OutFront was founded in August 1987 and since that time, has been the catalyst for an expansive statewide network of leaders who work for equity and organize for change. We believe that every lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Minnesotan is a vital community member, that we all have intersecting identities, and that the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ Minnesotans is crucial to creating a stronger, more just world. This belief compels us to challenge structural and individual barriers that limit our self-determination and ability to thrive.

OutFront’s mission is to create a state where LGBTQ people are free to be who they are, love who they love, and live without fear of violence, harassment or discrimination. In our effort to make our state a place where all people are valued, we engage in community education, direct service, organizing, and policy advocacy. The overall goals of our work are to: (1) strengthen the movement for LGBTQ equity; (2) develop leaders who can organize others to work toward LGBTQ liberation; (3) win over the hearts and minds of Minnesotans.

Educating the public about our community and our issues to increase the support and understanding of LGBTQ people and to address the inequities our community members’ experience.

Educating the leaders, staff and volunteers of public and private organizations and government to promote inclusion and the equitable treatment of all LGBTQ people.

Expanding leadership development work across the state to support sustainable community-centered base-building, organizing and activism dedicated to working for equity for LGBTQ Minnesotans.

Working with coalition partners to create a durable, broad-based, inclusive movement for economic, racial and gender justice.

Our specific focus areas:
● Eradicate bullying and mistreatment of LGBTQ youth and support youth leadership.
● Eliminate legal barriers and the social and economic disparities among those in our state who are trans and gender nonbinary.
● Fight for racial justice.
● Organize for equity in Greater Minnesota.
● Partner with faith communities on LGBTQ issues to change hearts and minds.
● Eliminate discrimination and social and economic disparities among LGBTQ elders.

OutFront is the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in Minnesota, and one of the largest state-based LGBTQ advocacy groups in the country. We have been leading the fight for LGBTQ equity for more than 30 years.

OutFront works to engage Minnesotans in making our state a welcoming, accepting, and affirming home for all LGBTQ people; defending the gains we have made; and building the power and influence necessary to build on our successes. Through events, media outreach, and online organizing, we educate and engage hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans each year around LGBTQ issues.

In 2018, we trained over 5000 people on advancing LGBTQ equity. These trainings are intersectional and include strategies to address racism, white supremacy, sexism, xenophobia and ableism. We use the trainings as opportunities to support local leaders in organizing and building power to advance equity.

We also partner closely with leaders and changemakers to enact policies to protect LGBTQ people in Minnesota and across the country.

OutFront Minnesota was founded in 1987 to fight for LGBTQ justice and equity. Over the past 32 years we have worked to ensure that our values of liberation and intersectional justice guide our work until full equality under the law and full equity in practice is realized.

One of our organization’s first successes was passing legislation to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people in emplyment, housing, education and public accomodations in 1993, making Minnesota the first state to include protections for trans people. We won marriage by defeating an anti-marriage amendment at the ballot box and passing marriage equality through the legislature in 2013. We ensured that our kids have safe and supportive environments to learn in by passing the Safe and Supportive Schools Act in 2014 and the Trans Toolkit in 2017.

In 2018, through our advocacy and organizing work with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Vehicle Services, we became the second state in the country to provide gender neutral driver’s licenses. This progress follows the success of our work with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Registrar to secure gender-neutral birth certificates.

Recently, we also ensured that insurance providers will cover healthcare for trans Minnesotans by filing complaints with the MN Department of Human Rights and convincing the Department of Commerce and the Department of Health to issue a memo to health care providers informing them that it is discrimination to deny trans-related health care in Minnesota.

We also worked recently with the Department of Labor and Industry to change building codes in Minnesota to mandate that all newly built single-stall restrooms be gender neutral moving forward.