Star Tribune
Principal’s LGBTQ+ advocacy not protected by discrimination law, judge rules
A federal judge ruled this week that a middle school principal being an ally for LGBTQ rights does not mean she gets the legal protections of someone in a marginalized group.
U.S. District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Mary Kay Thomas against the school board of Marshall, Minn.
Thomas, formerly a principal in the Marshall school system, sued in 2021 after she said she had been discriminated against because she advocated on behalf of LGBTQ students. She said she faced opposition after ordering a Pride flag hung on the walls of the school cafeteria, and after she helped students establish a Gay‐Straight Alliance.
Schiltz, in his judgment, accepted that Thomas, after her advocacy, was disciplined via suspension, asked to resign and eventually assigned to an administrative position — created just for her — in a small, windowless office.
However, Thomas, as a “straight, cisgender woman,” falls outside of the categories protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Schiltz argued. Title VII protects employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.
“Thomas was discriminated against because of what she advocated, not because of her sex — because of what she said, not because of who she is,” he wrote in his judgment.
He also said that Thomas could not provide an example of a specific instance of anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Her advocacy against bigotry present in broader society was not protected by Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. Title IX aims to prevent discrimination in education, the judge said.
Jeremy Williams, school superintendent for Marshall, welcomed the court’s decision, calling it “well-reasoned” in an emailed statement.
Solventum, the 3M health care spinoff, might be keeping its home base in Minnesota after speculation it could eventually set up its headquarters out of state.
The company is working with the city of Eagan to move into an existing commercial building there and is seeking state support for the major upgrades the campus will need to accommodate upwards of 800 employees working on-site every day.
There was concern Solventum could exit the state after leaving its short-term home on the 3M campus in Maplewood. San Antonio, home of major subsidiary Acelity, was a possible target, and Solventum had not made any pledges to remain in Minnesota.
“Other states (and countries) are generously courting the company to move to their jurisdiction, and the bulk of the company’s business is, in fact, not currently located in Minnesota,” an Eagan City Council resolution read. “The company could downsize its workforce currently located at the 3M corporate campus in Minnesota and move employees to any of the company’s 29 locations outside of Minnesota.”
Instead, the state might keep its newest public company, and the Twin Cities could continue to boast yet another Fortune 500 business.
To make that happen, Solventum is looking for an as-yet-unspecified level of funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), likely many millions given the “large amount of capital investment” needed, according to city documents.
“The assistance to be provided by DEED is appropriate and necessary to retain an existing business in Minnesota,” the resolution said.
Solventum spun off from 3M on April 1 this year. It manufactures a range of medical devices, bandages, dental supplies and other products. The company earned roughly $8 billion in annual revenue when it was a part of 3M.
Two central Minnesota banks are merging to bolster the size and resources of the community institutions.
First State Bank of Sauk Centre and Little Falls-based Pine Country Bank will operate as Pine Country Bank, per a Monday announcement. Regulatory authorities have already approved the merger, which will complete in January.
“We’d be considered an agricultural bank,” said Rob Ronning, CEO of Pine Country Bank. “It makes up the largest portion of our portfolio.”
Ronning said the merged bank’s lending limit will likely increase from $4.1 million to $6.2 million. As of June 30, Pine Country Bank had assets of $244 million and First State Bank had assets of $157 million.
Holding company MidCountry Acquisition, based in Minneapolis, owned and operated both banks and drove their merger.
“They were just looking to get more efficient,” Ronning said of MidCountry’s motivation to combine the financial entities.
Pine Country Bank — which began in 1927 as the Royalton State Bank — has branches in Little Falls, Rice and Royalton. First State Bank has locations in Sauk Centre and downtown Minneapolis. Pine Country has 40 employees while First State employs 15 staffers.
Last week, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point. Ronning is optimistic about the impact of that on the banking industry.
As well-wishers flocked Officer Ikran Mohamed, 4-year-old Amira Shafii raised her little arm in a proud salute — her auntie’s new police cap perched lopsided on her head. The ‘junior officer’ cracked a smile.
Mohamed, dressed in a black hijab, adjusted her newly pinned badge with henna-laced hands. She’d just become the first Somali woman to ever join the Minneapolis Police Department.
“I want to be a role model for girls who look like me, so they can say ‘I can do it, too,” Mohamed, 23, told reporters Thursday night following a graduation ceremony honoring 11 new recruits and 12 lateral hires from other Minnesota law enforcement agencies.
“I’m just very excited to be here and represent my people and my community.”
Amira Shafii, 4, goes around saluting friends and relatives for photos wearing the police uniform cap of her aunt, officer Ikran Mohamed, who became the first Somali woman to become an officer with Minneapolis Police Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 at the American Indian Center in Minneapolis, Minn.. ] AARON LAVINSKY • Aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Mohamed immigrated to the United States from Kenya when she was 10 years old. She previously worked as a corrections officer in Steele County.
Beside her, 27-year-old Officer Lesly Vera also had the power of representation on the mind. Vera became the first non-citizen to serve on the police force Thursday, marking a significant victory for immigration advocates.
Although thousands of lawful permanent residents and DACA recipients already serve in the United States military, many states maintain citizenship requirements for those seeking to become a licensed police officer. But in recent years, as law enforcement agencies across the nation have struggled to replenish their ranks with qualified candidates, a growing number have eliminated that requirement.
In 2023, at the recommendation of the Peace Officers’ Training Board, the Minnesota Legislature changed state law allowing for applicants who are either citizens or “eligible to work in the United States under federal requirements.”
