WE ARE A NONPROFIT LEGAL & POLICY ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO ADDRESSING THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF GENDER INEQUALITY.
Our mission is broader than women’s rights, standing alone. We fight any discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Today we announced a successful resolution of the lawsuit on behalf Reid Olson, to make sure that health care plans cover gender confirming care. Olson’s mother, Brittany Tovar, initiated the lawsuit in 2020 against Essentia Health and its employee health plan administrator, HealthPartners.
The parties reached a settlement in which Essentia and HealthPartners agree to continue to provide and cover appropriate gender confirming health care as established by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).
“As a powerlifter and a transgender person, I’m no stranger to a challenge,” says Cooper. “I’ve jumped through all the hoops, trying to meet USA Powerlifting’s arbitrary and subjective standards, just to have them respond with an outright ban on transgender women in competitions. At some point you have to say enough is enough. Sport is a human right. Trans rights are human rights.”
Here’s the truth most Minnesotans don’t know: For decades, anti-abortion lawmakers in our state have been quietly passing laws that restrict abortion access, intimidate providers and patients, and increase costs.
This morning, Gender Justice, in partnership with the Lawyering Project, has filed a complaint in Minnesota's Second Judicial District on behalf of two healthcare providers and the First Unitarian Society. We are paving a new path forward for abortion access by demanding the removal of a series of retrograde laws enacted by politicians decades ago that undermine Minnesotans' right to decide for themselves whether to continue or end a pregnancy and to access to safe, legal care.
As you may have heard, today, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights, headed by anti-transgender and anti-reproductive justice activist Roger Severino, has propose new regulations for the health care rights law that was part of Obamacare, also known as Section 2020.
The proposed regulation would take us backwards so that the definition of “sex” specifically excludes transgender people and anyone seeking abortion care. It would undo the regulations from the Obama administration that are only three years old.
Gender Justice was founded in 2020 to break down gender barriers wielding the law as our tool. We’re small, mighty, and swing above our weight – calling out gender discrimination where and when we see it.
And now, we have a new logo and new look!
In January, Gender Justice welcomed former Minnesota state legislator Erin Maye Quade as our new advocacy director. Maye Quade is a longtime champion of women’s, reproductive, and LGTBQ rights, and received national attention for fearlessly speaking out against the pervasive culture of sexual harassment within the statehouse. As a 2018 candidate for lieutenant governor, Maye Quade was the first LGBTQ person - and one of the youngest - to be endorsed on the ticket of a major political party in Minnesota.
We asked Erin to talk about some of her recent experiences and outlook for the coming year.
Some of the fiercest advocates for gender equity are mothers. They fight for their children. They fight for their families. They fight for themselves. Over the years Gender Justice has had the pleasure of calling a number of amazing mothers our clients.
"Jess comes to Gender Justice with years of experience rooting out and dismantling discrimination in our legal system,” said Executive Director Megan Peterson. “In her new role, she will steer our team’s litigation strategy, ensuring that it not only brings justice to individual clients but also advances our mission of breaking down barriers to gender equity. We are thrilled to be joined by this fierce advocate for justice."
If you believe in the groundbreaking work of Gender Justice, Give OUT Day is the perfect time to show your support with a gift. By helping us reach our $6,000 fundraising goal you make it possible for us to break down the gender barriers holding trans and nonbinary folks back from thriving in the world.
Discrimination based on sex, gender, or sexual orientation harms everyone, no matter how they are perceived or self-identify.
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Happy Pride everyone! 🌈🦄 We’re hanging out in Loring Park all weekend - stop by, say 👋 and learn all about our awes… https://t.co/cfCu45uQNr
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"USAPL created a policy rooted in bias, fear and misinformation — and out of step with the core values of sports, s… https://t.co/h3aJ4bGemV