MINNEAPOLIS - Attorneys for a Wisconsin boy who wants to compete with his high school dance team have filed a federal civil rights complaint after the Minnesota State High School League barred him from championship competition.
Fifteen-year-old Kaiden Johnson attends Superior High School in Wisconsin. The school allows him to dance with the team. Johnson was told he couldn't compete with his team in competitions in Minnesota because that state doesn't allow boys on high school dance teams.
The Pacific Legal Foundation announced in a written statement that the complaint was filed Tuesday with the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education. It argues that Minnesota's policy is discriminatory and violates Title IX, which bars sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funds.
“The Minnesota league cannot continue to discriminate by banning boys from competitive dancing,” said PLF Senior Attorney Joshua Thompson. “Title IX’s requirement for equal opportunity for all students, regardless of sex, is crystal clear. Schools cannot tell either boys or girls, ‘you’re the wrong sex, therefore, no dancing for you."
Thompson says Kaiden and his legal team are weighing options for legal action in the courts in addition to our Title IX complaint with the Department of Education.
Johnson says he has loved dancing since he was young, and for years has persevered in the face of taunts from his peers. “When I started dancing at five years old, I knew then and there it was something I really wanted to pursue,” Kaiden said. “I believe everybody should have the right to do what they want and what they love. I don’t believe it should be based on whether you’re a boy or a girl.”
An attorney for the Minnesota State High School League declined comment.
