Boys will be allowed to compete on Minnesota high school dance teams beginning next school year.
The Minnesota State High School League recently sent out a memo to school activities directors announcing the change. The competitive dance teams had been all-girl, prompting a lawsuit by two boys wanting to compete.
The League “has agreed to a settlement of the recent lawsuit that will allow boys to participate … beginning with the 2019-2020 season,” the memo states. The deal avoids a protracted legal fight, the message continues.
A federal appeals court ruled in March that two boys at the center of the lawsuit be allowed to try out for the teams in their schools.
Dmitri Moua and Zachary Greenwald, juniors at high schools in Roseville and Hopkins, respectively, sued the MSHSL after their schools prohibited them from participating because the MSHSL bylaws did not allow boys to compete on high school dance teams.
Represented by the California-based Pacific Legal Foundation, Moua and Greenwald argued the bylaws violate their 14th Amendment right to equal protection. While the case works its way through federal courts, the boys sought an injunction that would allow them to compete in the meantime. An appeals panel in St. Paul overturned an earlier denial of the injunction in March.
“Being a part of this process has made me realize how important sticking up for the right thing is,” Greenwald said.
“I’m just an average high school teenager. I didn’t think I could make this change,” he added.
Greenwald has gotten the support of his classmates and the school in Hopkins throughout the process: “They are my biggest cheerleaders.”
The settlement in the lawsuit was announced earlier this week.
“We are extremely pleased with the League’s decision to rescind the discriminatory rule,” Pacific Legal Foundation Senior Attorney Joshua Thompson said in a prepared statement. “For us, this case has always been about giving all Minnesota students the opportunity to dance. This settlement ensures that not only will our clients get to dance this year, but so will boys statewide. We are grateful for Dimitri and Zach’s courage to fight for their constitutional rights and are proud of their accomplishment.”
As part of the deal, MSHSL agreed to rescind the rule, notify the state’s schools, and make a $50,000 contribution to the Pacific Legal Foundation.
The MSHSL referred questions about the case to its attorney, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.