The Monroe school board voted to ban transgender girls from the district's girls sports teams, a move the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan says is a violation of the state's civil rights law.
"Our state civil rights law explicitly protects transgender students against discrimination in education," said Jay Kaplan, ACLU attorney. "We're very concerned about it."
He said his organization planned to look into the matter.
The 4-2 vote came during the board's Oct. 13 meeting, days after the father of female student filed a federal lawsuit against the district because his daughter played against and shared a locker room with a transgender athlete on an opposing team.
Board President Tom Heck, who voted for the measure, said during the meeting
its passage was important for the safety of girls who identify as the gender they were assigned at birth. He said transgender girls are stronger and their participation in girls' sports creates an unfair playing field.
Board Secretary Mary Vincent, who voted against the measure, said she believes the district should provide equitable access for transgender athletes. She also said if the district is worried about safety "are we worried about varsity teams scrimmaging JV teams. … Are we worried about girls competing in sports for boys such as football? … If we're really concerned about the safety of our athletes shouldn't we be writing a policy that says no women in boys sports, no JV versus varsity because of the differentials in ability and age."
The U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that states have a right to ban transgender girls from sports for girls. But Michigan has no such ban. And the state's Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on gender-identity.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association, which governs high school sports, reviews waiver requests for trans athletes on a case-by-case basis. It granted two such waivers during the 2024-25 school year, allowing trans girls to compete on girls' teams. MHSAA spokesman Geoff Kimmerly said no trans girls are playing on the waiver this school year.
Meanwhile the father of a Monroe high school volleyball player is suing the Monroe Public Schools and two administrators, saying his daughter's civil rights were violated when her team played volleyball against a team with a transgender female athlete and that athlete used the same locker room as his daughter.
Filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit on Oct. 9 by parent Sean Lechner, the suit alleges Monroe's athletic director violated federal Title IX regulations.
It says he failed to inform parents or players they would be facing off against a team that included a transgender girl on its roster — and that he allowed the transgender girl to use the same locker room as the Monroe girls.
Also named in the suit, the superintendent of Monroe Public Schools and the MHSAA.
"For many years, MHSAA policy in this area has been crafted to be fully compliant with federal and state law. We believe the claims made are legally unsound, and we will defend that position through the legal process," MHSAA spokesman Kimmerly said. "Due to the ongoing litigation, we will have no further comment at this time."
Monroe Superintendent Andrew Shaw said on Wednesday morning that the district had not been served the lawsuit. Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits schools that receive federal funding from discrimination based on sex.
"We remain steadfast in our commitment to adhering to all state and federal guidelines and laws while upholding student safety. Should legal proceedings be initiated, the district will address the matter through the appropriate legal channels."
The game Lechner references in his suit took place in 2025 when the Monroe girls played Skyline High in Ann Arbor. According to the suit, a Skyline player was transgender.
In December, Lechner filed a Title IX complaint against the school district. During the announcement of that complaint, Lechner's daughter, Briley Lechner, who was a sophomore at the time, said that the incident "was definitely very devastating for all of us girls. … This person disguised themselves to look female. So when we found out after, weeks after, that there was another male in the same locker room as us as we were changing and also playing with us, it caught everyone off guard."
Briley Lechner said she did not see the transgender student in question in the locker room.
The lawsuit represents another in a series of complaints involving transgender girls who play on sports team for girls. The subject has been a rallying cry for President Donald Trump and many other Republicans who have worked to strip away the rights of transgender people.
In June, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights announced it is investigating three Michigan school districts − Ann Arbor Public Schools, Monroe Public Schools and the Chippewa Valley School District − to determine whether the districts violated Title IX by allowing transgender students to participate in sports or use locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity rather than the gender they were assigned at birth.
Contact Georgea Kovanis: gkovanis@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: ACLU says Monroe schools ban on trans athletes is illegal
