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The idea for the Northstar Project came in 1984 from Brian Coyle, Minneapolis' first openly gay city council member, who was inspired by a needs assessment that was successfully conducted within the Boston Gay and Lesbian community. Coyle called for a similar survey in the Twin Cities area.
By 1987, after more than 200 people volunteered their time and effort to create, review, and revise the survey with broad community input, the recently formed Gay and Lesbian Community Action Council (GLCAC, now OutFront Minnesota) conducted the survey and gathered the results of the metro area LGBTQ+ community to create Out and Counted: A Survey of the Twin Cities Lesbian and Gay Community (also known as the Northstar Project).
The results of this survey provided crucial data about the experiences and needs of constituents in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
With growing demand to include the LGBTQ+ community in the Minnesota Human Rights Act, the Governor's Task Force on Gay and Lesbian Minnesotans subsequently was appointed by Governor Rudy Perpich in April 1990. The Task Force was asked to find whether evidence of discrimination against Gay and Lesbian persons in Minnesota existed and, if necessary, to make recommendations to better the quality of life for these Minnesotans.
Task Force Recommendations
- Prohibit discrimination against any person because of sexual orientation.
- Repeal Minnesota laws concerning private consensual adult sexual behavior.
- Require training in understanding homosexuality for persons involved in law enforcement, education, health care, and human services.
- Establish an on-going state commission to continue the work which this Task Force has begun.
Between the work of GLCAC and the Governor's Task Force, community feedback showed that expanded protections in the Minnesota Human Rights Act were necessary.
Through the work of the Northstar Project, GLCAC learned that their work must expand to include not only community services and direct support, but also policy advocacy and systems change.
Minnesota's Human Rights Act was updated in 1993 to include protections for LGBTQ+ Minnesotans; Minnesota's anti-sodomy statute was ruled unconstitutional in 2001, however it was not until 2023 that the statute was formally repealed; and it was also in 2023 when the state legislature created a dedicated Council on LGBTQIA2S+ Minnesotans.
OutFront Minnesota provides trainings to education, health care, and human services organizations to further expand understanding of LGBTQ+ needs and experiences.
The next governor's task force released its report in 1995.
