By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-07-29 20:37:05 | Updated at 2026-07-29 21:35:37
1 hour ago
Parents drop off their children for the first day of school at Deerwood Elementary in Eagan, Minn., on Sept. 2, 2025. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Education Secretary Linda McMahon today said her agency is investigating whether Minnesota is violating federal laws by promoting transgender dolls in public schools without notifying parents first and giving families the choice to opt out.
The complaint, submitted by the Defending Education parents’ organization, alleges that “MyGenderDolls” products will be made available to students as young as 4. They feature removable, interchangeable genitalia, gender-neutral names, and clothing for both sexes.
Defending Education cites news reports from Minneapolis-area media outlets but could not independently verify if or when schools will make the dolls available.
The MyGenderDolls website says that these dolls, designed for children between 4 and 10, will be made available to mental health providers, school counselors and educators, and pediatric health professionals. It notes a product launch for clinicians and educators in 2026 and offers an online form to join a waitlist.
“We make gender fun! Our award-winning dolls and services are community-informed, research-driven, culturally attuned, and grounded in gender-affirming clinical practice,” the website says, but did not provide more detailed information to include company location or contact information.
Defending Education attorneys argued that the use of these dolls in public schools without parent notification and the ability to opt out violates the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment and a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that protects parents’ rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children, especially on matters implicating sex, mental health, and religion.
McMahon issued a statement the day after Defending Education announced its federal complaint.
“While Governor [Tim] Walz and the radical left continue to funnel taxpayer dollars to perverted ideologies that can harm children, the Trump Administration is fighting to protect children’s innocence and defend parents’ role as the first and primary decision-makers in their child’s education,” she said.
“No four-year-old should be exposed to such material—especially without a parent’s knowledge or consent. ED will enforce the law to its fullest extent, putting parents and families firmly in the driver’s seat of their child’s education.”
Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, the federal government can terminate federal funds to entities that refuse to comply with that federal law, McMahon said.
Defending Education Founder and President Nicole Neily said these products were developed by faculty members at the University of Minnesota. She thanked President Donald Trump’s administration for the immediate response to her complaint.
“This is a slap in the face to Minnesota families and taxpayers on two levels,” she said in a news release. “And these Frankenstein dolls are going to be provided to children in elementary schools without parental notification or consent. We hope that the Trump administration takes steps to prevent the state of Minnesota from ripping away children’s innocence in the name of ‘inclusion.’”
The Epoch Times reached out to the Minnesota Department of Education, Gov. Tim Walz’s office, and the University of Minnesota for a response.
