Minneapolis Police Union: The State Had a ‘Predetermined Conclusion’ of Minnesota Department of Human Rights Report

The head of the Minneapolis police union fired back at a recent report that accuses the city’s police of racism. She is not alone.

The report, compiled by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR), concluded that “there is probable cause that the City and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.” Specifically, the report says MPD officers take harsher action against black people than white people in similar circumstances, use offensive language, and maintain anonymous social media accounts “to surveil black individuals and organizations.”

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Minnesota’s State Attorney General Ellison and Department of Human Rights Sue Plasma Center for Denying Transgender Donor

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights and Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit Thursday against CSL Plasma for turning away a transgender donor. According to a press release, Alice James, a biological male, began donating plasma in 2011 at the company’s collection center in Duluth, but was required to list their biological sex on an intake form. James, however, refused, and continued to identify as female on all company forms. Then, in June 2015, James was told by an employee that CSL Plasma did not allow transgender individuals to donate and prohibited James from making any further donations. As a result, James filed a discrimination complaint with the Department of Human Rights, which found “probable cause” that CSL Plasma discriminated against James in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. “Refusing to allow James to donate her plasma solely based on her gender identity is unlawful and constitutes a clear violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Our agency is committed to ensuring that the civil rights of all Minnesotans, including transgender and gender nonconforming individuals, are upheld so they can thrive and succeed,” Deputy Commissioner Irina Vaynerman said Thursday. The lawsuit, filed in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District Court…

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Transgender Woman Wins Legal Battle Against All-Female Minnesota Football Team

A transgender woman was awarded $20,000 in damages last week by a Dakota County jury who found that the Minnesota Vixen female football team had wrongfully discriminated against the plaintiff. Christina Ginther, who underwent gender-reassignment surgery to transition from a man to a woman, was prevented from playing on the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL) team after teammates discovered that Ginther is transgender. According to MPR, an attorney representing the Minnesota Vixen argued that league rules state that “a player may not play in the IWFL, unless they are now, and always have been, legally and medically a female, as determined by their birth certificate and driver’s license.” Ginther first went public with the story in March 2017 after filing a discrimination lawsuit against the Minnesota Vixen, owner Laura Brown, and the IWFL. “She said, ‘Well, your numbers were good. But in the process of drawing up player contracts, we looked at your social media and found out that you’re transgender,” Ginther recalled Brown saying. “I hung up the phone and just felt violated,” Ginther said. “I mean, just the sense of, ‘I’m a freak. I’m a defective. I am not worthy to be with this team.’” Ginther later joined…

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