From Monica Meyer, Executive Director, on behalf of OutFront Minnesota

History shows us that movements are born out of seminal moments. The Stonewall Riots, which occurred in 1969, were a flashpoint that gave birth to the movement for LGBT equality. Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in 1955 was a catalyzing event that spurred the Civil Rights movement.

The killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson last August ignited the Black Lives Matter movement which (as stated on its web site) has become “a national call to action and a response to the anti-Black racism that permeates our society. It is an affirmation and embrace of the resistance and resilience of Black people.” 

Within this movement, we see LGBTQ people working with other champions to lead the way towards racial justice. In Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, six of the 11 people, who are being charged for organizing a peaceful protest at the Mall of America, identify as LGBTQ. One of them is OutFront Minnesota staff member Cat Salonek. As she and the other ten leaders fight the unjust charges against them in court on Tuesday, March 10, OutFront would like to take this moment to state publicly that we support and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, locally and nationally. 

Our mission at OutFront Minnesota is to create a state where all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people can be who they are and love who they love without fear of violence, harassment, or discrimination. We cannot achieve equity for LGBTQ people without achieving racial justice. The two movements are intertwined. 

Our Anti-Violence Program has worked with police and in the justice system for years seeking to change systems of oppression that do not value the humanity of LGBTQ people. Many of us know officers; they are our families, friends, colleagues and members of the LGBTQ community. We also have seen how LGBTQ people of color are systematically targeted by current police practices and structural racism. We have heard personal stories from individuals in our community and to ignore their voices would be to turn our backs on the truth that they live. In Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, and the movement nationwide, we see a continuation of the Civil Rights movement, work that was never completed. We see renewed commitment, boldness and courage. We see anger and fear, but we also see hope. No victory for justice is won without actions that create tension and disrupt the status quo. Not marriage equality, not the Human Rights Act, not even the Safe Schools Act to protect LGBTQ youth from bullying. The demands of Black Lives Matter are necessary to dismantle racist systems and achieve the Minnesota we all deserve. 

OutFront stands with Black Lives Matter Minneapolis and calls for lawmakers and politicians to heed their demands of outlawing racial profiling and increasing community oversight of police. We call on our supporters to join us in working for racial justice. We ask you to have courageous conversations with others about what we can do to advance equity for LGBTQ people and racial justice. We urge you to show your support for Black Lives Matter. From the victories we have achieved in the past few years, we know what we can accomplish when we come together. 

OutFront will continue this conversation with our supporters about how racial justice intersects with LGBTQ equity – here on our web site, in E-News and elsewhere. We encourage you to get involved and learn more by attending local events, such as Stand with MOA 11 in Court, Tuesday, March 10 at 8:30am, Hennepin County Building, 7009 York Avenue South, Edina.