On October 22, 2025, the Minnesota Supreme Court delivered a resounding affirmation of transgender athletes’ rights, ruling that sports organizations cannot discriminate based on gender identity. The decision, stemming from the closely watched Cooper v. USA Powerlifting case, marks a watershed moment for equality in sports and public life—and it arrives amid a climate of mounting anxiety among transgender communities, both in the United States and abroad, about institutional trust and legislative threats.
The Minnesota Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling clarified that the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) extends full protections to transgender athletes. In essence, the court declared it unlawful for any sports organization within the state to exclude or treat transgender participants differently because of their gender identity. This interpretation, the court explained, goes beyond the narrower confines of previous legal decisions such as Goins v. West Group, which the justices said applied only to employment-related discrimination and not to broader public accommodations like sports.
Jess Braverman, Legal Director at Gender Justice, one of the organizations representing plaintiff JayCee Cooper, underscored the far-reaching implications of the judgment. “This decision reinforces that transgender individuals should enjoy public spaces in Minnesota, free from discrimination,” Braverman said, as reported by local outlets. The ruling, she added, sets a precedent that extends well beyond the boundaries of the athletic field, sending a clear message that Minnesota’s anti-discrimination laws must be upheld in all public accommodations.
Cooper v. USA Powerlifting brought together a formidable legal team, including Gender Justice, Nichols Kaster PLLP, Schlesinger PLLC, and Premo Frank, to challenge policies that had barred Cooper, a transgender powerlifter, from competing. Their victory is being hailed by advocacy groups as a beacon of hope at a time when anti-trans legislation is proliferating across the United States. According to Gender Justice, the fight is far from over: “Anti-trans legislation is prevalent across the United States, threatening the rights of transgender individuals,” Braverman warned, emphasizing her group’s ongoing commitment to “advocating for a future where everyone can thrive without fear of discrimination.”
The Minnesota Supreme Court’s ruling lands as a rare bright spot in a national and international landscape that, for many trans people, feels increasingly hostile. In the United Kingdom, a recent YouGov poll commissioned by the Good Law Project has laid bare a crisis of trust between trans communities and major public institutions. Conducted between July 23 and August 11, 2025, the survey of 457 trans, non-binary, and intersex adults found that 91% distrust the Labour Party on trans rights—a figure only marginally lower than the 96% who distrust the Conservative Party. This level of skepticism stands in sharp contrast to YouGov’s broader tracker, which found that 62% of the general public viewed Labour as untrustworthy.
The poll’s findings arrive at a pivotal political moment, as Labour’s deputy leadership race narrows to Lucy Powell and Bridget Phillipson. Phillipson, the current women and equalities minister, has drawn criticism from trans rights advocates for endorsing a strict interpretation of a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the legal definition of “woman.” She has stated that the government is “working to protect single-sex spaces based on biological sex,” a stance that, according to many activists, legitimizes exclusionary policies. The Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) initially issued interim guidance following the Supreme Court ruling, but was compelled to withdraw it under legal pressure from the Good Law Project. Despite this, many organizations had already begun implementing policies based on the withdrawn guidance, further eroding trust among trans individuals. Sixty percent of trans respondents in the poll said they distrust the EHRC.
The Labour Party’s recent policy moves have also drawn fire. Among the most controversial are Wes Streeting’s ban on puberty blockers and the party’s retreat from a previous pledge to simplify the gender recognition process. Jo Maugham, executive director of the Good Law Project, did not mince words in his assessment: “Labour knows the jeopardy trans people endure. Before the election it promised to ‘remove indignities for trans people who deserve recognition and acceptance’. But in government it has lined up alongside the Tories and Reform UK at the cruelty Olympics.”
The YouGov poll paints a bleak portrait of institutional trust well beyond the political arena. Only 25% of trans respondents said they trust the police, and just 31% expressed confidence in judges and the legal system. Trust in the police has nearly halved since 2022, when it stood at 41%. The NHS, despite its own challenges, emerged as the only institution with majority trust: 72% of respondents said they trusted the NHS, even though 59% reported difficulties accessing healthcare. A recent QueerAF report highlighted the scale of these challenges, revealing that many trans people wait more than a third of their adult lives for a first appointment at an NHS gender clinic.
These findings echo concerns raised by advocates in Minnesota and across the U.S., who warn that legislative and policy changes can have chilling effects on the lives of transgender individuals. The Minnesota Supreme Court’s ruling, by affirming the right to participate in public life without discrimination, stands in stark contrast to the wave of anti-trans legislation sweeping other states and countries. Yet, as Braverman and others caution, legal victories must be backed by cultural and institutional change if they are to lead to lasting improvements in people’s lives.
For many, the juxtaposition of Minnesota’s progressive ruling with the deep mistrust revealed in the UK poll underscores the complexity of the struggle for trans rights. Legal advances can offer hope, but they do not erase the lived realities of exclusion, skepticism, and bureaucratic hurdles that trans people encounter daily. The sharp decline in trust in the police and judiciary, as well as the persistent difficulties in accessing healthcare, highlight the need for reforms that go beyond the letter of the law.
As the dust settles on the Minnesota decision, advocates are watching closely to see whether its spirit will inspire similar reforms elsewhere—or whether it will remain an outlier in a world where, for many, equality is still a distant promise. The ruling is a milestone, but the road ahead remains long and uncertain. Transgender communities, their allies, and legal advocates continue to press for a future in which rights are not only recognized in courtrooms, but also respected in every aspect of public life.