DOE Says Minnesota Violated Title IX After Trans Pitcher; Player Gives First‑Person Account
The U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration concluded Minnesota violated Title IX by allowing a transgender pitcher to compete on a girls’ softball team. White Bear Lake player Kendall Kotzmacher, now a freshman at Western Michigan, gives a first‑person account of the state tournament semifinal in which Champlin Park’s Marissa Rothenberger threw a complete‑game shutout and later delivered the winning double, and describes the emotional aftermath of the loss.
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🔍 Key Facts
- Kendall Kotzmacher, the White Bear Lake High School player who faced the pitcher in the state tournament semifinal, gave a first-person interview that included direct quotes.
- The game was a Minnesota state tournament semifinal in which Champlin Park pitcher Marissa Rothenberger threw a complete-game shutout and later came up to hit the winning double.
- Kotzmacher described the emotional aftermath of the loss in the interview.
- Kotzmacher is now a freshman playing softball at Western Michigan University.
📍 Contextual Background
- The Office for Civil Rights is an office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Debarment is a federal administrative process that can render an entity ineligible to receive federal grants.
- The Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services referred Harvard University to a debarment process.
- The Office for Civil Rights sent a letter addressing the referral to Harvard President Alan Garber.
📰 Sources (2)
Minnesota teen softball player opens up on trans pitcher playoff game as Trump admin vows Title IX enforcement
New information:
- First-person interview and direct quotes from Kendall Kotzmacher, the White Bear Lake High School player who faced the pitcher in the state tournament semifinal.
- Specific game details: it was a Minnesota state tournament semifinal; Kotzmacher says Champlin Park pitcher Marissa Rothenberger threw a complete-game shutout and came up to hit the winning double.
- Personal follow-up detail: Kotzmacher is now a freshman playing softball at Western Michigan University and describes the emotional aftermath of the loss.