Outfront Minnesota Community Services
OutFront Minnesota Community Services is Minnesota's largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.
For over 35 years, OutFront Minnesota has advocated for more inclusive LGBTQ+ laws and policies at the state legislature, built more inclusive school environments for LGBTQ+ youth, and provided a helpline and support to LGBTQ+ folks experiencing violence.
OutFront has fought for LGBTQ+ equity since 1987, and our accomplishments are many. In 1993 we led the campaign to pass the Minnesota Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; in 2013 we organized to pass marriage equality; and in 2014 we passed The Safe & Supportive Schools Act, one of the strongest anti-bullying laws in the country.
Even in just the past several years OutFront has made enormous strides in organizing our community members and propelling the movement forward for LGBTQ+ rights in Minnesota. With our support—and after ten years of organizing—Minnesota finally passed a law to ban the harmful practice of conversion therapy. We also helped pass a law to make Minnesota a transgender refuge state, solidifying Minnesota as a bastion of LGBTQ+ rights in the Midwest. On the local level, we also passed municipal policies to make Minnesota more inclusive, such as passing gender inclusion policies in some of our largest school districts.
This is in addition to our educational equity work that supports over 3,000 LGBTQ+ youth with the trainings, resources, and events needed to build safer and more inclusive schools. We also support over 300 victims/survivors with our anti-violence helpline, financial assistance, and advocacy every year.
“[OutFront Minnesota’s] Youth Summit helped me feel more like I can be me and reveal my identity.” – LGBTQ+ youth participant in our 2023 Youth Summit event
These accomplishments are possible because of the experience, scope, and community-based nature of OutFront. Our work is and always will be based in intersectionality, systemic social change, and trauma-informed care. We have been here to secure the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ Minnesotans for over 35 years, and we will continue to do so long into the future.