It’s not accurate to say Governor Tim Walz wants to put Gender Dolls into Classrooms

Why does this happen? Because outrage generates attention, attention generates influence, and influence can translate into political power. I say the danger is that ordinary ‘us’ begin consuming politics as entertainment rather than examining policies, budgets, results, and leadership. The loudest voices become the trusted voices, even when they are wrong.

By Don Allen

The dolls, called MyGender Dolls, are paper-cutout therapeutic toys with swappable bodies, clothes, and genitalia. They’re designed for kids ages 4 to 10 who are transgender or gender diverse, to help them explore and express their gender identity in a clinical setting. 

The project started at the University of Minnesota’s Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health . It began as an idea from psychologist Rachel Becker-Warner . The main creators and leaders who developed it are Dianne Berg, PhD,  and G. Nic Rider, PhD , both faculty in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. They got a small grant, up to $10,000,  from the university’s internal Early Innovation Fund in 2023 to validate and test the tool. 

The creators describe it as a therapeutic tool for licensed professionals, therapists, clinicians, maybe school counselors, not a general classroom toy. They’ve pushed back hard on the viral claims, saying the dolls will not be in public schools this year , users need training, and headlines turned a clinical resource into Minnesota is handing these to 4-year-olds. 

Local news fact-checks and the state Department of Education back that up, it’s a university project, not a state-mandated school program.

 Walz’s connection is indirect. He’s been very supportive of gender-affirming policies, and the Institute gave him an award in 2023 for protecting that care. One of the doll creators helped present the award. Critics tie it to his administration because the university gets state funding. I seriously looked, there’s no evidence Walz personally ordered or funded these specific dolls for schools. 

Right now there’s even a federal investigation from the U.S. Department of​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Education; but who cares?