{"id":2627380,"date":"2026-07-09T15:26:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-minnesota-students-can-be-expelled-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:27:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:27:14","slug":"lawsuit-minnesota-students-can-be-expelled-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-minnesota-students-can-be-expelled-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different\/","title":{"rendered":"Suit: MN Students Can Be Expelled For Saying Boys Aren&#8217;t Girls"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flawsuit-minnesota-students-can-be-expelled-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2627380&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Jackson Barrick, a rising senior at the University of Minnesota, is legally challenging the school&#8217;s policies, which he and the Southeastern Legal foundation argue restrict free speech related to gender and sexuality topics. Barrick claims that current Title IX policies and university regulations on pronoun usage and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >sexual harassment create<\/a> a chilling effect, making students hesitant to discuss controversial issues like only recognizing two sexes, opposing transgender participation in sports, or using certain pronouns without risk of discipline or expulsion. Although he has not been penalized, Barrick states the threat of punishment influences his speech and educational activities. The lawsuit aims to change these vague policies, which they believe violate federal law and hinder free political discourse. Barrick and YAF are seeking only $1 in damages to facilitate policy reform, emphasizing their goal to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/parler-available-again-on-google-play-store-truth-social-continues-to-be-blocked\/\" title=\"Parler Available Again on Google Play Store, Truth Social Continues to Be Blocked\">protect free speech rights<\/a> for students.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:UMN-NorthrupMall.jpg\">ben franske\/wikimedia commons<\/a>\/<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/deed.en\">cc by-sa 4.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/09\/lawsuit-minnesota-students-can-be-expelled-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Lawsuit: Minnesota Students Can Be Expelled For Saying Men And Women Are Different&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/09\/lawsuit-minnesota-students-can-be-expelled-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Lawsuit: Minnesota Students Can Be Expelled For Saying Men And Women Are Different&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/09\/lawsuit-minnesota-students-can-be-expelled-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/09\/lawsuit-minnesota-students-can-be-expelled-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Lawsuit: Minnesota Students Can Be Expelled For Saying Men And Women Are Different&#038;body=The student says the potential for disciplinary action is &#039;always at the back of [his] mind&#039; when he discusses a controversial topic.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/09\/lawsuit-minnesota-students-can-be-expelled-for-saying-men-and-women-are-different\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;Lawsuit: Minnesota Students Can Be Expelled For Saying Men And Women Are Different&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rising senior Jackson Barrick is taking legal action alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/slfliberty.org\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/slfliberty.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Southeastern Legal Foundation<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/yaf.org\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/yaf.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Young America\u2019s Foundation<\/a> against the <a href=\"https:\/\/twin-cities.umn.edu\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/twin-cities.umn.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">University of Minnesota<\/a>, saying some of the school\u2019s Title IX policies have a chilling effect on his speech and that of other conservative students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe face a lot of uncertainty in terms of what punishment we could possibly face because we\u2019re speaking about a controversial subject,\u201d Barrick told The Federalist. <\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1451325216\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under UMN\u2019s current sexual harassment and pronoun usage policies, students like Barrick could be accused of harassment and face discipline, including expulsion, for saying there are only two sexes, refusing to use \u201cpreferred\u201d pronouns, and speaking out against men participating in women\u2019s sports or individuals using the bathroom designated for the opposite sex.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven if it doesn\u2019t result in severe discipline, it has ultimately changed the entire course of that person\u2019s education and taken away their educational opportunities because it a subjective standard,\u201d SLF attorney Kim Hermann told The Federalist. \u201cIt can be as simple as someone reporting a person of the opposite sex being in a restroom; that is enough for them to file a complaint and for the University to launch an investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on President Trump\u2019s 2025 executive order and other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-come-to-this-republicans-introduce-bill-that-defines-what-a-woman-is-because-democrats-cant-figure-that-out\/\" title=\"It\u2019s Come to This: Republicans Introduce Bill That Defines What a Woman Is Because Democrats Can\u2019t Figure That Out\">court rulings related<\/a> to Title IX, SLF argues that <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/slf_liberty\/status\/2068003509622968360?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the University of\u00a0 Minnesota system is not complying with federal law.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UMN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/policy.umn.edu\/opportunity\/sexharassassault\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/policy.umn.edu\/opportunity\/sexharassassault\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sexual Harassment Policy<\/a> defines sexual harassment as an action that \u201ccreates a work or educational environment that an individual finds, and a reasonable person would find, to be intimidating, hostile, or offensive.\u201d An example of such harassment includes \u201c[a] pattern of disparaging comments or\u00a0jokes about certain genders or based on gender stereotypes.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The school\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/policy.umn.edu\/opportunity\/genderequity\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/policy.umn.edu\/opportunity\/genderequity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pronoun Policy<\/a> requires all members of the university to use \u201cthe names, gender identities, and pronouns specified to them by other University members,\u00a0except as legally required.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though Barrick has not been found in violation, he says that the potential for disciplinary action is \u201calways at the back of [his] mind\u201d when he engages in discussion of a subject that might be considered controversial or offensive to someone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe way that the policies are written allows me to be punished under academic penalty if the speech that I produce or talk about is considered harassment,\u201d Barrick told The Federalist. \u201cIt really restricts what I can say.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barrick is a public health major at the UMN Twin Cities\u2019 campus, and frequently spends time speaking in classes about homosexuality or transgender-related topics that are relevant to his coursework.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I want to engage in the subject during a mock simulation on how we\u2019re gonna go about containing, mitigating, and preventing the spread of HIV, I have to be conscious of what I say to make sure I don\u2019t offend anyone in the way that I propose my solution to it,\u201d Barrick told The Federalist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barrick is also president and chair of the UMN\u2019s Young Americans for Freedom chapter and says the policies affect the ability of their group to express their conservative beliefs or invite certain speakers to campus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe really enjoy bringing speakers on campus, and if we wanted someone to come speak on detransition or <a href=\"https:\/\/yaf.org\/people\/chloe-cole\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/yaf.org\/people\/chloe-cole\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chloe Cole<\/a> to come in and speak on certain transgender issues or biological sex, or reproductive health or something like that, they could also be in violation of the policy because it\u2019s so vague,\u201d Barrick told The Federalist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">University of Minnesota uses the same policies across its five campuses in the state, which serves about 70,000 students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barrick and YAF aren\u2019t seeking damages. They\u2019re suing for $1 in damages so the policies can ultimately be changed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe just want to change the policy so it accurately reflects what we\u2019re trying to talk about that allows us to engage in free speech in a correct way that ensures liberty for us as students to engage in good political discourse,\u201d Barrick said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Libby Bandelin is a reporting and editing intern at The Federalist with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.   A recent graduate from Dordt University, she earned her B.A. in communications with an emphasis in journalism and a minor in criminal justice.   In college, she served as chief editor for her student newspaper, and her writing won third place in the 2026 Cordell Prize.  She&#8217;s also attended journalism intensives with WORLD newsgroup and Alliance Defending Freedom.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Libby Bandelin<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LibbyBandelin\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@LibbyBandelin<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/elizabeth-bandelin\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/chloe-cole\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Chloe Cole<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dei\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">DEI<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jackson-barrick\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jackson Barrick<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pronouns\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">pronouns<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/slf\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SLF<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/southeastern-legal-foundation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Southeastern Legal Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/title-ix\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Title IX<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/transgender\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">transgender<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/university-of-minnesota\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">University of Minnesota<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/yaf\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">YAF<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/young-americans-for-freedom\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Young Americans for Freedom<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jackson Barrick sues UMN over free speech restrictions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4334,"featured_media":2627381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/UMN-NorthrupMall-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5152,40890,50422],"class_list":["post-2627380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-education","tag-gender-policies","tag-student-rights"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/UMN-NorthrupMall-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4334"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2627380"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2627384,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627380\/revisions\/2627384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2627381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2627380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2627380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2627380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}