DOE investigates use of ‘transgender dolls’ in Minnesota schools

The Trump administration called for an investigation into Minnesota’s MyGender Dolls program, arguing the transgender dolls could negatively affect children and that parents were not made aware of the program.The Department of Education is now investigating the Minnesota Department of Education for allowing the program without properly notifying or gaining consent from parents. The University of Minnesota’s Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health announced the program as early as 2024, according to its annual report.The program’s website features photos of the dolls, including one that appears to be a boy wearing a dress with socks and loafers. The transgender dolls are complete with multiple outfits, accessories, and removable genitalia, according to the New York Post.The dolls are designed for children aged 4 to 10. The MyGender Dolls website offered few details about the project, but said, “Join the waitlist,” and, “Launching 2026.”“MyGender Dolls are designed for the clinicians and educators who show up for these kids every day — providing developmentally appropriate, evidence-informed resources that didn’t exist before,” the website said.The DOE said the program needs to comply with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, which has to do with federal student privacy laws in regard to their parents’ constitutional rights. It is designed to protect student privacy by requiring schools to notify parents and, in some cases, obtain their consent.TRUMP TO AWARD TOP CIVILIAN HONOR TO TEENAGE LIFEGUARD WHO SAVED CHILDNonprofit organization Defending Education sent a complaint against the state of Minnesota that said the program violates federal student privacy law and parents’ constitutional rights, according to a release sent to the Washington Examiner.“The use of sexually explicit dolls to introduce young students to highly sensitive subject matters, with potential mental health implications for some children, undermines parents’ authority over their children’s safety and well-being. PPRA guarantees parents the right to opt their children out of surveys that elicit certain sensitive information about students or their families, and to review related instructional materials,” the DOE press release said.The project was reportedly funded by Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN).Walz was honored with the Eli Coleman Institute’s inaugural “Distinguished Sexual and Gender Health Champion Award” in 2023. “While Governor 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,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in the DOE press release.PARENTAL RIGHTS ISSUES ARE HEATING UP AT THE SUPREME COURT“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,” she added.The Washington Examiner contacted the DOE, the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, the institute’s Sexual and Gender Health Clinic, and professor Dianne Berg, who was listed as the project’s lead, for comment.Berg’s automated response indicated she is on sabbatical until Oct. 19.