Trump officials to investigate Minnesota transgender dolls

The Department of Education has begun investigating reports of Minnesota educators introducing sexually explicit paper dolls in public classrooms, according to a Wednesday press release. The MyGender Dolls, developed through a taxpayer-funded University of Minnesota program, feature several gender-neutral paper dolls with interchangeable clothing, accessories, and genitalia.

The company behind the dolls marketed them as a tool for educators and clinicians working with transgender children ages 4 to 10. The MyGender Dolls website characterized the product as a developmentally appropriate and evidence-informed tool that provides a therapeutic play approach for children. The dolls feature removable and interchangeable internal and external genitalia, along with clothing pieces, including undergarments, education officials reported.

Trump officials opened the investigation due to concerns that integrating the dolls in schools violated parental rights. Parents complained the state never notified them about the transgender dolls and never gave them the chance to opt out of classroom activities involving the dolls, federal officials reported.

Do parents have the right to opt out? The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment guarantees parents the right to opt their child out of receiving surveys or materials related to certain sensitive topics, including sexual behavior, and it gives parents the right to review related instructional materials. Introducing students to sensitive topics using sexually explicit dolls undermines parental authority, the Education Department release said.

Four-year-olds should never be exposed to such materials, much less behind their parents’ backs, said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was funneling taxpayer dollars to harmful and perverted ideologies while the federal government worked to protect children’s innocence, she added.

Have Minnesota education officials responded to the investigation? WORLD reached out to the Minnesota Department of Education for comment on Wednesday and did not receive an immediate response.

Dig deeper: Read Micah Barkley’s earlier report on the MyGender Dolls.