Minnesota officials have intensified their push to position the state as a refuge for transgender people, with Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump over federal restrictions on gender-affirming care. Ellison said the state "will not scapegoat the transgender community," arguing that the contested rules threaten access to what he called life-saving medical treatment. Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan echoed that stance, describing Minnesota as a "safe haven" for transgender individuals. Flanagan, speaking at an earlier event while wearing a "protect trans kids" shirt, called gender-affirming procedures "life-saving and life-affirming health care." Minneapolis’s mayor delivered a similar message, underscoring municipal support for broader statewide protections.