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Supreme Court Rules Against Trans Athletes, MN Rules ‘Nah’
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld lower court rulings from Idaho and West Virginia banning trans women and girls from public-school athletics. ''No student-athlete on either side of the issue, whether a biological female or transgender, deserves to be ostracized or vilified,'' writes Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the court, completely contradicting the his ruling, which allows states to ostracize and villainize trans athletes.
In 2024, NCAA president Charlie Barker told a Senate panel that there were “less than 10” trans athletes playing college sports out of over 500,000 athletes total. (He also noted at the time that he was unaware how many of that tiny number were trans women.)
While trans athletes are still legally protected under Minnesota law, openly racist hot mess U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) voiced support of the decision and Gov. Tim Walz and others have been quick to decry it. "In Minnesota, we can continue to treat our transgender athletes and youth with dignity and humanity and respect,” Walz said at a press conference. “We’ll continue to do that, nothing will change there.” No word yet from current senator/gubernatorial candidate Amy Klobuchar.
"The DFL unequivocally supports the rights of trans, non-binary, two-spirit, and intersex people to participate fully in society," Minnesota DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom writes in a statement. "We should be opening doors for trans women and girls—not closing them. Let them play."
“We are forever in solidarity with Minnesota's community of trans girls and women, and we will fight alongside them for equality and inclusion until we achieve it,” write members of the Queer Caucus in a statement.
Businesses in town have also voiced support of trans female athletes. “Sports have always been a place where young people learn resilience and find community,” Minnesota Aurora FC posted on Instagram. "No child should be told that who they are disqualifies them from that experience.” A Bar of Their Own announced that it will be donating $1 of every beer sold from 5–8 p.m. July 1 to Transforming Families.
Minneapolis Punk Merch Shop Unionizes, Sony Shuts It Down
Kings Road Merch is a heavy hitter in the punk merch scene, repping bands like Rancid, Circle Jerks, Converge, and Dropkick Murphys. But Kings Road's relationship with workers has soured since Sony Music purchased the business in 2025. According to longtime employee Cesar Esparza, who works in the Minneapolis shop, the pay is dismal, coupled with late payments for overtime and an over-reliance on temps working 40-hour weeks. So workers organized with the Teamsters Local 970 and went public with their union in April. On the first day of bargaining, Sony announced it would shutter the facility.
“I thought they’d recognize us out of respect... but they didn’t,” Esparza tells Evan Minsker for see/saw. “I was like, ‘Man, fuck these fools!’”
Union reps say they plan to fight the closure. Meanwhile, the Dropkick Murphys have shown up in the Minneapolis crew’s Instagram comments, writing: “We stand with you all. Thank you for all you’ve done for us all these years.”
An Ode To… Strip Malls?
Is there a single aspect of Twin Cities living that Bill Lindeke can’t expound poetically on? Apparently not, because this week he’s talking up local strip malls in MinnPost, those often overlooked blocks of commercial real estate where you might find all kinds of gems: cute liquor stores, delicious take-out restaurants, and a well-stocked DSW. Writes Lindeke:
Urbanist orthodoxy tends to criticize strip malls for their wasteful land use and the fact they prioritize parking over walkability. That is all true, but at the same time strip malls offer something precious these days: affordable, small-scale commercial rents. That makes them important spaces, particularly in suburbs where commercial land-use zoning is rare.
Some of Bill’s favorites includes a Raymond Avenue strip mall in St. Paul, which boasts a Pump N Munch with a Lebanese deli inside and Pho 79 next door. He even plugs a Racket article that raves about Kevan’s Penn Lake Roast Beef, which sits at a nondescript Bloomington strip mall. (Racket editor Em Cassel buys her broomball gear next door at Instant Replay Sports.) Meanwhile readers sing praises for Lexington Plaza in Roseville and the Miracle Mile in St. Louis Park.
We’re Up for An Award
I’m not talking about Racket; I’m talking about you, me, and the entire city of Minneapolis. I leave you today with this bittersweet Fourth of July shoutout from The Nation on why it has nominated our municipality for a Nobel Peace Prize. Writes The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel:
By protecting their community in the face of state violence, racial profiling, and violations of due process, the people of Minneapolis embodied values America often touts but too frequently fails to realize. Minneapolis proved that, at our moment of crisis and conflict, dissent is among the truest forms of patriotism. After all, as Dr. King reminded the world in his final speech, "the greatness of America is the right to protest for right."
