Spring 2025 Letter from the Executive Director

READ THE SPRING 2025 NEWSLETTER HERE

Dear Supporters,

When we look at the state of the nation today, it’s clear that without the work we’ve done together in Minnesota, our communities would be facing unimaginable setbacks.

We’re witnessing a relentless push to roll back civil rights—led by a federal administration eager to return us to a society shaped by white Christian nationalism, where gender, race, ethnicity, and ability determine our opportunities in life. Amid this backward slide, our state-based work has never felt more critical. Thanks to your support, Minnesota has become a North Star for justice—a place where the right to live authentically and make decisions about our own bodies is not just protected, but championed.

Together, we’ve secured landmark victories: Doe v. Minnesota, which struck down unconstitutional barriers to abortion; Lusk v. Minnesota Department of Corrections, which affirmed dignity for transgender inmates; and legislative wins like paid family and medical leave, an end to state funding for crisis pregnancy centers, the Trans Refuge Bill, and more. Without this progress, we would be facing a very different reality today—one where our hard-won rights would be rapidly eroding in the face of national hostility.

But we didn’t get here by chance. Our decision to focus on state-level protections during Trump’s first term put us one step ahead—and it’s paid off. Instead of waiting for change from Washington, we created it right here at home, building a foundation of justice that has held strong, even as the national landscape grows more hostile. Your support made that possible. And with your continued partnership, we’ll ensure this progress endures no matter the challenges ahead.

This year marks Gender Justice’s 15th anniversary. Since 2010, we’ve accomplished so much, but there is still more to do. The attacks on our rights and freedoms don’t stop at Minnesota’s borders. That’s why we’ve expanded into North Dakota, challenging unconstitutional bans on gender-affirming care and abortion and bringing our proven state-based litigation model to communities that need it most.

In Minnesota, our work is far from over. We’re more committed than ever to securing gender justice and equality—starting with the Equal Rights Amendment. This is the cornerstone of our strategy to make our progress permanent. Through our new, powerful coalition—Minnesotans for Equal Rights—we’re keeping up the momentum to pass the ERA as soon as possible.

Alongside our partners in UnRestrict Minnesota, we’re also advancing strategies to make access to abortion and reproductive health care truly real. The infrastructure in Minnesota is still not enough to meet the needs of patients coming from across the region, and the attacks on abortion have not stopped.

We’re also in the thick of the “debate” on trans equity in sports, as we await a monumental decision from the Minnesota Supreme Court in Cooper v. USA Powerlifting. It’s painful to watch the powerful rise of the far-right on a wave of anti-trans hate disguised as concern for women’s rights. We cannot achieve equal rights for all while leaving transgender people behind, including their right to participate in sports. I hope you’ll take a moment to read the piece in this newsletter laying out why this issue matters so deeply to us at Gender Justice.

We believe the states hold the key to creating a future where all people are respected and treated with dignity. We can’t pull out of this slide toward authoritarianism by looking to national solutions alone. State by state—including those some have written off—we must protect and build the country we want to live in again. Together, we can fight back against hate and corruption and build a future rooted in our most fundamental values: equity, justice, empathy, acceptance, dignity, opportunity, and freedom.

This newsletter highlights the recent progress we’ve made together, but it also marks the beginning of our next chapter. With your continued support, we will keep fighting and advancing, making sure that the progress we’ve made stands firm, no matter what lies ahead.

Thank you for standing with us for the last 15 years. Let’s make some good trouble together as we embark on the next 15 years.

Warmly,

Megan Peterson
Executive Director

READ THE SPRING 2025 NEWSLETTER HERE