A new watchdog report concludes that Gov. Tim Walz's administration paid out roughly $500,000 in taxpayer money in what was essentially a “sue and settle” scheme by left-wing interest groups representing transgender prisoners.
According to public records viewed by taxpayer watchdog group OpenTheBooks.com and first published by the New York Post, Walz's office allocated nearly $200,000 to Gender Justice, a progressive legal nonprofit focused on “gender equality,” one year after the office filed a sex discrimination complaint against the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC).
The lawsuit alleges that the DOC discriminated against a biologically male inmate named Christina Lusk by not placing her in a women's prison and by denying her request for sex reassignment surgery.
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Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, said the records of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, demonstrate that they are undermining parental rights in America. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Before his arrest in December 2018, when he was charged with methamphetamine possession and sentenced to five years in prison, Rask underwent hormone therapy and sought “bottom surgery” to remove his male genitalia.
As of January 31, Rusk has been released from state custody and is under supervision. The settlement agreed to in the case was split between the three parties for a total of $495,000. Rusk received $245,903.72, Gender Justice received $198,000, and Robbins Kaplan LLP received $51,096.28 in attorneys' fees.
According to records provided by OpenTheBooks, Gender Justice received $448,904 in 2023, including payments from DOC and $5,000 from the Minnesota Department of Education, though details about the latter amount were not reviewed.
The settlement also resulted in policy updates that avoided the legislative process, with the Minnesota Department of Corrections agreeing to adopt the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care for treating inmates with gender dysphoria at taxpayer expense.
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The law firm involved, Robbins Kaplan LLP, has donated more than $22,000 to the Walz campaign for governor, including a contribution from chairman emeritus Elliot S. Kaplan. Gender Justice's board of directors includes members of the Minnesota Department of Health, which is part of the Walz administration.
“This story made headlines when the agreement was first announced, but taxpayers can better understand the settlement and its outcomes by following the money,” OpenTheBooks spokesperson Christopher Neafus told Fox News DIgital. “While taxpayers are understandably accustomed to footing the bill, this agreement also means that Minnesota is changing its policies regarding transgender inmates.”
“It ignores the public input that comes with legislative discussions.”
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Transgender policies have been a contentious issue between those who believe parents should have more control over their children's education and those who believe LGBT students should have the right to decide what they do or don't tell their parents. (Adobe Stock)
The issue of taxpayer money being used to treat and house transgender people in prison has become more prominent in liberal states and cities. Earlier this year, Colorado became the first state in the nation to create separate holding cells for transgender women in its prisons.
after that Class action lawsuit In 2019, several transgender inmates filed a lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) alleging discrimination, harassment and assault. Consent Decree It would bring further reforms to state prisons, including sex-reassignment surgery and hormone treatments.
Some of the plaintiffs who sought judicial approval of the consent decree Murder and assault, According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
In June, health officials Biden Administration According to undisclosed court documents, he successfully asked WPATH to remove the age restriction from its guidelines for sex-reassignment surgery for adolescents.
