title
Celebrating the 2026 LGBTQIA2S+ Pride month
body
WHEREAS, the existence of LGBTQIA2S+ people in Minnesota predates the arrival and establishment of Minnesota as a state by European settlers whose colonization and assimilation policies have sought to force conformity to rigid and Western gender and sexual binaries; and
WHEREAS, the month of June is recognized and observed as Pride month in commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, where Black and Brown LGBTQIA2S+ people resisted police violence and ignited a movement for human rights; and
WHEREAS, the Stonewall uprising was the culmination of decades of discrimination and criminalization of LGBTQIA2S+ people, and Black and Brown trans activists, including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera led the way for significant progress including the legalization of same-sex marriage; and
WHEREAS, the LGBTQIA2S+ community has sadly long been faced with discrimination based on their identity and expression, and continue to face efforts to erode their rights and quality of life with attacks on health care, education, civil rights, and more; and
WHEREAS, Minnesota added protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in the Minnesota Human Rights Act in 1993, adopted the Marriage Equality Act in 2013, ennacted statewide ban on conversion “therapy” in 2023, and enacted protections ensuring access to gender affirming care and safeguarding patients and providers from out-of-state interference, helping establish Minnesota as a refuge for transgender people seeking care; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul has been a leader in advancing LGBTQIA2S+ equality, including adopting one of thestate's earliest ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1974, extending protections based on gender identity in 2012, and prohibiting conversion therapy for minors in 2020; and
WHEREAS, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, workers, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, advocates, public servants, and community le...
Click here for full text