You’ll notice a theme running through most of the news we’re reporting here this week: People everywhere, from places you might not ever expect, are stepping out against the far-right’s anti-trans agenda. There’s a lot going on, so let’s just dive in.
The Supreme Court Will Soon Make a Big Decision on Trans Athletes
It was difficult to decide what to highlight as the main story for this week. Considering the Supreme Court is currently poised to hear and decide on the future trans athletes this month, I think it is most appropriate to highlight what’s happening, who’s involved, and what the outcome of this case might be.
The case began as a lawsuit against the state of West Virginia for banning a young trans girl, Becky Pepper-Jackson, from participating on the sports team aligned with her gender. As a result of the ban, Lambda Legal and Cooley LLP, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the ACLU of West Virginia “filed a lawsuit on behalf of Pepper-Jackson and her mother challenging the ban on the grounds it violates her rights under Title IX — the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in public schools — and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.”
The lawsuit has been bouncing from one court to another in West Virginia since 2021, with Pepper-Jackson and her lawyers coming out triumphantly then being shut down again by appeals to the courts from the state. In June 2025, the state of West Virginia asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the case once and for all, and they decided to put it on the docket for ruling this year.
Over the course of this month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments from both Pepper-Jackson’s lawyers at the ACLU and the lawyers representing the state of West Virginia. According to the ACLU, “The court is likely to rule on whether the state bans targeting transgender students violate either Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause.” And that decision could have wide-reaching outcomes for every aspect of trans peoples’ lives.
Although it might seem like the fate of only trans athletes is at stake here, the ACLU reminds us that this case is about much more than that:
“What we don’t know–and won’t know until that ruling is handed down–is whether that ruling will be narrowly tailored to the context of athletics or implicate a broad range of rights for transgender people. […] Depending on the precise language of the court’s ruling, it could likewise implicate our fight for equality in those contexts and potentially many more, like our access to health care and our safety while incarcerated. This is why, even though the number of transgender students in athletics is small, their right to play has become a central focus of politicians who want to push transgender people out of public life altogether. Their hope is that a Supreme Court ruling against the rights of girls like Pepper-Jackson will allow them to discriminate against transgender people in many more contexts and, eventually, deny us our freedom to be ourselves entirely.”
It’s hard to remain hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court will do anything that actually protects the rights of trans people, but no matter what, this is something we should all have our eyes on in the coming days. Either way, we have a long way to go before we’re truly safe anywhere in this country, and the work to bring that to fruition should never stop.
Some Good Trans News For Once
New York City schools sue over federal grant cuts tied to transgender policies. New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) refused to reverse their policies regarding trans students, and the U.S. Department of Education threatened to pull their funding as a result. Now, NYCPS is taking the administration to court over it. Since I just became a teacher in NYC in August, all I have to say to this is “Let’s fuckin’ go.”
Trump erased trans & queer history from Stonewall. Lawmakers are fighting to get it back. Earlier this week, over 70 House Democrats began a campaign demanding that the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service reverse the anti-trans changes they made to the Stonewall National Monument. They called the changes a “blatant attack on the integrity of public history.” Democrats being useful…that’s a refreshing change of pace.
MIT rejects Trump’s bid to institute trans bathroom, athletics ban. After all of the capitulating to Trump’s agenda that many institutions of higher learning have been doing, it’s great to see MIT President Sally Kornbluth writing letters to the Department of Education that a take a stand for her trans students and faculty and include the sentences “In our view, America’s leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence. In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences.”
Richmond nonprofit He She Ze and We expands support network as transgender Virginians face barriers to care. Here’s another beautiful installment in my unofficial “The South is Always on the Forefront of Fighting for Civil Rights” series here at Autostraddle.com.
Fencer sues USA Fencing, U.S. Olympic Committee over trans sports ban. I know you’re probably thinking, “Damn, I can’t believe they’re even banning trans people from fencing.” But they sure are trying. However, trans U.S. Olympic Fencer Dinah Yukich isn’t backing down against the new policies put forth by the U.S. Olympic Committee earlier this year.
Muslim legislator running for governor says Georgia deserves leaders who reject scapegoating trans people. Again, the South is really showing up for trans rights this week. This time, it’s Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman, the first Muslim woman and first Palestinian American elected to Georgia’s General Assembly, telling her constituents to stop letting politicians — any and all politicians from either party — take aim at trans people who are simply trying to live their lives. Romman told The Advocate: “I think in particular now more than ever, we need to be showing support for those the Trump administration has been targeting. Especially if you’re an elected official, this is the time to show up. Sometimes showing up really is the only thing we can do, but if that’s the only thing, we should be doing it.”
Virgin Islands make history by allowing trans & intersex people to change their gender markers. If you know anything about LGBTQ+ life in the Caribbean, you have to know what a big deal this is for trans and gender non-conforming people living in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is the first official legal recognition of trans people in the USVI, ever. Even better that they’re doing this right in the face of the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on trans people.
Trans news from across the pond:
UK human rights watchdog withdraws much-criticised interim guidance encouraging trans exclusion. We’ve been covering how protesters and lawmakers have been putting on the heat against the UK Parliament and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) since the UK Supreme Court ruled that trans women “aren’t” women. Now, the EHRC is rescinding its anti-trans guidance. I can’t stress this enough: pressure works. Relatedly, I think it’s worth reading about how trans people in the UK are feeling right now and why this battle needs to keep pushing forward.
Trans News I Don’t Fully Know How to Classify
New York Republican breaks ranks to declare trans community is ‘not an enemy or a threat’. New York Republican Mike Lawler of New York’s 17th Congressional District wrote a Facebook post in support of trans people (and conservatives didn’t like it very much).I don’t know, man. I don’t trust any of these people. I guess this is good, right? But why did it take him so long?
Gavin Newsom signs several pro-LGBTQ+ laws, vetoes gender-affirming care and HIV coverage. So, he signed eight very important laws regarding LGBTQ+ rights in California — which is good — but then vetoed the one that would have the most meaningful material impact on trans people in the state. What’s this guy’s angle? Is he still trying to get support from moderate Californians who think trans people deserve nothing? His political games were aggravating at first, but now they’re just boring.
Trans woman who wanted to end her lawsuit due to harassment forced to go through with SCOTUS appeal. I’m putting this here because I can’t figure out if the judge doesn’t want the lawsuit to end because he’s hoping Lindsay Hecox, who initially sued the state of Idaho in April 2020 for blocking her from joining Boise State University’s women’s cross-country team, to win or if he just wants anti-trans policies to be solidified. His statements are inconclusive at this time.
Trans News I Wish I Didn’t Have to Report
Queer and trans immigrants allege forced labor and sexual assault in Ice facility: ‘I was treated worse than an animal’. Even though it’s been well-documented that people who are being held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers are being horrifically abused, this report from the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, LA documents what is happening specifically to queer and trans undocumented people currently in custody. It’s tough to read, but knowing the extent of what’s going on should underline how urgent it is that we stand up for our neighbors in every way we can.
Some health centers in Massachusetts stop trans care for minors. Fenway Health is the newest perpetrator in a longline of capitulators to the Trump administration that we’ve been covering here for months.
Sylvester Stallone’s wife, Jennifer Flavin, reveals shocking theory on rise of trans kids in Hollywood. This is just weird and incredibly unintelligent. Honestly, I’m only including it here because I think it highlights an issue we’ve been seeing here and there for the last almost year since the Trump administration came to power: Irrelevant people everywhere are carving out spaces for themselves by bashing trans kids.
Last Bits of Trans News
Your favorite trans writers here at Autostraddle.com published some great writing the last couple of weeks. Here’s Drew Burnett Gregory on Ryan Murphy’s new disaster, Nic Anstett on the cult slasher film Sleepaway Camp, Autumn Fourkiller taking us into the Further, and a heartwrenching rumination in The Parlour from Nico.
2025 Trans Empowerment Month: Love Transcends. Stand By Trans is celebrating October as Trans Empowerment Month, and the organization has some events planned to help support trans people all across the U.S. It’s worth checking out!
How an unusual nickname helped this video game legend deal with gender dysphoria. This profile of a trans video game pioneer and developer was such a great read. It’s a good reminder of the support and empowerment people can find in the most unlikely spaces.
John Oliver shreds Bari Weiss’ track record in light of CBS News appointment: ‘At best irresponsible and, at worst, deeply misleading’. As a longtime Bari Weiss hater, I really enjoyed watching this. I’m sure you will, too.
‘It’s easier to fight the whole world than to fight yourself’: Why transgender swimmer Lia Thomas wouldn’t change a thing. This short profile of swimming hero Lia Thomas is such a wonderful reminder of why sports matter so deeply to the people who play them, even when if their involvement was tumultuous and difficult at times.
Watch Zohran Mamdani give a Sylvia Rivera history lesson in SOPHIE-soundtracked campaign video. I’ve talked a lot about how much I dislike politicians on this site, and that’s still true. But if for nothing else, Mamdani’s potential mayoral appointment is at least signalling that people are desperately looking for something better when it comes to who is leading us. And you know what? This was fun to watch.
This is Trans News Tracker, a biweekly Autostraddle roundup and analysis of the biggest trans news stories. To support this vital work we do, consider becoming a member.
