At a recent Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose (BHM) School Board meeting, a Minnesota father, Michael Holmstrom, delivered a speech urging board members to pass a resolution restricting participation in girls’ sports and access to female locker rooms to biological females.
Citing President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” Holmstrom argued that the school district must take immediate action or risk losing federal funding.
“Nearly five years ago, this board made the decision to hide behind a fiduciary duty at the cost of protecting the girls in our community,” he said. “According to this executive order, the district is liable to lose its grants and federal education funding if they do not comply.”
The speaker called on board members to uphold their responsibilities, noting that the Trump administration has already opened an investigation into the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) for possible violations of Title IX.
He also referenced President Trump’s recent vow to defund schools in Maine over similar policies.
“Today that same fiduciary duty that current and past members chose to hide behind now compels you to immediately pass a resolution to restrict participation in girls’ sports and access to their locker rooms to only biological females,” added Holmstrom, who previously ran for school board but lost in the 2024 election. He also serves as the vice chair of the Republican Party of Wright County.
The father also addressed members of the board who have previously aligned themselves with conservative values.
🚨CALL TO ACTION🚨
This evening I addressed the BHM School Board in relation to the Transgender youth in sports and locker rooms policy.
Trump issued an executive order, it is time we organize and fight for it to be implemented.
DM me if you want to get involved. pic.twitter.com/wIWZn2fTEk
— Michael Holmstrom (@MichaelH_MN) February 25, 2025
“Several of the members on this board placed their campaign signs next to Trump’s signs or posted support of him on social media for personal gain. Refusal to immediately comply with the only order he has issued in relation to your election certificates is confirmation that you have misled and lied to our communities,” he said.
He concluded by challenging the board to take action:
“Five years ago, you acted in cowardice to protect yourselves. I ask that you now find the courage to do your jobs and protect the children of our district.”
Holmstrom followed up on social media, encouraging others to get involved and advocate for the executive order’s enforcement.
School board responds
In a statement to Alpha News, Board Chair Bob Sansevere stated that the district is required to follow Minnesota law, which mandates that students be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities consistent with their gender identity.
He said current district policy complies with the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) and was adopted as a result of legal action taken against the district in 2021.
Sansevere also cited a Minnesota Court of Appeals decision (N.H. v. Anoka-Hennepin School District No. 11), which found that barring transgender students from locker rooms violates the Human Rights Act, and MSHSL bylaws, which currently allow students to participate in extracurricular activities “consistent with their gender identity.”
Additionally, he noted that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison recently issued “a formal legal opinion stating that the MSHSL and Minnesota school districts would violate the MHRA if they prohibited students from participating in extracurricular activities consistent with students’ gender identity.”
“All Minnesota school districts, including the BHM School District, are required to follow the Attorney General’s opinion until a court issues a different decision,” said Sansevere. “The Minnesota Attorney General has specifically opined that the President’s Executive Orders on sports and Title IX do not have the force of law and cannot supersede Minnesota state law.”
While acknowledging community concerns and the importance of the president’s executive orders, Sansevere said the district cannot make policy decisions “independent of the larger legal picture,” noting that the “issue is much larger than one school district or even one state.”
“In summary, school board action to change or rescind the District’s current policy would violate the terms of the settlement that was reached in 2021,” he continued. “It would also violate the Minnesota Constitution, the Minnesota Human Rights Act, and the Attorney General’s opinion on this issue. In short, changing the policy would subject the District to additional legal action. If the law changes, we will adjust our policy accordingly.”
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
