Starting in July 2025, Minnesota will implement new teacher licensing rules that effectively ban practicing Christians, Jews, and Muslims from teaching in public schools. These rules, passed under the leadership of Democrat Governor Tim Walz, require teachers to affirm transgender ideology and race-based Marxism as part of the licensing process. Without this affirmation, individuals will be barred from obtaining a teaching license in Minnesota, which is necessary for employment in both public schools and private schools that require state certification.
Governor Walz, who now serves as the vice-presidential running mate for Kamala Harris, has a history of controversial education policies, including sponsoring a student queer sex club during his time as a high school social studies teacher in 1999. His administration’s latest move mandates that all teacher license applicants must affirm students’ “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” to receive certification. The new regulations state that teachers must create an environment where various student identities, including gender identity and sexual orientation, are “affirmed and incorporated” into the learning experience.
These sweeping changes were approved by administrative law judges last spring, following reports by The Federalist highlighting the potential impact of these regulations. The changes also extend to universities, which must begin training their teaching students to comply with these anti-Christian requirements by 2025. If they fail to do so, they will lose their ability to offer state licenses to their graduates, effectively cutting off access to most teaching jobs in the state.
Since 2020, Minnesota has required teachers renewing their licenses every five to seven years to demonstrate “cultural competency” in areas like gender identity and sexual orientation. This includes self-reflection and discussion on topics such as “Transgender Students” and “Sexual Orientation,” as well as identifying and addressing “bias” related to race and other politically charged categories. These requirements are set to become even more stringent with the new rules, further marginalizing those who hold traditional religious beliefs.
