‘Locker options’: University risks federal funding with ‘gender-affirming’ message

The state of Minnesota is making headlines again as its major university seemingly flaunts President Trump’s locker room directive by posting prominent signs outside its locker rooms, declaring “Gender-affirming space.”

Liz Collin, a reporter at AlphaNews, posted the signage appearing prominently at the school.

SUBMITTED: University of Minnesota Aquatic Center’s men’s locker room advertises it as a gender-affirming space and states that “trans, nonbinary, gender expansive community members use this space and are welcome in it.”

“Just another example of the U taking a radical left… pic.twitter.com/yIRDUoh0Gv

— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) April 6, 2026

The signs appear to violate Title IX rules put into place by the Trump administration.

Title IX, law since 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance, which includes the University of Minnesota.

The Biden administration tried to expand the policy by including “discrimination” against men pretending to be women and vice-versa – but a federal court struck it down last year.

Also in 2025, Trump signed an executive order to strengthen and reaffirm that gender-fluid locker rooms in federally funded colleges would not be tolerated.

As reported at Not the Bee, posting signs about “gender-affirming spaces” may very well be a violation of this order.