On the eve of a pivotal debate in Glasgow about transgender inclusion in schools, and with the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear a landmark case involving a transgender teen athlete from West Virginia, the global discussion over transgender rights and recognition has reached a fever pitch. Legal battles, shifting policies, and passionate activism on all sides are shaping the futures of transgender individuals in education, sports, and even international travel.
Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 15-year-old from Bridgeport, West Virginia, has become the face of one such fight. Her journey began at age 13, when she challenged a 2021 West Virginia law that banned transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports. As reported by Outsports, Pepper-Jackson’s legal battle has lasted nearly five years, with the law initially upheld on appeal but later blocked from implementation by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Now, her case is set to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, placing her at the heart of a national debate.
“I play for my school for the same reason other kids on my track team do — to make friends, have fun, and challenge myself through practice and teamwork,” Pepper-Jackson said in a statement shared by the ACLU, part of her legal defense. “And all I’ve ever wanted was the same opportunities as my peers. Instead, I’ve had my rights and my life debated by politicians who’ve never even met me but want to stop me from playing sports with my friends.”
Pepper-Jackson’s achievements are not just legal or symbolic. She became the first out transgender high school student in West Virginia to compete at a championship level, earning a bronze medal in the Class AAA girls discus event. Her mother, Heather Jackson, has stood by her side throughout the ordeal. “I’ve always raised my children to stay true to themselves, no matter what anyone else tells them,” Heather Jackson told Outsports. “I’m so proud of Becky and the young woman she’s becoming, one who is hardworking, kind, and a team player. My daughter and every transgender kid like her deserves the freedom to be themselves and a future where no one is discriminated against just because of who they are.”
The law that Pepper-Jackson is challenging has been a cornerstone of West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey’s political platform. Morrisey, who was the state’s attorney general when the law was passed, has been outspoken in his opposition, even referring to Pepper-Jackson as a “hulking male” during her middle school competitions.
While the United States grapples with these issues, the United Kingdom is facing its own battles over transgender rights, particularly in education. On Saturday, November 15, 2025, the Scottish Union for Education (SUE) will convene a conference in Glasgow to debate the promotion of what critics term “transgender ideology” in Scottish schools. According to the Scottish Daily Express, the event will feature Marion Calder from For Women Scotland (FWS), a group that recently won a UK Supreme Court ruling defining “woman” in the Equality Act as biological sex, not acquired gender.
Dr. Stuart Waiton, SUE’s chair and a sociology and criminology academic at Abertay University, has been vocal about his concerns. “Helped by LGBT Youth Scotland clubs in schools and the purported ‘anti-bullying’ charity Time for Inclusive Education – and despite the UK Supreme Court ruling clarifying the legal definition of ‘woman,’ and the doubts cast by the findings of the Cass Review of gender identity services for children and young people – transgender ideology continues to be promoted in Scottish schools,” he said, as quoted by the Scottish Daily Express. The conference aims to address broader educational issues as well, including behavior, attainment gaps, and curriculum, with input from parents, teachers, and experts.
The tension in schools is not merely theoretical. In the Highlands, parents at a primary school recently raised concerns about a planned gender workshop. The school responded by canceling the workshop with Time for Inclusive Education (TIE), as reported in SUE’s November 6 newsletter. The debate over how inclusive education should address gender identity is far from settled, with both sides expressing deep concerns about the impact on children’s well-being and rights.
Amid these debates, government communications themselves have come under scrutiny. A leaked document revealed that civil servants in the UK were instructed to view women’s rights protests as anti-trans, according to a report published on November 14, 2025. The leak underscores the underlying tensions between advocates for women’s rights and those championing transgender inclusion, highlighting the complexities government officials face in managing public discourse and policy.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the Supreme Court’s recent decision on passport policy has sent shockwaves through the transgender, nonbinary, and intersex communities. On November 6, 2025, the Court granted the State Department temporary authority to enforce the Trump administration’s passport ban, which prevents transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people from obtaining passports with gender markers that match their identity rather than their sex assigned at birth. This move reversed earlier injunctions that had allowed such individuals to receive passports reflecting their gender identity.
According to Them, the new policy requires applicants to provide original birth certificates or equivalent documentation showing their sex assigned at birth when applying for or renewing a passport. Even those who have legally changed their name will see only the gender marker revert to their birth sex; court-ordered name changes will still be honored. Jon W. Davidson, a senior counsel for the ACLU, explained, “People who have a valid passport should not seek to renew it or to change the name on it unless they are willing to be given a passport with a sex marker reflecting their sex assigned at birth.”
The State Department has not announced plans to confiscate passports with X or other non-binary markers, and currently valid passports remain usable until expiration or invalidation under federal regulations. As of November 14, 2025, there have been no reported incidents of travelers being detained or denied entry due to gender markers differing from their sex assigned at birth, according to Lambda Legal. The agency’s updated travel webpage clarified: “A passport is valid for travel until its date of expiration, until you replace it, or until we invalidate it under federal regulations.”
For intersex individuals, the situation remains particularly murky. The ACLU has noted a lack of guidance for those who do not have documentation with a male or female marker from birth, leaving many uncertain about how the new rules will affect their ability to travel.
What’s clear from both sides of the Atlantic is that the issue of transgender rights—whether in sports, education, or identification documents—remains deeply contested. Advocates for transgender inclusion argue that these policies and laws are part of a broader effort to push transgender people out of public life, as Pepper-Jackson herself warned. Opponents, including groups like For Women Scotland and some educational leaders, contend that such policies undermine the rights and privacy of women and girls and challenge what they see as biological reality.
As these debates unfold in courtrooms, classrooms, and government offices, the lives of real people hang in the balance. The outcome of Becky Pepper-Jackson’s Supreme Court case, the direction of Scottish education policy, and the future of passport rights for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex Americans will set precedents that could shape the next generation’s understanding of gender, fairness, and inclusion.
In a world where legal definitions and personal identities increasingly collide, the fight for recognition and rights is far from over—and the stakes could hardly be higher for those at the center of these battles.
