Julian Applebaum

he/him/his
Class of 2023
Political Science, Legal Studies, English Minor
ACLU of Minnesota

As a Chuck Green Fellow, I worked with the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU-MN) on a project to uphold transgender student rights in Minnesota public schools. I surveyed 332 school districts to see what policies they’ve implemented related to bathroom, locker room, and sports team access for transgender students. After collecting data and researching different legal and legislative mechanism for furthering transgender student rights, I created an advocacy proposal for ACLU-MN attorneys that identified key roadblocks and suggested possible routes forward. In addition, I helped make a presentation for Minnesota judges about the current state of transgender rights and spoke about my work at an event for ACLU-MN donors. 

As a transgender man and aspiring civil rights litigator, this project allowed me to combine my passions and perform tangible, impactful advocacy for transgender rights. This project arose from the ruling for N.H. v. Anoka-Hennepin School District, in which a Minnesota Appeals Court ruled in favor of a transgender student who had been denied access to the locker room aligned with his gender identity. Court victories like this are important, but I learned that what happens afterward is just as crucial. Without advocates doing the follow up work, legal victories may not materialize into actual progress. For my project, I did the necessary investigative work that revealed which school districts are still not protecting transgender students so that ACLU-MN knows where to direct their efforts. After finishing the data collection, I put together an advocacy proposal for increasing the number of school districts with gender inclusive policies. I shared the proposal with my supervisor, who helped me fine tune it, and we began implementing it in the time I had left in the summer. 

Through my project, I learned more about how civil rights law translates into concrete change, how legal non-profits operate, and how school districts make and implement non-discrimination policies. I am grateful for the mentorship I received from my supervisor, who has taken a great interest in my development as a future lawyer and advocate. I hope to build on this experience and continue working in transgender rights advocacy.