Reflecting on Gender Justice Action

Gender Justice Action works to advance gender equity through meaningful political action.

Last summer, Gender Justice launched Gender Justice Action (GJA), a 501(c)4 political non-profit organization focused on responding to our country’s national abortion crisis by electing pro-reproductive freedom champions, spearheading real legislative action, and paving the way for Minnesota to lead on abortion access. UnRestrict Minnesota Action is a program of Gender Justice Action.

We are happy to report that the foundation we’re building with Gender Justice Action is already paying off!

In the fall, our first election cycle, we deployed electoral strategies to elect pro-reproductive freedom champions in 9 state races, including the Attorney General’s race. Thanks to our organizers, canvassers, donors, and supporters, we won all but two districts of our targeted races!

Our success was due to the following strategy:

Investing in swing districts: Our groundbreaking organizing team had meaningful conversations on the phone and at the door with thousands of voters in key swing districts where victories were decided by razor-thin margins. We also registered hundreds of new voters and succeeded in turning out a record number of Minnesotans to vote!

Targeting key constituencies: we prioritized BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, voters aged 18-29, renters, and Minnesotans who don’t always show up on election day. Many of the people we contacted weren’t planning to vote, but after talking with us about the stakes in this election and who was running in their district, they showed up, such as:

  • A 20 year old voter in Vadnais Heights who hadn’t previously heard about the candidates in his district but was excited to vote after talking with an UnRestrict Minnesota Action canvasser.
  • In Anoka, a 93-year old renter who said he couldn’t wait to vote for pro-reproductive freedom candidates after talking with our team.
  • A 56-year old man in White Bear Lake, who took pictures of the pro-reproductive freedom candidates so he knew who to vote for in legislative races.

Compelling messaging: We didn’t shy away from bold messaging and hard conversations. We talked with voters about abortion, and it worked. Our field canvass director told us that our messaging led to the most meaningful conversations she’s ever had with voters, and those conversations tipped the election in our favor.

Now that we’ve made electoral gains, the next phase of Gender Justice Action’s work has begun at the Legislature, where we are advancing the boldest reproductive freedom agenda in Minnesota history by drafting bills, developing talking points, training legislators and advocates, mobilizing grassroots support, organizing our Beyond Roe Reproductive Freedom Lobby Day on February 21st, scheduling 1:1 legislator-constituent meetings, and identifying and preparing compelling testifiers – including personal storytellers. At the end of this session, we’re confident that the work of Gender Justice Action and our partners will result in repealing Minnesota’s abortion restrictions once and for all, ensuring protections for patients and providers, and enacting equitable and affordable access to reproductive health care.

Your support has made it possible to advance this work and truly change the trajectory of abortion politics in Minnesota for the next generation. We’re showing up for abortion access like never before and sending a strong message that our right to bodily autonomy belongs to us – and not to politicians.

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Gender Justice Action is a 501(c)4 political organization. Contributions may be used for political purposes and are not tax deductible.

Milestones of Progress

Our organization has celebrated some big wins over the years and we continue to grow in the ways we harness strategic impact litigation, legislative advocacy, and education to push the law forward when it comes to gender equality. Check out what we’ve accomplished, together.