As the state’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, OutFront Minnesota has worked to advance LGBTQ equity and power building in Minnesota since 1987 through political advocacy, community organizing, educational training, and abuse and violence prevention.

The election results and the stream of executive orders following the inauguration have taken a toll on LGBTQ communities across the country, including those in Minnesota. Executive Director Kat Rohn says there has been an uptick in calls to OutFront Minnesota’s helpline, with people reporting violence, discrimination, and bullying in school settings, as well as overall sense of fear and panic about potential loss of federal protections, access to gender-affirming healthcare, and basic fundamental rights.

While not shielded from changes at the national level, Minnesota’s LGBTQ communities have some advantage over neighboring states thanks to strong legal protections such as the Trans Refuge Law. Rohn credits decades of work to advocate for these protections and to, more broadly, build a culture of care and support for LGBTQ communities in Minnesota with helping them weather the initial barrage of executive action and put them in a better position to defend against what comes next.

Hear how OutFront Minnesota is supporting LGBTQ communities and leaning into its relationships with faith leaders in this moment.