Reflections on resisting authoritarianism and embracing difference within community from Board Chair Prairie Rose Seminole.

Digging into a year of resilience, joy, and resistance in the face of gender authoritarianism. 

Minnesota has long prided itself on upholding robust protections for both religious freedom and anti-discrimination. But a dangerous shift is taking place in our state and across the country: personal religious beliefs are being systematically weaponized to achieve political dominance and dismantle our civil rights.

In light of the North Dakota Supreme Court's decision in T.D. v. Wrigley, upholding the state's cruel ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth, over 300 organizations and individuals signed an open letter urging state leaders to stand up for trans youth's right to thrive. 

In Minnesota, and across the country, personal religious beliefs are increasingly being weaponized to weaken people’s civil rights — threatening their ability to participate in public life, get the health care they need, and keep their jobs and livelihoods.

On June 30, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a devastating ruling in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox, leaving transgender girls behind. Watch our SCOTUS Chat to learn more, or read on for what you need to know.

From bringing a gender justice lens to the ICE OUT movement, to fighting for trans equity in the courts and our communities, here’s what we’re accomplishing together — and what’s to come.

On March 31, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Chiles v. Salazar, dealing a major blow to Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy — a dangerous and discredited practice that harms LGBTQ+ youth.

Across the country — including at the U.S. Supreme Court — courts are being asked whether Title IX protections extend to transgender students. And with those cases, a dangerous lie is being repeated: that Title IX requires schools to exclude trans women and girls in order to “protect” girls’ sports. That’s false. Legally, historically, and constitutionally.

On January 13, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two pivotal cases about transgender students’ right to participate in school sports: Little v. Hecox (Idaho) and West Virginia v. B.P.J. At the heart of both cases is the question of whether state laws that ban transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams violate either Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In a special Trans Equity Training this fall, special guest speaker Rebecca Allen — a community leader, recent graduate from the University of Minnesota’s Master of Public Affairs Program, and a proud parent of two — shared her research on best practices for schools to support trans and non-binary students.

On October 22, 2025, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued a historic, unanimous decision in Cooper v. USA Powerlifting. This ruling not only powerfully asserted the rights of transgender athletes to fully participate in sports, it explicitly affirmed transgender Minnesotans’ dignity and place in our state. We invited community members to a briefing breaking down this landmark decision and its impact.