As a community-supported public awareness campaign, UnRestrict Minnesota is driven by the solidarity and leadership of its community partners. Together, these advocates, health care providers, lawyers, union members, artists, and concerned citizens are advancing every Minnesotan’s right to access abortion care in our state.
Through policy and organizing, anti-violence programming, and educational equity work, OutFront Minnesota works to create a state where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are free to be who they are, love who they love, and live without fear of violence, harassment, or discrimination.
Q&A
Below, OutFront Minnesota’s Executive Director Kat Rohn and 501(c)4 organizer Alex Milton share how share more about OutFront Minnesota’s leadership in advancing protections for LGBTQ+ people across the state, the importance of advocating for abortion access for people of all genders, and the work that lies ahead to move towards full reproductive justice in Minnesota and beyond.
Could you tell us a little bit about your work?
OutFront Minnesota envisions a state where LGBTQ individuals have equal opportunities, protection and rights so they can be free to be who they are, love who they love, and live without fear of violence, harassment or discrimination. We are working toward the day when all Minnesotans have the freedom, power and confidence to make the best choices for their own lives.
We do this work in three ways: we assist survivors of violence through our anti-violence program; create safe and affirming K-12 schools for queer and trans youth through our work in educational equity; and work to create policy change at the municipal and state levels through policy and organizing efforts.
Why is this work important to take on in Minnesota?
More than 50 years after Stonewall, LGBTQ+ rights remain deeply contested in the United States and beyond. State-level policy and organizing work has been instrumental to advancing the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Here in Minnesota we are fortunate to have led the way in advancing protections for our state. OutFront worked to protect the rights of queer and transgender people with our work on the Minnesota Human Rights Act back in 1993, helped pass same-sex marriage into law in 2013, helped pass bills this legislative session to ban so-called conversion “therapy” and make Minnesota into a refuge for trans youth and their failies, and, we’ve been blocking harmful legislation targeting the queer community for several years.
While these wins have been impactful, we have much more work to do. For example, schools in Minnesota are not always accepting of queer and transgender students. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are at higher risk of experiencing violence compared to heterosexual and cisgender people. And there are many opportunities to not only provide essential protections, but to ensure our community has the resources and opportunities to thrive. Our list of goals to protect our community and expand rights for LGBTQ+ people in Minnesota is long, but we are excited to be doing this work.
Why did you join the UnRestrict Minnesota coalition?
Reproductive rights are deeply intertwined with the same concerns around privacy, bodily autonomy, and self-determination that are at the heart of the LGBTQ+ rights movement. OutFront joined the coalition to continue to inform the narrative that abortion access greatly impacts the queer community, that abortion is more than just a women’s rights issue, and that abortion is essential health care for people of all genders.
LGBTQ+ people experience higher rates of violence than those who are not part of the community. A study released last June found that lesbians were 12% more likely to have had an unwanted pregnancy than their heterosexual counterparts. Also, abortion is more than just a woman’s right to choose. Nonbinary people, transgender men, and a variety of people of gender identities can become pregnant. Our community is deeply impacted by access to welcoming and affirming care, and reproductive and sexual health concerns have long been high priorities for the LGBTQ+ community.
What does achieving full reproductive justice in Minnesota mean to you?
Achieving full reproductive justice in Minnesota starts with repealing the remaining restrictions on abortion access in Minnesota. People should feel free to make the reproductive healthcare decisions that are the best for them without needing to worry about harassment or violence from others.
Full reproductive justice should also be judgment-free and free of assumptions based on sexual orientation and gender presentation. For transgender and non-binary individuals, access to affirming care in these spaces remains a space of growth. Transgender men have gone to abortion access rallies and were told it was not their place to chant, “My body, my choice” because others assumed that they didn’t have uteruses. LGBTQ+ people, and particularly trans individuals, continue to face barriers to accessing care and discriminatory practices when they seek care. The importance of medical professionals and abortion providers who are accepting, affirming, and knowledgeable of queer and transgender identities cannot be overstated.
How can people get engaged with your work?
We have plenty of ways for people to become engaged in our work! First, we’re in the process of updating our volunteer program to include multiple opportunities, such as helping us fundraise at drag shows, helping us with events, tabling with us, and more! OutFront always has a wide variety of engagement opportunities.
Another big way people can get involved is showing up! From events at the state Capitol to Pride events around the state, there are so many ways to get involved.
Last, donate. OutFront’s work depends on the support of community members who provide the financial support to advance LGBTQ+ equity in the state of Minnesota.