An advocacy group for female athletics has sued Minnesota officials over the state’s policy of letting high school athletes play with students of the same gender identity.

Female Athletes United, which has a stated purpose of advocating for the protection and integrity of female athletics, sued Attorney General Keith Ellison; Commissioner Rebecca Lucero of the Department of Human Rights; Executive Director Erich Martens of the Minnesota State High School League; Commissioner Willie Jett of the Department of Education and three school districts.

The advocacy group said in its complaint, filed in a Minnesota district court, that the state’s policy on gender identity-based athletic participation violates legal protections against sex-based discrimination. Male athletes who identify as girls are displacing and defeating females who identify as girls, FAU said.

“Minnesota is failing its female athletes. The state is putting the rights of males ahead of females, telling girls their hard work may never be enough to win and that they don’t deserve fairness and safety,” Suzanne Beecher of law firm Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of FAU, said in a news release.

“By sacrificing protection for female athletes, Minnesota fails to offer girls equal treatment and opportunity, violating Title IX’s provisions,” Beecher said, referring to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Three female Minnesota high school softball players have expressed concern over competing with a male athlete, the advocacy group said. Each of the females say they believe it’s unsafe and unfair to play against him, FAU said, pointing to significant advantages the male could have in pitching, hitting and running.

“These members think that competing against males in their sports is unfair, discouraging, and limits their ability to enjoy participating in sports,” it said in the complaint. “These members identified above also fear being injured if they are forced to compete against males who are typically bigger, faster, and stronger.”

In February, President Donald Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out Of Women’s Sports” executive order. In the order, he said allowing boys and men to compete in women’s sports is demeaning, unfair and dangerous to women and girls. He said it denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.

“It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity and truth,” the order read in part.

Ellison, the attorney general, said in a statement he will continue to defend the rights of all students to play sports with their friends and peers.

“In addition to getting exercise and the fun of competition, playing sports comes with so many benefits for young people. You build friendships that can last a lifetime, you learn how to work as part of a team, and you get to feel like you belong,” Ellison wrote. “I believe it is wrong to single out one group of students, who already face higher levels of bullying and harassment, and tell these kids they cannot be on the team because of who they are.”

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights said it would respond to the lawsuit in court but added the state’s civil rights law is one of the strongest in the country and protects every Minnesotan from discrimination.

A school district home to one of the female softball players has a policy of not commenting on active litigation, though it said it takes all concerns very seriously.

Requests for comment from Martens, of the Minnesota State High School League, the Department of Education’s Jett and the two other school districts have not been returned.

Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.