Today, after much discussion and argument, the Minnesota State High School League voted to pass a new policy outlining the permission of transgender students to play on the gendered sports team of their choosing. The decision had originally been scheduled for October, but was tabled.

Eighteen out of 20 MSHSL board members voted in favor of the new set of guidelines.

According to the policy, transgender athletes must submit a variety of paperwork, proving their gender identity and other such information, then be approved by school administration and/or other officials, before being accepted onto a sports team. The students’ pronouns and identity must be respected by the school.

The room was packed full of supporters and opposers of the decision, all speaking for their respective sides.

Groups such as the Minnesota Child Protection League actively protested it, and took action such as paying for full-page advertisements in the Star Tribune, and submitting a petition to pass a different policy.

However, many people supported the policy, and spoke at the board meeting, calling for equal rights for all students. “This is something that I feel so many people have been fighting for for so long. The passing of this will change the lives of so many transgender people who are going through hell,” said Elliott Kunerth, a transgender Mankato student, as The Pioneer Press quoted on its website.