The Department of Education is investigating the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) over the potential use of transgender dolls in schools. The investigation was launched Wednesday in response to complaints about "MyGender Dolls," a product designed to encourage transgenderism through the use of toy dolls.
Group demands federal investigation into trans dolls with removable genitalia that will soon hit Minnesota classrooms https://t.co/XevwNW2fWD pic.twitter.com/FJkbbCm1XL
— New York Post (@nypost) July 28, 2026
Earlier this week, controversy erupted after multiple outlets reported that transgender dolls with interchangeable genitalia would be debuting in Minnesota classrooms this fall, funded by taxpayer dollars. The dolls reportedly originated as a University of Minnesota project through its medical school, which receives $15 million in state funding. An undisclosed amount is also dispersed to its Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, which has a total budget of $1.4 million. The dolls became a marketable product, called MyGender Dolls, marketed to "professionals who support trans and gender diverse children in clinical and educational settings."
The Department of Education is investigating to ensure the MDE is in compliance with the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), which restricts federal funding for schools that force students to engage in activities forcing them “to submit to a survey, analysis, or evaluation” on their “sex behavior or attitudes." The amendment is targeted at preventing schools from hiding name and pronoun changes from parents, as well as transition plans. A complaint filed by parents through Defending Education prompted the federal investigation by highlighting potential violations of multiple federal policies.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon called out progressive, pro-transgender Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a statement.
"While Governor Walz and the radical left continue to funnel taxpayer dollars to perverted ideologies that can harm children, the Trump Administration is fighting to protect children’s innocence and defend parents’ role as the first and primary decision-makers in their child’s education," she said.
In 2023, Walz received the "Distinguished Sexual and Gender Health Champion Award” from the University of Minnesota's Institute for Sexual and Gender Health.
McMahon continued, saying, “No four-year-old should be exposed to such material – especially without a parent’s knowledge or consent. ED will enforce the law to its fullest extent, putting parents and families firmly in the driver’s seat of their child’s education.”
Emily Buss, the Communications Director for Minnesota's Department of Education, disputes the claim about the dolls being used in schools, calling it "patently false." "The paper-cutout dolls will not be implemented in Minnesota K-12 public schools. They are intended for use by licensed professionals and clinicians. This is a University of Minnesota-led initiative, and the Minnesota Department of Education is not involved," she said.
The MyGender Dolls website explicitly states that the dolls are a "first-of-their-kind therapeutic play approach designed for gender diverse children ages 4–10."