Legislation that would ban biological males from being housed in the state’s only female prison, Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee, is moving through the state legislature.
Authored by Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, HF 435 was heard, amended, and debated on Tuesday in the Public Safety Committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
At present, state law regarding the Shakopee prison dictates that the facility must house “persons committed to the commissioner of corrections by the courts of this state.” The bill authored by Franson would simply replace the phrase “persons” with “only biological females.”
The proposed legislation would also require the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) to transfer out any inmates currently housed at MFC-Shakopee who are not biological females. Under Franson’s proposal, that transfer must occur within seven days after the bill becomes law.
At the start of the committee’s discussion of HF 435, Franson offered an amendment to her bill that would set a clear definition of what a woman is. Explaining why the amendment was necessary, the Republican lawmaker said “sadly we have to put these things in statute because there is a lot of confusion of what a woman is these days.”
The definition of a woman used in Franson’s amendment mirrors language that was used in proposed legislation that would ban biological males from participating in female sporting events. DFLers criticized the amendment, with one Democrat lawmaker saying the definition “clearly shows the lack of understanding of science.”
WATCH: Democrat Minnesota Rep. Brion Curran calls Republican Rep. Mary Franson's definition of a woman as an adult human female "not scientific" and "dehumanizing."
"It's way more complex than the binary. This should be offensive to every single person." pic.twitter.com/AbXTZfaHMx
— Anthony Gockowski (@AntGockowski) February 25, 2025
The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
Following the amendment, Franson introduced her legislation, saying, “This is really just a common-sense bill. This is about protecting women. This is a women’s rights bill. This is a human rights issue for women.”
Testifying in favor of the bill was Alicia Beckmann, a teacher who worked at the Shakopee prison helping inmates obtain their GEDs for almost 10 years. Beckmann has previously spoken to Alpha News about men who were transferred to the Shakopee prison.
WATCH: Former DOC employee Alicia Beckmann, who spoke out in an interview with Alpha News last year, slams the Minnesota DOC for allowing men in the state's women's prison.
"Multiple incarcerated men were able to manipulate the system and transfer to Shakopee … the men who… pic.twitter.com/sGPD4klmT5
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) February 26, 2025
During her testimony in the committee, Beckmann talked about the “nightmare” of male inmates showing up at the Shakopee prison. She said the women of MCF-Shakopee were not given a voice on this matter, and many were fearful about who was showing up and who might show up next. Beckmann left her job because of DOC policy on this issue.
Opponents of Franson’s bill also testified. Among their statements, the testifiers warned that “trans women” (men who identify as women) are subjected to violence when they are housed in male correctional facilities. Additionally, they said the bill was transphobic, discriminatory, unconstitutional, and does not increase safety for the incarcerated.
DFL Rep. Kaela Berg dismisses concerns about men in women's prisons as "right-wing propaganda." pic.twitter.com/O60t7uHDXg
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) February 25, 2025
Following testimony, legislators were given the opportunity to ask questions of the bill’s author. Commissioner Paul Schnell, the leader of the DOC, also answered questions and explained the current DOC process for dealing with inmates who identify as transgender.
The discussion of HF 435, which proved tense at times, ended with the bill being “laid over,” meaning it was set aside and may be included in a later omnibus bill.
WATCH: Democrat Rep. Brad Tabke apologizes for "not stopping" the "misgendering" of biological males in Minnesota's women's prison pic.twitter.com/WQtqyjvqrq
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) February 25, 2025
Alpha News has previously reported that several biological men who identify as women have been housed at MCF-Shakopee. Last year, a female inmate at that facility spoke to Alpha News about being forced to share the prison with male inmates.
“It’s scary. It’s unpredictable. It was frightening,” the female inmate said. “It was sprung on us. We didn’t know there were men coming into the prison until we saw them. We’re all here to heal and take care of our past trauma and most of it has to do with being abused and being taken advantage of by men, so it was really terrifying when they started coming in knowing that they didn’t have the bottom surgery.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
