LGBTQ+ life in Minnesota is a chronological collection of stories that provide a glimpse into the history and sometimes turbulent nature of the LGBTQ+ experience in the state. This curation is not to highlight individual Minnesotans based on their orientation, but rather to present voices of and on the LGBTQ+ community…as it relates to the enduring fight for civil rights, societal achievements, and the act of many in attaining acceptance and inclusion in towns, family, healthcare, church, education, politics, arts, and the workplace.
January 31, 2008 - MPR’s Marianne Combs looks at the growing representation of transgender storytelling in local theater community. Combs highlights the play “Looking for Normal.” It's just one of several stories reaching Twin Cities stages about being transgender.
February 8, 2008 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Ann DeGroot, outgoing executive director & co-founder of OutFront Minnesota. DeGroot shares her thoughts on the most impactful things to have happened in the gay and lesbian movement over the previous two decades.
September 3, 2008 - MPR’s Elizabeth Baier talks with to two gay veterans in St. Paul to see how the so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military has affected their lives, both during -- and after -- their years in the military.
October 13, 2008 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Roger Moe, former DFL Majority Leader, about Allan Spear, former President of the Minnesota Senate, who died at the age of 71.
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.
June 22, 2009 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports that unmarried couples can register as domestic partners in the city of Duluth. The city's official acknowledgement could help some couples qualify for benefits like health insurance that employers typically offer married couples. Duluth becomes the second Minnesota city to recognize domestic partnerships.
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.
January 28, 2010 - As part of MPR's Youth Radio Series, Youth Radio reporter Roy Lee Spearman Jones tells the story of being out on his own as a gay and homeless young man.
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.