MPR Archive presents a selection of stories tied to various the aspects, history, and battles for civil rights of individuals and groups within the State of Minnesota.
June 5, 2009 - MPR’s Sanden Totten reports that while legalized gay marriage is a topic of some states, many in the gay and lesbian community have another issue on their mind - what to do when they get old.
August 21, 2009 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Rev. Anita Hill, co-pastor of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church, about the news that leaders of the nation's largest Lutheran church voted to allow sexually active gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy.
January 7, 2010 - MPR’s Rupa Shenoy reports on advocates push for more end-of-life rights for domestic partners. A 2009 bill that would have protected the rights of surviving members of domestic partnerships to make end-of-life decisions did not pass before the legislative session ended, but advocates hope state lawmakers will support it when they return to the capitol.
May 11, 2010 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that three same-sex couples filed a lawsuit challenging Minnesota's ban on gay marriage. The couples say the ban violates their constitutional rights and that state law should treat their relationships the same as heterosexual couples.
June 2, 2010 - MPR’s Sasha Aslanian reports on Sherburne County Sheriff's deputy use of a stun gun on a detained immigrant and the federal Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency’s relaxation of policy against the use of stun guns on detainees.
July 23, 2010 - MPR’s Sasha Aslanian takes a look at Americans with Disabilities Act, twenty years after it’s enactment in 1990. ADA's aim was to give disabled people the freedom to participate in all realms of life: housing, education, employment and public venues. While there have been many accomplishments in those twenty years, many consider the ADA part of an ambitious social revolution that remains unfinished.
September 16, 2010 - MPR’s Sasha Aslanian profiles Ruth Frost and Phyllis Zillhart, the first lesbian couple ordained without the blessing of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. On Saturday, for only the second time in the country, the Lutheran Church will officially welcome them to its roster of clergy.
November 16, 2010 - MPR’s Sasha Aslanian reports that a student newspaper at a suburban Catholic school has sparked a debate over free speech by criticizing a Catholic DVD and defending gay teens. The DVD denouncing same-sex marriage was sent by Minnesota's Catholic bishops to parishioners prior to Minnesota elections.
February 2, 2011 - MPR’s Laura Yuen reports on the 23rd annual National Conference on LGBT Equality being held in downtown Minneapolis. As part of report, Yuen talks with longtime local gay residents Tom Trisko and John Rittman, who see acceptance toward gay and lesbian couples having broadened beyond their imagination in the past three decades.
May 11, 2011 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports that a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota is one step closer to being on the ballot next year, after the Minnesota Senate voted in favor of the measure, which would ask voters to define marriage in the state Constitution as between one man and one woman.