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.
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.
September 23, 2010 - MPR’s Tom Weber reports that after recent student suicides, there are efforts to change Anoka-Hennepin School District's sexual orientation curriculum policy. The policy states that sexual orientation topics aren't part of the curriculum, and it instructs teachers to remain neutral if the subject comes up in class.
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.
November 19, 2010 - All Thing’s Considered’s Tom Crann talks with Lee Greenfield, former state legislator from Minneapolis, about his friend Senator Allan Spear and Spear's posthumous autobiography "Crossing the Barriers." Spear was one of the first openly gay Americans serving in elected office.
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.
May 19, 2011 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Desiree Shelton, a lesbian highschool senior, about the impact of discrimination and bullying.
May 22, 2011 - MPR’s Tim Nelson reports that after nearly six hours of emotional debate, a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman was approved in the Minnesota House. It was the last legislative step needed to put the question on the statewide ballot in November 2012.
June 14, 2011 - MPR’s Chris Roberts interviews Bob Mould, co-founder of the seminal Minneapolis punk band Husker Du, as well as the hit-making alt rock group Sugar. Mould discusses and reads from his autobiography "See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody." Segment includes various comments from music contemporaries.
August 23, 2011 - MPR’s Tom Weber reports that two lawsuits over the treatment of gay students in the Anoka-Hennepin School District offer something old and something new for legal observers.