesn’t erase the physical advantages over female athletes. And every girl competing deserves the chance to experience the thrill of victory,” Beecher told Fox News Digital.
“What happened tonight was not only unfair but put every female athlete at risk of getting injured due to the clear differences in biology from male to female. We filed a lawsuit against Minnesota officials to upend their radical policies that hurt female athletes across the state and restore their opportunities in a fair and safe competition.”
Rothenberger pitched both the quarterfinal and semifinal on Wednesday, and even hit two doubles in the semifinal to help spark a comeback.
Champlin Park will now face No. 4-seeded Bloomington Jefferson in the title game on Friday at the University of Minnesota’s Jane Sage Cowles Stadium.
TRACKING THE TRANS ATHLETE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS CONTROVERSIES SHAKING THE NATION OVER THE LAST YEAR
Champlin Park’s school district previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital defending the decision to allow the athlete to compete on the softball team.
“Throughout the entire season, and as the Rebels advance to the state tournament, it is important to note that all of the student athletes participating for the Champlin Park Softball team are eligible to compete in compliance with Minnesota State High School League rules and applicable state law. Due to data privacy laws, the District is not able to provide public comment regarding a specific student athlete,” a statement from the Anoka-Hennepin School District stated.
“In addition, the District is named in an active lawsuit which limits what information can be shared.”
Meanwhile, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office has released a statement responding to the lawsuit against the state over Rothenberger’s participation in the girls’ softball season.
“In addition to getting exercise and the fun of competition, playing sports comes with so many benefits for young people. You build friendships that can last a lifetime, you learn how to work as part of a team, and you get to feel like you belong,” Ellison said.
“I believe it is wrong to single out one group of students, who already face higher levels of bullying and harassment, and tell these kids they cannot be on the team because of who they are. I will continue to defend the rights of all students to play sports with their friends and peers.”
After President Donald Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order, the Minnesota State High School League announced it would defy federal law by allowing transgender athletes to continue playing in women’s sports. Ellison then claimed at a press conference on April 22 that he received notice from the Department of Justice threatening legal action if the state did not follow the executive order, so the attorney general decided to sue first.
The White House later responded to the lawsuit, condemning Ellison for taking legal action to enable trans inclusion.
“Why would a grown man sue the Trump administration to allow other biological males to participate in women’s sports? This is creepy and anti-woman,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital.
Minnesota’s state legislature failed to pass the “Preserving Girls’ Sports Act” in early March, which would have stated that “only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls.”
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