WEBVTT 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.581 Hello and welcome to another episode of Gender Stories. 00:00:36.581 --> 00:00:39.924 I know I'm always thrilled, elated, excited, and that's true. 00:00:39.924 --> 00:00:41.966 I get to talk to the coolest people. 00:00:41.966 --> 00:00:48.792 But today I have some extra gratitude because I get to talk to Leigh Finke during the legislative session. 00:00:48.792 --> 00:00:54.577 And that is an amazing privilege that I'm so grateful, Leigh, that you're here. 00:00:54.577 --> 00:01:02.432 And in case you don't know, dear listeners, Leigh Finke is honored to serve as state representative for District 66A. 00:01:02.451 --> 00:01:08.132 And prior to holding office, she worked as a journalist, media creator, and documentary filmmaker. 00:01:08.211 --> 00:01:13.611 In 2022, she became the first trans woman elected to the Minnesota legislature. 00:01:13.611 --> 00:01:16.931 And that's very exciting for me because I do live in Minnesota. 00:01:16.971 --> 00:01:27.292 During her first two terms in office, Leah subvocated for two-spirit LGBTQIA +, equality, abortion rights, prison justice, and environmental equity. 00:01:27.388 --> 00:01:34.070 She chairs the House Reproductive Freedom Caucus and serves as co-vice chair of the Judiciary Committee. 00:01:34.070 --> 00:01:44.194 In her personal time, enjoys writing, painting, traveling, skateboarding, and organizing community events and exploring Minnesota's parks with her kids. 00:01:44.194 --> 00:01:45.105 So welcome, Leigh. 00:01:45.105 --> 00:01:47.415 Thank you so much for being here with us. 00:01:48.207 --> 00:01:49.612 Thank you so much for having me. 00:01:49.612 --> 00:01:52.640 It's an honor to be here and happy to be here. 00:01:52.733 --> 00:01:58.888 Well, I am so grateful for all the work that you do for us in the state of Minnesota. 00:01:58.888 --> 00:02:07.144 And I would love to start there from one of the things that I love about your work is the cross movement solidarity, right? 00:02:07.144 --> 00:02:19.485 You are obviously, of course, you represent uh our communities so beautifully for trans folks, but you really show up for all of our communities, whether it's our immigrant communities. 00:02:19.485 --> 00:02:23.319 whether it's environmental justice and the threats to our boundary waters. 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:35.697 And so I would really love to hear a little bit more from you about, you know, why do you feel the cross movement solidarity is so important, especially at this specific moment in time politically. 00:02:37.007 --> 00:02:46.588 Yeah, I appreciate starting there because we are in Minnesota and we just survived what we survived with the ice occupation. 00:02:47.367 --> 00:03:03.728 you know, I mean, a lot of this just comes from my background as an organizer and as a journalist and as a person, you know, who got, I got my start politically organizing activism wise in 2003 with the wars. 00:03:04.334 --> 00:03:07.286 the Bush illegal wars, that's kind of where I cut my teeth. 00:03:07.286 --> 00:03:27.019 I was just getting out of college and there was a lot of work being done around uh Islamophobia and this sort of coalescing of othering of our political opponents inside of the United States. 00:03:27.060 --> 00:03:30.603 And as a queer person, that's something that I'm familiar with. 00:03:30.603 --> 00:03:31.913 as I just like. 00:03:32.951 --> 00:03:47.250 I never understood the distinctions between movements for liberation, movements for justice, this idea that, know, uh scarcity model of liberation just doesn't, it doesn't compute, right? 00:03:47.250 --> 00:03:50.202 Like we all move together or we all gonna fall. 00:03:50.202 --> 00:03:58.487 And if we can't see the humanity in our neighbors, and a lot of this for me is kind of built up in a sort of. 00:03:58.935 --> 00:04:03.819 spiritual religious stew that I've kind of been baked in for my whole life. 00:04:03.839 --> 00:04:08.002 But it does like leave me thinking like there is no distinction here, right? 00:04:08.002 --> 00:04:16.528 And when we have neighbors in our communities who are afraid to leave their houses, we have to defend them and fight for them just like we would anybody else. 00:04:18.004 --> 00:04:30.778 I love that and it so resonates with me and maybe it's because I also like my background is community organizing, it's more than just showing up in the streets, at least in my experience, right? 00:04:30.778 --> 00:04:37.180 It's really showing up in community, building relationships and I love everything that you just talked about. 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:40.791 And I think that that's one of the things that sometimes gets lost. 00:04:40.791 --> 00:04:44.502 um in identity politics, it's right, right? 00:04:44.502 --> 00:04:48.353 Like we are focusing on this issue, but all our issues are connected. 00:04:48.353 --> 00:04:55.896 And that's one of the things I love about your work is that you're always very clear that our liberation is truly tied to one another. 00:04:55.896 --> 00:05:02.338 And, you know, I used to live in South Minneapolis and so I kept a close eye on what was happening. 00:05:02.338 --> 00:05:05.079 My heart is still there even though I live in Duluth now. 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:20.632 em The militarized occupation was a lot and actually, given that you mentioned it, I would love to hear kind of how you were impacted and your constituents were impacted and what you saw on the ground in the Twin Cities. 00:05:20.632 --> 00:05:29.338 And I know the occupation is still going on, even though it's not quite to the same scale, but like your experience of those few months. 00:05:29.848 --> 00:05:30.908 Yeah. 00:05:31.549 --> 00:05:35.771 so I represent my district is half of my district is the city of St. 00:05:35.771 --> 00:05:36.201 Paul. 00:05:36.201 --> 00:05:37.811 So some of the neighborhoods in St. 00:05:37.811 --> 00:05:41.913 Paul, and then I have two small little suburbs and a portion of another one. 00:05:41.913 --> 00:05:44.913 So it's, it's, very diverse. 00:05:44.913 --> 00:05:45.905 It's right in the city. 00:05:45.905 --> 00:05:59.954 Um, what's interesting to me is that before operation Metro of surge, we had the very first big workplace raid that ice performed, um, in The Twin Cities was in my district. 00:05:59.954 --> 00:06:02.965 It was at a paper company that was in my district. 00:06:02.965 --> 00:06:15.288 you know, they came in, they took 14 people, they had a judicial warrant for two, you know, and it was like this really like intense close um experience, right? 00:06:15.288 --> 00:06:18.088 And people were there and people got pepper sprayed and the whole thing. 00:06:18.088 --> 00:06:20.920 And then it got really quiet until Metro Surge, right? 00:06:20.920 --> 00:06:22.889 There was one other workplace raid in St. 00:06:22.889 --> 00:06:26.951 Paul about two weeks later, but. 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:31.081 It sort of just felt like, oh, this is what we're going to see, right? 00:06:31.081 --> 00:06:36.194 They're going to do these sort of workplace, we're going to show up, we're going to take people. 00:06:36.194 --> 00:06:37.786 And then they didn't do that. 00:06:37.786 --> 00:06:48.934 You know, they did this other thing completely that was terrifying, obviously, for all of our Black and Brown neighbors, especially our immigrant neighbors. 00:06:48.934 --> 00:06:51.459 I have a lot of Somali folks in my community. 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:56.158 And in my district, I have a lot of AAPI and Hmong. 00:06:56.728 --> 00:07:05.197 people in my community and it just was in a way that's hard to explain. 00:07:05.197 --> 00:07:11.555 uh you know, it was desperate, right? 00:07:11.555 --> 00:07:21.754 I think, I feel like the idea was this, like this desperation for people who were scared and didn't know all of a sudden what they could do, what they couldn't do, so they just stayed in their homes. 00:07:21.754 --> 00:07:26.855 And, you know, we had people getting scooped up when they went to take their garbage out into their alley, you know? 00:07:26.855 --> 00:07:33.588 mean, people don't have this, I feel like people outside of the Twin Cities have read about what we saw, but it was like a legitimate. 00:07:33.588 --> 00:07:37.650 operation that can only be understood as a militarized occupation. 00:07:37.650 --> 00:07:38.870 You use that word, right? 00:07:38.870 --> 00:07:49.504 People in trucks watching alleys, you know, setting up people getting Airbnbs across the street from schools so that they could see when pickups were being done. 00:07:49.504 --> 00:07:57.355 You know, in just in my one district, we had, you know, our networks that were all communicating and it was just like a constant terrorism. 00:07:57.355 --> 00:08:08.091 And then as we saw the responses to the observers, it was a terrorism of everyone, right? 00:08:08.091 --> 00:08:15.295 Then it was like, we're terrorizing people by forcing them into their home and if they come out, we scoop them and, but kidnap them really. 00:08:15.295 --> 00:08:33.677 But then also, you gonna be, once they murdered Renee Good, you know, a queer woman who was out with her wife when protesting what was happening, it just felt like everything had fallen off the rails and everybody was in danger all the time. 00:08:33.677 --> 00:08:40.312 You know, seeing Renee and what happened to Renee and Becca really impacted the queer folks in the community. 00:08:40.312 --> 00:08:45.555 Me and my wife, you know, we had to have real conversations about being in the streets and what does it mean? 00:08:45.555 --> 00:08:57.803 And there was this, this composing of this thing that was just like completely out of control, out of anyone's ability to control, including the feds. 00:08:58.524 --> 00:09:01.865 These are just abusers and violent men. 00:09:01.865 --> 00:09:11.600 acting out in whatever way they wanted, knowing that the president and his cronies would just lie to the public in order to protect them. 00:09:15.303 --> 00:09:23.698 It's very difficult to express what, just as a representative, there are only so many things I could do in that time. 00:09:23.698 --> 00:09:27.382 One of them was help track people who got kidnapped. 00:09:27.382 --> 00:09:27.702 Right? 00:09:27.702 --> 00:09:32.202 So I was actually less in the streets and I was more trying to coordinate with people. 00:09:32.202 --> 00:09:35.299 I got a lot of calls from people who were like, my friend got taken. 00:09:35.299 --> 00:09:36.370 I don't know what to do. 00:09:36.370 --> 00:09:55.565 And so I'd start the little pathway for them to try to find out where they got deported to and how they could get in touch with the federal agencies, you know, talking to Senator Smith's people, talking to Omar Ilhan Omar's people, just like all of this coordinating all of this chaos. 00:09:57.214 --> 00:10:06.033 all of it at the same time, like we just had thousands of people, thousands of people taken from their homes, from their families, a small percentage of them criminals. 00:10:06.033 --> 00:10:06.934 I mean... 00:10:09.079 --> 00:10:10.600 You were here for this. 00:10:10.621 --> 00:10:20.844 was brutalizing on every single level, most of which was on the people who were being abducted and whose families were being destroyed. 00:10:21.722 --> 00:10:22.646 Oh, absolutely. 00:10:22.646 --> 00:10:25.074 It was horrifying and it was so... 00:10:25.074 --> 00:10:26.625 It was so scary. 00:10:26.625 --> 00:10:29.746 you know, it's hard to talk about this without feeling emotional. 00:10:29.746 --> 00:10:33.557 um You know, I'm light-skinned, but I'm an immigrant. 00:10:33.557 --> 00:10:39.160 The minute I open my mouth, especially in Minnesota, where there is always like, where are you from? 00:10:39.160 --> 00:10:40.260 But where are you really from? 00:10:40.260 --> 00:10:48.293 And especially with the militarized ice presence, like my family wasn't letting me go anywhere without somebody with me. 00:10:48.634 --> 00:10:50.846 Because, you know, it's that fear. 00:10:50.846 --> 00:10:54.578 And it was, I don't think it, I think it's hard for people. 00:10:54.578 --> 00:11:07.734 who haven't experienced a militarized ICE presence and also who haven't experienced the system be what it is, because the system is quite hostile in the so-called US to immigrants, at least in my experience. 00:11:07.734 --> 00:11:12.317 I'm a naturalized now, but I've had to deal with the immigration system for a long time. 00:11:12.317 --> 00:11:20.400 And I think one of the things that was hard for me was to see how many people still couldn't believe that the system could be this brutal. 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:38.232 It wasn't hard, honestly, for me to believe the system was this brutal because even with my own privilege around education and how I'm racialized, I still experienced plenty of microaggression from the immigration system over the decade plus before I got neutralized. 00:11:38.232 --> 00:11:44.531 But I think for a lot of American white people, it was really hard to wake up to the reality. 00:11:44.531 --> 00:11:47.399 that this system is brutal, is unjust. 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:50.258 It doesn't really target criminals. 00:11:50.258 --> 00:11:52.443 It's really about reinforcing. 00:11:52.859 --> 00:11:59.831 all the terrible things that we are kind of reckoning with now in some ways. 00:11:59.831 --> 00:12:13.344 that's why I love your work so much, because I think that when you speak publicly, as well as on the floor, during the legislative session, you make those connections. 00:12:13.344 --> 00:12:17.455 It's not just about, oh, here's a few bad apples in ice, right? 00:12:17.455 --> 00:12:21.916 No, it's like the whole system is deeply unjust. 00:12:23.413 --> 00:12:26.112 and it's not working the way that people think it works. 00:12:26.112 --> 00:12:29.626 I don't know if that makes sense, but yeah. 00:12:29.626 --> 00:12:30.538 it does make sense. 00:12:30.538 --> 00:12:51.080 I think, you know, when Metro Surge was at its peak, we, and, you know, Renee got murdered and Alex got murdered and, you know, 3,700 people were deported, ah you know, successfully deported in air quotes. 00:12:51.080 --> 00:13:03.885 uh There was, you know, it was 20 degrees below zero, 55,000 people marched through downtown Minneapolis. 00:13:03.885 --> 00:13:10.427 So there is this notion of like something that happened during that time made it so that everyone did. 00:13:10.427 --> 00:13:12.178 Everyone here understood, right? 00:13:12.178 --> 00:13:24.363 We trained what 20,000 constitutional observers, like the numbers of people who responded and who, and we've always had this organizers always talk about knowing your neighbors and meeting your neighbors and. 00:13:24.363 --> 00:13:25.734 That happened for real. 00:13:25.734 --> 00:13:36.599 Like people for real met their neighbors and they got into signal chats and they learned what their blocks were like and who on their block needed to keep, you know, support. 00:13:36.599 --> 00:13:42.902 em And it was really remarkable, you know, in a way that this isn't silver lining. 00:13:42.902 --> 00:13:45.823 This is just the reality of what happened in response. 00:13:45.823 --> 00:13:49.385 And I think it really does lay the groundwork for. 00:13:50.194 --> 00:13:54.757 And I think that one of the reasons that happened in Minneapolis is because of what happened to George Floyd, right? 00:13:54.757 --> 00:14:03.962 And we had the uh global racial uprising started in Minneapolis and we organized in a way that people were not really ready for what we could do. 00:14:03.962 --> 00:14:09.205 And then this time it was completely maximally larger than that. 00:14:09.245 --> 00:14:12.968 And it was an amazing time. 00:14:12.968 --> 00:14:15.390 I've talked about this with my colleagues, right? 00:14:15.390 --> 00:14:15.979 Yeah. 00:14:15.979 --> 00:14:21.708 It was a terrible time to live through, but it was an amazing time to be in Minnesota at the same time. 00:14:21.708 --> 00:14:25.654 So it was something, you know, they'll write, they'll make movies about this, right? 00:14:25.654 --> 00:14:32.394 Like this was a historic moment in the history of the United States and we should understand it in that way. 00:14:33.084 --> 00:14:40.286 Absolutely, and I think that people really underestimated the level of community organizing on the ground in Minnesota. 00:14:40.286 --> 00:14:45.968 And how much of that is also led by Black and Brown folks and also trans and queer folks. 00:14:45.968 --> 00:14:54.050 And that kind of cross-movement solidarity between trans and queer movements and Black and Brown movements, especially in Minnesota, I feel. 00:14:54.050 --> 00:14:59.413 And so I want to talk about the kind of intersection, but also like... 00:15:00.096 --> 00:15:05.309 what is it that kind of moved you to run from office when you decided to? 00:15:05.309 --> 00:15:16.103 Because I think that I'm seeing a lot of trans and queer folks really rise to like, either running for office or really uh leading in a way that... 00:15:16.103 --> 00:15:25.055 um It's just really beautiful and kind of gives us all, I think, strength as we keep navigating the stimes. 00:15:25.055 --> 00:15:30.679 And so I'm also curious about your personal story, like how you came to step into this role. 00:15:30.679 --> 00:15:38.234 And I know you were already an organizer, but it is a different step, I think, going into politics. 00:15:38.234 --> 00:15:39.053 Yeah. 00:15:39.053 --> 00:15:40.293 very different. 00:15:40.653 --> 00:15:44.453 No, I mean, these stories, they are connected, though, right? 00:15:44.813 --> 00:15:54.253 so like, through the teens, the 20 teens, I was doing a lot of journalism, you know, just kind of freelancing. 00:15:54.253 --> 00:16:03.713 I got a contract with Yes Magazine out of Bainbridge and and my beat there was like pop culture and social movements. 00:16:03.713 --> 00:16:06.213 part of the reason that they wanted someone in St. 00:16:06.213 --> 00:16:15.549 Paul, who was covering the social movements is because we were already, you know, we had a major refugee population here, right? 00:16:15.549 --> 00:16:24.122 And uh even, you know, run up to the first Trump election, there was just a lot of attention on refugee resettlement. 00:16:24.122 --> 00:16:32.395 And for folks who don't know, Minnesota has one of the highest percentages of refugee resettlement in the country. 00:16:33.697 --> 00:16:42.274 And a large part of that is Somali folks and those folks You know, right from the start, Donald Trump was obsessed with Somali immigrants. 00:16:42.274 --> 00:16:50.653 And he came to Minnesota during, in 2015, just to have a rally where he just like shit on Ilhan Omar for 45 minutes. 00:16:50.653 --> 00:16:50.793 Right. 00:16:50.793 --> 00:16:53.473 And everybody was like, what is this about? 00:16:53.473 --> 00:16:55.213 Like, this is crazy. 00:16:55.253 --> 00:16:58.894 Um, but he's always been really obsessed with, with our communities. 00:16:58.894 --> 00:17:06.890 And, and there was a lot of really interesting solidarity work happening with queer folks and, and Somali folks and. 00:17:06.890 --> 00:17:12.474 in other sort of gestational kind of movement building, Black Lives Matter was building. 00:17:12.474 --> 00:17:23.643 We had four high profile, locally high profile murders of Black men by police before we even had George Floyd's murder. 00:17:24.163 --> 00:17:28.127 So anyways, there was just a lot happening and I was covering all that as a journalist. 00:17:28.127 --> 00:17:31.980 uh And I was transitioning at the time as well, right? 00:17:31.980 --> 00:17:43.278 In that first Trump administration and those, uh that period of real upheaval ah seems like quaint levels of upheaval compared to this past year. 00:17:43.278 --> 00:17:46.398 But at the time, just massive upheaval. 00:17:46.398 --> 00:17:50.470 And I, this is sort of a lot of preamble. 00:17:50.470 --> 00:18:05.933 But the point is I got to this point in my career where I was doing journalism and I was working in media and I was at this publishing company and we were doing some documentary work and I was really fulfilled really for the first time in my professional career. 00:18:05.933 --> 00:18:10.713 and I had transitioned and I was like feeling good about my life. 00:18:11.793 --> 00:18:23.513 And then, you know, George Floyd was murdered and, you know, I lived in the Midway neighborhood and, you know, it wasn't close to what, where he was murdered, but it burned, right? 00:18:23.513 --> 00:18:24.573 This stretch of St. 00:18:24.573 --> 00:18:26.594 Paul on University Avenue. 00:18:26.594 --> 00:18:30.594 And I would look out my front and I would just see the smoke for days. 00:18:30.924 --> 00:18:32.884 I was out, I was organizing. 00:18:32.884 --> 00:18:37.264 had met tons of people by that time because of my journalism and organizing. 00:18:37.305 --> 00:18:46.565 And I just decided then that like, I wanted to go professionally into the movement space and leaving the journalism space. 00:18:48.085 --> 00:18:51.524 So that sort of was, that was 2020 and it pushed me forward. 00:18:51.524 --> 00:18:56.944 I got a job at the ACLU and I was like, okay, I'm going to do ACLU for the next 20 years. 00:18:56.944 --> 00:19:00.504 I love the opportunity that this is bringing. 00:19:01.750 --> 00:19:10.576 I started doing a lot more specifically trans organizing because the trans anti-trans movement was really starting to like kind of take focus. 00:19:10.576 --> 00:19:13.577 It hadn't landed yet, but it was like coming. 00:19:13.577 --> 00:19:24.955 Um, and one of the things I was doing was trying to find people who would run for office as tr- because we needed more, you know, trans two-spirit non-binary people. 00:19:24.955 --> 00:19:30.088 We had none, so we needed Anne, but we only had a couple like in the country at that time. 00:19:30.282 --> 00:19:31.552 I think three. 00:19:32.733 --> 00:19:44.457 So I was doing that work and working at ACLU and feeling kind of like I'm finding my space in the movement work. 00:19:44.898 --> 00:19:49.280 And then just the random chance of redistricting. 00:19:49.280 --> 00:19:58.703 And I moved, I moved because of COVID into a bigger apartment than the one I was in, because I have kids and I was like, I think we're going to be here for a while. 00:19:58.703 --> 00:20:00.404 Let's get an extra bedroom. 00:20:01.573 --> 00:20:08.196 And I ended up living in a place where somebody retired and there was an open seat. 00:20:08.617 --> 00:20:11.229 And I ended up having to run. 00:20:11.229 --> 00:20:13.639 People were like, you've been talking about getting someone to run. 00:20:13.639 --> 00:20:15.260 You should run for office. 00:20:16.201 --> 00:20:28.988 And I just felt kind of compelled, you know, by that, like it was so random, you know, I didn't, I never even occurred to me that like an open seat would show up in my life. 00:20:28.988 --> 00:20:31.538 Cause I didn't want to run in primary someone. 00:20:32.182 --> 00:20:41.460 So, just kind of all built on top of each other is like, I knew a lot of people because I had been writing about the community for a long time. 00:20:42.161 --> 00:20:53.368 I was down at George Floyd Square, like all the time with my trans flag after the murder, you know, and the organizers there got to know me, right? 00:20:53.368 --> 00:20:59.090 And there was this real clear sense of, you know, I got close to March. 00:20:59.090 --> 00:21:07.786 and know, Marja Howard and other people who were down there, you know, and um it just sort of felt like the right move at the right time. 00:21:07.786 --> 00:21:10.726 uh So I ran. 00:21:10.726 --> 00:21:15.589 Yeah, I didn't expect to win when I started, but obviously I did. 00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:16.869 Sorry, that was long. 00:21:16.869 --> 00:21:17.885 That was a long story. 00:21:17.885 --> 00:21:18.861 I hope it was interesting. 00:21:18.861 --> 00:21:19.711 Yeah. 00:21:21.072 --> 00:21:21.495 Yeah. 00:21:21.495 --> 00:21:28.057 think it is interesting because I think sometimes life puts us in places that we didn't expect. 00:21:28.057 --> 00:21:30.427 At least that's definitely something I've experienced, right? 00:21:30.427 --> 00:21:32.999 Sometimes people are like, oh, how did you make this choice? 00:21:32.999 --> 00:21:36.359 And it's like, well, actually it's a series of circumstances. 00:21:36.359 --> 00:21:38.620 And I think that's true for a lot of people. 00:21:38.620 --> 00:21:40.820 And so thank you for sharing that. 00:21:40.820 --> 00:22:03.177 And I am curious about what it has been like to be such a, become such a visible public figure, especially as a trans woman, because I think there is, uh you know, there's a lot that comes at trans people when we're in the public eye and especially that intersection of transphobia. 00:22:03.177 --> 00:22:04.509 and misogyny, right? 00:22:04.509 --> 00:22:10.791 And like, so that trans women experience, especially when they dare to lead publicly, right? 00:22:10.791 --> 00:22:11.832 And we've seen it. 00:22:11.832 --> 00:22:28.121 em And so I wonder what the experience has been like for you, because obviously I've seen some of what you have to put up with online, you know, and I, and I bet that that's like the tiniest fraction of what you actually have to face in the current environment, you know. 00:22:28.121 --> 00:22:37.493 um Yeah, I'm just if you want to talk about it because I also know that that's not a fun topic, you know, but yeah. 00:22:37.493 --> 00:22:52.586 I think it's important, you know, and I do share a little bit of it from time to time because it is important, you know, but I'll just say I got elected in 22, came in in 23, and so I'm in my fourth year running for my third election. 00:22:52.666 --> 00:22:59.291 And every year that I've been elected has been significantly worse than the year before. 00:22:59.291 --> 00:23:06.424 uh So in 23, when we passed Trans Refuge, the Queer Caucus came out and we just passed tons of legislation. 00:23:06.424 --> 00:23:12.764 had the trifecta, band conversion therapy, all the things that we needed to do to protect our community. 00:23:12.764 --> 00:23:15.044 It was a great and triumphant year. 00:23:15.825 --> 00:23:20.585 But when we, I mean, it was wild. 00:23:20.704 --> 00:23:25.164 And you know, that was major league national leading work at the time. 00:23:25.164 --> 00:23:26.942 And Tim Walz, our governor was. 00:23:26.942 --> 00:23:31.634 a booster of it and really made sure people knew we were here and what we were doing. 00:23:32.273 --> 00:23:38.235 And that work drew a lot of attention and a lot of it negative, but a lot of it positive. 00:23:38.235 --> 00:23:43.027 um But each year since then, it's been a little harder, you know? 00:23:43.027 --> 00:23:49.818 And like when I got elected, there were, think, three or four states that had restricted gender-affirming care, you know? 00:23:49.818 --> 00:23:55.441 And then by the time we passed trans refuge, five months later, it was 12, right? 00:23:55.441 --> 00:23:58.901 And then in 2015, it was 20, you know? 00:23:58.901 --> 00:24:02.740 mean, 23 to 24 was the year the dam broke. 00:24:03.600 --> 00:24:17.600 And not just for protecting gender-affirming care, but for a cultural openness to just embracing hatred of transgender people. 00:24:17.600 --> 00:24:24.240 And I think, you know, I started my transition in 16 and... 00:24:27.124 --> 00:24:33.425 We felt, I felt, people around me seemed to think like we were going somewhere better. 00:24:34.746 --> 00:24:44.682 And the difference between 2024 and 2026 being a trans woman in politics is just almost unspeakable to me. 00:24:44.682 --> 00:24:51.784 Like I don't even know how to explain how much worse it is now than it was even two years ago or a year ago. 00:24:51.784 --> 00:24:54.495 It's the beginning of the Trump administration. 00:24:55.563 --> 00:25:01.686 The willingness to openly hate transgender people is extremely alarming. 00:25:01.686 --> 00:25:18.155 uh As a person who is now, you know, publicly like known as a leader in the trans movement, I mean, that feels weird to say still, like, uh it's true. 00:25:18.155 --> 00:25:25.099 The amount of hatred and the amount of vitriol and harassment and threats that I receive, it's just... 00:25:27.303 --> 00:25:29.806 I don't even know what to do or say about it. 00:25:29.806 --> 00:25:32.347 Like part of it is like, woe is me. 00:25:32.347 --> 00:25:39.754 But another part of it is like, our speaker got murdered in her home last year by a man pretending to be a police officer. 00:25:39.754 --> 00:25:56.036 Like we are so far off the map of threats to lawmakers, especially in Minnesota, uh you know, for folks who don't know about Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman and then the Hoffman family, were... 00:25:56.036 --> 00:25:56.743 yeah. 00:25:56.743 --> 00:25:59.155 assassinated or attempted assassinated. 00:25:59.155 --> 00:26:07.925 was, I don't know, the tragedy of, you know, as a house member, she's my leader, she's who I came in under. 00:26:09.027 --> 00:26:14.967 So I have this world that I operate in, which I'm extremely grateful. 00:26:14.967 --> 00:26:25.069 I feel like I've been successful and I'm not, I did not know what my election would mean to the community until I saw how big the vacuum was that we filled. 00:26:25.069 --> 00:26:30.382 uh And it went far beyond anything I could possibly have expected. 00:26:30.382 --> 00:26:31.955 So I'm not leaving. 00:26:31.955 --> 00:26:32.355 Right? 00:26:32.355 --> 00:26:35.758 I'm not leaving because I'm not going to leave that vacuum empty. 00:26:36.278 --> 00:26:37.469 But that's their goal. 00:26:37.469 --> 00:26:39.800 Their goal is to get rid of us entirely. 00:26:39.800 --> 00:26:44.002 So it's to make life as hard as possible so that we leave. 00:26:44.363 --> 00:26:46.563 And I just don't know where that ends. 00:26:46.563 --> 00:26:49.945 You know, like they're going to make it worse to try to get rid of us. 00:26:49.945 --> 00:26:51.146 We're going to be resolved. 00:26:51.146 --> 00:26:53.028 So they have to make it worse. 00:26:53.307 --> 00:26:58.211 And I'm really scared about where that goes, not just for me, but for our whole community. 00:26:59.591 --> 00:27:03.595 but That's just like what we are, that's where we are. 00:27:03.595 --> 00:27:05.018 Like this is a civil rights movement. 00:27:05.018 --> 00:27:15.307 I don't know that people always understand what's happening, but trans people are in the civil rights movement to protect basic humanity that we have lost under the Trump administration. 00:27:15.307 --> 00:27:20.121 And I think it's gonna take a couple decades to win back what we have lost already. 00:27:20.363 --> 00:27:22.204 So people need to be prepared for it. 00:27:22.204 --> 00:27:23.765 And then we just need to commit. 00:27:23.765 --> 00:27:26.117 And it's very hard. 00:27:26.632 --> 00:27:28.053 Oh, absolutely. 00:27:28.053 --> 00:27:51.615 Just the level of dehumanizing, even just over the last five or six years, like you said, I remember the first time that Trump got elected, like the day after the election, I remember walking around South Minneapolis where I lived at the time and any of us who were visibly minoritized, so anybody was visibly trans or queer, black or brown, we were just like... 00:27:51.640 --> 00:28:02.060 looking at each other with like a level of I've got you and we're in this together that it's hard to even put into words, right? 00:28:02.060 --> 00:28:05.401 It's been a really emotional time I think for our community. 00:28:05.401 --> 00:28:21.099 But one of the things I love about Minnesota is how we come together is kind of how We have so many folks who are fighting really hard on every front, including, on the, you know, on the state level. 00:28:21.099 --> 00:28:36.017 And I'm curious, though, about the impact this has on you and your family, because you're a parent, just like I am, and I know about to have really hard conversations with my family, whether it's a conversation with my mom, it's like, shouldn't you get out of the United States? 00:28:36.017 --> 00:28:44.191 Because I can actually get out as somebody who has, like, I'm an immigrant, but I still have a European passport. 00:28:44.191 --> 00:28:49.071 But I'm choosing to stay because I'm like, for me, I don't have little kids anymore. 00:28:49.071 --> 00:28:59.336 My kids are old enough and we're brought up here and this is the land I love with my whole heart. 00:28:59.336 --> 00:29:02.037 I love Gichigumi, Lake Superior. 00:29:02.037 --> 00:29:04.177 I love the Mississippi River. 00:29:04.177 --> 00:29:08.138 I love, like I'm looking out at the birches outside my house. 00:29:08.138 --> 00:29:11.627 This is the place I love and I'm just not. 00:29:11.627 --> 00:29:13.348 going down without a fight. 00:29:13.348 --> 00:29:16.851 And I also understand people who are leaving. 00:29:16.851 --> 00:29:27.219 But I've had to have our conversation also with like my kids, here is how you can access the bank account and keep paying the mortgage if anything happens to me or like, right? 00:29:27.219 --> 00:29:34.684 And for you, it's all at our level because you're much more public and much more visible as a legislator. 00:29:34.684 --> 00:29:43.345 And so I'm wondering how that, and especially like you said with the murder, you know, of... 00:29:44.575 --> 00:29:56.471 Melissa Hortman and her family, which was really still that I still like waking up that morning, like I can still feel it in my body what that was like to see what was happening. 00:29:56.471 --> 00:30:00.393 It just felt unthinkable for that to happen in Minnesota. 00:30:00.393 --> 00:30:13.200 Some, and again, you don't have to talk about if it's too painful, but I'm curious about that's impacting you and your family, especially because you are a parent, like I said, and that's a whole different level, I think, vulnerability. 00:30:13.844 --> 00:30:22.229 Yeah, it's, you know, the parent piece is tough, right? 00:30:22.229 --> 00:30:30.723 I don't usually, I mean, I kind of keep my kids out of um any conversation. 00:30:30.723 --> 00:30:37.116 don't really come to, but I can talk about being a parent and caring. 00:30:37.257 --> 00:30:40.558 Like I got doxed last month, right? 00:30:40.764 --> 00:30:57.070 Every quarter, I think I kind of take a tumble in the right wing hate machine and then I get all these threats and things, you know, they say some lie about me and it goes viral and oh daily news and all these like whatever info wars talk about me and then a bunch of people come after me. 00:30:58.492 --> 00:31:04.338 doing that as a parent does make you have to sit with like, you know. 00:31:06.886 --> 00:31:07.827 What does it mean? 00:31:07.827 --> 00:31:08.807 Like what does it mean? 00:31:08.807 --> 00:31:14.509 uh You know, um I feel well-resourced. 00:31:14.509 --> 00:31:20.471 One thing that I'll say is that being a legislator has made me, I'm not well-resourced financially. 00:31:20.471 --> 00:31:31.658 This is a terrible paying job, but we have, uh Yeah, but uh well-resourced in that the... 00:31:31.658 --> 00:31:34.338 The House Caucus has resources, right? 00:31:34.338 --> 00:31:44.999 Especially after Melissa's murder, we got resources in terms of security and how to take care of certain issues around our personal security. 00:31:45.678 --> 00:31:47.418 And that has really helped. 00:31:47.418 --> 00:31:59.259 My wife and I, like you said, we also have a plan and there is a document and that document has the necessaries if I'm detained or God forbid worse. 00:32:01.190 --> 00:32:05.182 parent and I talk about these things occasionally as needed. 00:32:07.084 --> 00:32:12.728 But I also have like an insulated community of people, right? 00:32:12.728 --> 00:32:23.533 And so one of the things that I really lean into is the people who love me and support me anyways, like separately, because there's two. 00:32:23.754 --> 00:32:30.608 One of the things about having gotten to be a relatively well-known Minnesotan is that you have tiers of people in your life. 00:32:30.769 --> 00:32:36.479 And I try to be intentional with the people who are closest, who are my, like I know who loves me. 00:32:36.479 --> 00:32:39.320 I know who loves me and I know who knows who I am. 00:32:39.560 --> 00:32:44.282 And the people who love me are part of my security system. 00:32:45.403 --> 00:32:51.345 And we try to be thoughtful about what it would mean and if there's a threat. 00:32:51.865 --> 00:32:59.886 shortly after Melissa was assassinated and we were in the middle of things and then. 00:33:01.519 --> 00:33:03.259 You know, I just got a call. 00:33:03.259 --> 00:33:14.781 I got a call from someone, law enforcement agency that was like, hey, we're seeing an activity around your name on Truth Social and we just want you to know, and maybe you want to go somewhere else for the weekend. 00:33:15.022 --> 00:33:30.406 And that's not supposed to be just something you deal with because you are a house member in a local, like this is not a high profile political job. 00:33:31.363 --> 00:33:31.784 Yeah. 00:33:31.784 --> 00:33:38.677 at least historically, state representative is like a low paying political job in the world. 00:33:39.357 --> 00:33:49.162 So I feel like I'm rambling because I don't want to be too specific, but I'll just say that it is very real. 00:33:49.162 --> 00:33:54.403 And a lot of people out there are helping me make sure that I stay safe. 00:33:54.403 --> 00:34:08.930 And that's true of other people I think as well who, you know, I mean, I have other members of the caucus and other trans people around the country who are in similar positions and we all are thinking about it, right? 00:34:08.930 --> 00:34:10.311 Like the whole. 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:20.262 idea of having this job like nationally I think changed when the Hortmans were murdered. 00:34:20.443 --> 00:34:26.494 I talked to legislators around the country and go to these different events and conferences and people are just like, I can't believe that happened. 00:34:26.494 --> 00:34:29.175 I can't believe it happened to her, right? 00:34:29.175 --> 00:34:33.028 If someone was gonna be assassinated, it wasn't Melissa Hortman. 00:34:33.188 --> 00:34:34.378 It just shook everyone. 00:34:34.378 --> 00:34:41.451 It's like there's no reason anyone would have picked her name out of the hat to be the person who was assassinated in the middle of the night. 00:34:42.164 --> 00:34:47.310 So we all are dealing with it and it's grinding us down, you know? 00:34:47.310 --> 00:34:48.371 It's real. 00:34:49.601 --> 00:35:08.050 Absolutely, and I really honor not talking about your kids and it was more about like the impact because I don't think that not everybody maybe realizes like the weight that this has on I'm sure your mental health, your emotional health, because how can it not, right? 00:35:08.050 --> 00:35:15.333 And, you know, and that it's not an easy decision because like you said, historically, this is not. 00:35:15.543 --> 00:35:18.335 You shouldn't be in the position you're in, if that makes sense, right? 00:35:18.335 --> 00:35:22.237 In terms of how much of a target you are sometimes. 00:35:22.237 --> 00:35:34.664 But unfortunately, the times are what they are, and I love how fiercely and unapologetically you show up and skillfully. 00:35:34.705 --> 00:35:36.706 And also, it cannot be easy. 00:35:36.706 --> 00:35:41.469 And so it's really, think it is important to talk about the toll that this takes. 00:35:41.629 --> 00:35:48.704 And I mean, I just want to add if I can, like it's not accidental that the toll is higher, harder, harder for me. 00:35:48.704 --> 00:35:49.084 Right. 00:35:49.084 --> 00:36:07.717 It's not like everyone has their burden and every community has their own challenges and reasons to be in the, but, but the transgender people, non-binary people, two-spirit people, but really transgender women, like they are coming back. 00:36:07.717 --> 00:36:10.909 We are the ones they are thinking about when they are. 00:36:11.109 --> 00:36:14.660 enacting a transgender policy of eradication. 00:36:14.660 --> 00:36:25.664 ah There is no doubt that like they want attention on us personally and individually and that to be punishing as possible. 00:36:25.664 --> 00:36:44.248 So everyone is feeling it but certain communities and certain folks are really in a different position and I say this not because it's about me but it's about my people you know like we are the ones that they're literally like like genocidally focused on. 00:36:44.248 --> 00:36:50.329 I mean, I don't use that word lightly, but I don't think, I don't know, maybe your audience probably is ready to hear that. 00:36:50.329 --> 00:36:56.923 A lot of audiences are not, but like eradication is the policy and we shouldn't pretend otherwise. 00:36:56.923 --> 00:37:00.375 Like that's why it's as particularly bad as it is. 00:37:00.793 --> 00:37:01.793 100%. 00:37:01.793 --> 00:37:09.573 And I think it is important to talk about it hard as it is that this is, it is very clear. 00:37:09.573 --> 00:37:18.472 I remember when Trump said they was going to run the first time before he got elected in 2020 and 2016, sorry. 00:37:18.773 --> 00:37:22.177 And or whenever it was, what is time? 00:37:22.177 --> 00:37:23.697 I don't even know anymore. 00:37:23.797 --> 00:37:25.877 But whichever lecture it was. 00:37:26.677 --> 00:37:31.897 But I remember when he announced it and people were laughing and I was like, this is bad. 00:37:31.917 --> 00:37:36.836 I was like, maybe it was because I was brought up with stories of World War II and fascism being brought up in Italy. 00:37:36.836 --> 00:38:06.827 And I was like, this is bad already fascism was here it's only going to get worse and people are like no you're exaggerating you know i remember putting a lot of pressure on my employer at the time to support my green card and they were like this is not going to be an issue and i'm like this is absolutely going to be an issue and i took all my savings and gave them to an immigration lawyer and like help i need a green card so that i can you know be my family and I can be a little safer, you know, because I could see what was coming. 00:38:06.827 --> 00:38:09.009 And I think a lot of us could see what was coming. 00:38:09.009 --> 00:38:13.070 And like you said, trans women are particularly at risk. 00:38:13.070 --> 00:38:19.112 you know, like that is the focus for a lot of those policies and a lot of the rhetoric. 00:38:19.112 --> 00:38:22.771 um And it is horrifying. 00:38:22.952 --> 00:38:32.048 And I wonder how your own kind of gender journey also brought you to this place of wanting to serve in the way that you do. 00:38:32.048 --> 00:38:35.172 um You know, you talked about in a way. 00:38:35.513 --> 00:38:44.573 you were transitioning as you were also coming more into the movement in a more full-time way, let's say, you know, as a community organizer. 00:38:44.573 --> 00:38:54.913 And so, yeah, I don't know if that question makes sense, but I'm curious about how your own gender identity and experience informs that journey for you. 00:38:56.042 --> 00:38:58.642 Yeah, yeah, mean, I... 00:38:58.642 --> 00:39:07.282 So, the very short version of my whole life is that when I was 15, I almost came out as gay, right? 00:39:07.282 --> 00:39:09.142 I grew up in the Midwest suburbs. 00:39:09.142 --> 00:39:11.642 I didn't know anything about anything. 00:39:13.702 --> 00:39:17.362 But I knew I was not like the other kids. 00:39:19.162 --> 00:39:21.162 Anyways, that didn't work out for me. 00:39:21.162 --> 00:39:22.102 I was too afraid. 00:39:22.102 --> 00:39:25.258 There were too many, you know, unknowns, mid-90s. 00:39:25.258 --> 00:39:28.818 in the white suburbs, wasteland, and I just, didn't. 00:39:28.818 --> 00:39:31.678 So I became, instead I became a religious person, right? 00:39:31.678 --> 00:39:36.278 When I was about 16, I became a Christian born again 90s person. 00:39:36.278 --> 00:39:43.958 So basically from that time until my mid 30s, I've worked on getting figuring. 00:39:44.018 --> 00:39:49.158 know, it was a long time to closet myself, but I got there eventually. 00:39:49.158 --> 00:39:55.161 And one of the things that eventually pushed me over the ledge was the pulse shooting. 00:39:55.161 --> 00:39:56.821 Oh, yes. 00:39:57.501 --> 00:39:58.360 Yeah. 00:39:58.360 --> 00:40:06.653 And I remember having this moment, like literally shortly thereafter, like, you know. 00:40:09.839 --> 00:40:15.663 You don't know what the deal is, but you know there's a deal here and like people are getting murdered. 00:40:15.663 --> 00:40:17.564 You know, like these are your people. 00:40:17.564 --> 00:40:25.489 I felt more like these are your people and you need to honor that in a way that I hadn't for my whole adult life. 00:40:26.610 --> 00:40:38.938 So in a way it's kind of like being rooted in that, like act of violence is sort of a trigger for what I consider to be my like personal liberation. 00:40:38.938 --> 00:40:39.420 Mm. 00:40:39.420 --> 00:40:42.510 It's a very complicated thing to have your life. 00:40:42.510 --> 00:40:44.532 My life is so improved. 00:40:44.532 --> 00:40:46.333 I have never been happier. 00:40:46.333 --> 00:40:50.955 never, mean, I transitioned is the greatest gift that's ever been given to me. 00:40:50.955 --> 00:40:55.176 um And I'm so proud of it. 00:40:55.517 --> 00:40:56.977 I'm so proud of myself. 00:40:56.977 --> 00:41:00.499 I could have not, you know, I didn't for so long. 00:41:00.499 --> 00:41:02.140 I didn't for decades. 00:41:02.140 --> 00:41:03.760 And then I did. 00:41:04.050 --> 00:41:05.031 And it was hard. 00:41:05.031 --> 00:41:05.995 I got divorced. 00:41:05.995 --> 00:41:08.202 I went through terrible depression. 00:41:08.284 --> 00:41:26.169 you know, alcohol, I got sober, I got medicated, I came out the other side feeling like, you know, like I said earlier, like I was professionally gratified for the first time in my life and it was because I got sober and I got to be myself and I got healthcare. 00:41:26.630 --> 00:41:36.454 So all of that was kind of, you know, the soup in which I was getting ready to become a successful person. 00:41:36.454 --> 00:41:38.155 in a way that I didn't have any idea. 00:41:38.155 --> 00:41:50.080 um And there is no doubt in my mind that none of this would have happened if I hadn't been my authentic self, right? 00:41:50.080 --> 00:41:50.780 Honestly. 00:41:50.780 --> 00:41:54.240 um And every sort of... 00:41:54.240 --> 00:42:07.572 ah all of the things that like almost cost me my life or almost cost me my mind, all of the relationships. 00:42:09.974 --> 00:42:17.419 That was all just like gender uh essential, not gender essentialism, but essential to my gender. 00:42:17.419 --> 00:42:25.875 uh So, you know, it was always exciting even as it was the most difficult stuff I had ever done. 00:42:25.875 --> 00:42:32.448 And I was doing work like, Asking for a divorce from my wife was one of the most difficult things I ever did. 00:42:32.448 --> 00:42:36.240 And then telling my parents was like even worse, you know? 00:42:36.240 --> 00:42:45.945 Even as like a person in their 30s who is like, you have your life figured out, telling your parents that you are trans is fucking real. 00:42:45.945 --> 00:42:49.477 You know, that it doesn't, I don't care how old you are. 00:42:49.706 --> 00:42:50.326 Yeah. 00:42:50.326 --> 00:42:52.166 ah so hard. 00:42:52.166 --> 00:42:53.306 It's so hard. 00:42:53.306 --> 00:42:53.876 Yeah. 00:42:53.876 --> 00:43:07.646 So I think getting through, when I think now about the promise that was made to young people in the teens who came out, we had the transgender tipping point, you remember all that, 2015. 00:43:07.812 --> 00:43:23.868 Our time is here, you know, that was when I was coming out, like everything's gonna be okay, all these young people came out, suddenly we are facing a complete, you know, stop for our community, like just a stop sign. 00:43:24.970 --> 00:43:28.289 That is not acceptable, right? 00:43:28.289 --> 00:43:35.730 And that is to me, like how my gender story that I was able to do what I did, and it took a long time, you know? 00:43:35.730 --> 00:43:44.130 I I fought like hell for years to get my healthcare taken care of, know, I mean, years and years, we all do that, right? 00:43:44.130 --> 00:43:47.730 And then we told these children, like, you can do this too. 00:43:48.530 --> 00:43:54.632 And I just knew like, I will spend my life fighting for those kids, not to have that. 00:43:54.632 --> 00:43:57.359 rug pulled out from under them, right? 00:43:57.359 --> 00:44:03.836 Like we told them it would be okay and now we have to make it okay because it is not okay right now. 00:44:04.907 --> 00:44:06.208 Oh, absolutely. 00:44:06.208 --> 00:44:08.289 It's really not okay right now. 00:44:08.289 --> 00:44:12.162 And I do remember the transgender tipping point. 00:44:12.162 --> 00:44:28.972 I remember, you know, and I was already living in Minneapolis also when uh Cici McDonald uh incident happened when she protected herself and she acted in self-defense and then was put on trial, right? 00:44:28.972 --> 00:44:33.196 And the community coming together, you know, and then so. 00:44:33.196 --> 00:44:38.869 things were happening locally and it really felt like, you know, this is a cultural shift. 00:44:38.869 --> 00:44:43.341 People are having conversation that I didn't think I would see in my lifetime, right? 00:44:43.341 --> 00:44:53.065 We were really challenging, pushing back on even gender, being trans, being seen as an identity disorder. 00:44:53.425 --> 00:44:57.628 That's what I was diagnosed as to access my medical care. 00:44:57.628 --> 00:45:02.251 That's what I had to diagnose people with to access their medical care. 00:45:02.251 --> 00:45:08.125 We pushed so hard for that to be not an identity disorder, but dysphoria. 00:45:08.125 --> 00:45:41.505 then in congruence in the ICD-11, really push it out of the mental health realm and to see now that we're back to this point where we're being uh depicted as uh people who are uh mentally unwell or dangerous or predatory, which is also somebody who was brought up in the 70s and 80s to see the discourse of being predators uh is so heartbreaking because that was what was happening in queer community already. 00:45:41.725 --> 00:45:44.446 And they're recycling the same. 00:45:46.832 --> 00:46:21.263 honestly to attack our community and especially trans women like you said is is beyond enraging heartbreaking all the things and yet we're still here we're still pushing back like you said we still want the kids to have the care they need and I love how much Minnesota has been pushing back uh and has been protected gender affirming care and so I'm curious about What is it for you at this point in time that you feel the most strongly about or the most? 00:46:21.263 --> 00:46:29.347 passionate about when it comes to kind of, you know, there are a lot of fights on every front and they're all connected, like we said at the beginning, right? 00:46:29.347 --> 00:46:44.954 But if there was something that you really wanted listener to hear when it comes to the loss of civil rights and the dehumanization that we're going through as a community, what is it that you really want folks to understand or hear? 00:46:45.287 --> 00:46:46.197 Yeah. 00:46:46.978 --> 00:46:49.200 Now there are two things that come to mind. 00:46:49.200 --> 00:46:55.017 First is, ah they're trying to get rid of transgender people completely. 00:46:55.017 --> 00:46:59.187 And that is an impossible goal, right? 00:46:59.187 --> 00:47:03.240 Like you cannot succeed because transgender people belong to every community. 00:47:03.240 --> 00:47:06.362 We didn't spring out of the ground randomly, right? 00:47:06.362 --> 00:47:13.955 Like we will have always and will always and are resilient and brilliant and will always thrive and will always succeed. 00:47:13.955 --> 00:47:19.769 And we say that kind of like, I don't mean that in a sort of cute way. 00:47:19.769 --> 00:47:27.677 I mean that in a like, we are radical fucking beings and we will not, we will absolutely not be gotten rid of. 00:47:27.677 --> 00:47:34.364 um Like it is something to be ourselves is something that like is an achievement. 00:47:34.364 --> 00:47:36.045 No one will take back. 00:47:36.305 --> 00:47:40.617 And then this, but the second part in a more sort of. 00:47:40.617 --> 00:47:54.437 Like the policy piece, the thing that matters to me that I spend, I have do national work, you know, outside of the legislature, that the thing that I think is the most important is continuity of care for minors. 00:47:54.437 --> 00:48:10.397 There are a group of people in this country, they are under 18, they have started their hormone treatment or their puberty blockers, you know, it's one thing, it's one thing and it's a horrible thing. 00:48:10.620 --> 00:48:14.342 It's but it's one thing not to give children health care that they need. 00:48:14.342 --> 00:48:23.577 But the idea that we would take it away from people we have given it to is I just like it makes me want to explode. 00:48:23.577 --> 00:48:26.778 It makes me want to burn down the entire world. 00:48:26.778 --> 00:48:33.902 You know, this notion that we would give you what we promised and then take it away from you is beyond. 00:48:33.902 --> 00:48:38.443 um It's just beyond my ability to express. 00:48:38.443 --> 00:48:40.605 I feel like I've said that a couple of times, but. 00:48:40.605 --> 00:48:47.230 But like, if you look at what we're doing, right, we're kind of going back to fighting about conversion therapy even, like we won that one. 00:48:47.230 --> 00:48:48.772 We did that already. 00:48:48.772 --> 00:48:51.634 And now it's like, well, maybe we'll do that again. 00:48:51.725 --> 00:48:56.018 And now we have children, children who've come to Minnesota, right? 00:48:56.018 --> 00:49:03.644 We've thousand probably of families have relocated to Minnesota to protect their child's healthcare. 00:49:03.644 --> 00:49:12.730 when like I take very personally as the author of that bill and as the person who sort of said you can come here and we'll protect you. 00:49:12.730 --> 00:49:15.791 um We have to do that. 00:49:15.791 --> 00:49:17.752 We have to live up to that promise. 00:49:17.752 --> 00:49:23.735 uh And to me, that's the number one, like adults, we can figure it out. 00:49:23.735 --> 00:49:25.556 They're coming for our care too. 00:49:25.556 --> 00:49:27.056 Don't get me wrong. 00:49:27.635 --> 00:49:38.971 What they're doing in prisons right now to transgender people is inhuman at a level that like, you know, we haven't seen for generations, I think, but. 00:49:39.251 --> 00:49:47.164 But those kids who came here and said, we came here because we need our care, those kids are my number one priority. 00:49:47.164 --> 00:49:49.007 We can't take it back from them. 00:49:49.711 --> 00:49:51.133 No, that makes complete sense. 00:49:51.133 --> 00:49:52.432 And I couldn't agree more. 00:49:52.432 --> 00:49:59.977 It's like, it's so important that we protect gender-framing care for minors, especially because some of the systems are complying in advance. 00:49:59.977 --> 00:50:06.512 don't delude this, like, noise that Ascensia is no longer providing gender-framing care for minors. 00:50:06.512 --> 00:50:11.033 And, you know, the community is definitely organizing, and we're figuring it out. 00:50:11.033 --> 00:50:22.422 But I do think that that's the number one priority, because I don't think people truly understand how protective it is to have familial support and access to care. 00:50:22.425 --> 00:50:22.675 Right? 00:50:22.675 --> 00:50:39.843 Those two things are really, you know, we know from research that when we have those two things, there is really no disparities between, you know, trans kids and trans youth and cis kids and cis youth when it comes to depression, anxiety and substance use. 00:50:39.843 --> 00:50:44.916 And why would we want our kids and our youth to like suffer unnecessarily? 00:50:44.916 --> 00:50:47.486 So I'm, I'm so glad. 00:50:47.507 --> 00:50:52.369 I feel like I could talk with you for a long time and I want to be respectful for your time because it's beautiful. 00:50:52.369 --> 00:50:56.891 on precious, especially right now with all the things that are going on. 00:50:56.951 --> 00:51:11.451 I'm curious about if there were other trans, trans, non-binary, gender-expensive, two-spirit folks out there listening to this, and they have been thinking maybe of running for office at any level, School boards. 00:51:11.451 --> 00:51:19.297 uh city councils, state, federal, those are all important levels, I believe. 00:51:19.297 --> 00:51:28.763 What advice would you have for any trans folks who want to run um for any kind of visible kind of leadership position in terms of politics? 00:51:30.062 --> 00:51:37.405 I would say one, if you're thinking about running, if you're seriously thinking about running, you should. 00:51:37.405 --> 00:51:42.714 ah I just think we don't have enough people who want to run, who want to... 00:51:42.714 --> 00:51:52.752 um jump into all of those things we talked about in the first half of this podcast. 00:51:52.752 --> 00:51:55.063 But it's important. 00:51:55.324 --> 00:52:00.966 The reality is we need more of us, even as they make it harder and harder to do this work. 00:52:02.887 --> 00:52:11.030 And then the second thing would be like, make sure you have a clear-eyed understanding, which I don't think you really can until you get into it. 00:52:11.030 --> 00:52:16.432 But know what you're getting into, talk to your family, talk to your people. 00:52:16.457 --> 00:52:19.548 Talk to your local party units, right? 00:52:19.548 --> 00:52:32.370 Like whatever your Senate district or like here we have Senate district DFL units and having the support of those people is absolutely essential and that wasn't something I understood ahead of time. 00:52:32.370 --> 00:52:33.910 I didn't really get it. 00:52:34.711 --> 00:52:39.285 But there are all these different levels of organizing happening in the system. 00:52:39.285 --> 00:52:40.796 Because once you run... 00:52:41.510 --> 00:52:46.762 Like as an outside organizer, know, I always as like, what's the inside outside strategy? 00:52:46.762 --> 00:52:50.614 And I wanted to be kind of inside and outside, but it doesn't work like that. 00:52:50.614 --> 00:52:51.964 Like we're just inside now. 00:52:51.964 --> 00:52:55.086 Uh, and we got to raise a good trouble from the inside. 00:52:55.086 --> 00:53:00.178 So having the resources of being on the inside is absolutely essential. 00:53:00.178 --> 00:53:01.248 That's what they're there for. 00:53:01.248 --> 00:53:11.312 They are there to protect you and you should use every single one of them, extract all of the benefits that come with it, which aren't vast, but there are many of them. 00:53:11.496 --> 00:53:17.952 Um, and just be prepared, be, be prepared for the fight, but please join us. 00:53:17.956 --> 00:53:20.277 I, it's sadly, I love what you said. 00:53:20.277 --> 00:53:35.764 need more of us because I truly believe that that when there's, you know, I remember Andrea Jenkins once at the, one of the Minnesota transgender health conferences a few years ago saying when she's in the room, you know, as a black trans woman, she changes the room. 00:53:35.764 --> 00:54:01.393 And I really believe that you being in the room at the state level has changed the room, has changed the game, honestly, for trans rights in the state of Minnesota and not to diminish the beautiful work of the wonderful allies like Attorney General Keith Allison is a ally to the trans community always has been before even he was Attorney General, our governor, believe. 00:54:01.393 --> 00:54:10.278 I mean, he used to do like round tables around the needs of trans community when he was our representative at the federal level before he was an Attorney General. 00:54:10.278 --> 00:54:12.036 I truly believe Keith has a... 00:54:12.036 --> 00:54:24.372 are back, you know, and same with that Governor Tim Walsh, you know, I feel like that we have some wonderful cis allies, but when we are in the room as trans people, it changes something. 00:54:24.372 --> 00:54:34.507 And I don't know if you would agree, that I really, you know, so I love that appeal that we need more of us because then we also can have each other's back and keep changing those rooms. 00:54:34.507 --> 00:54:36.864 oh Yeah. 00:54:37.228 --> 00:54:44.071 One of the questions, like I said, I could keep talking with you forever, but I won't. 00:54:44.071 --> 00:55:00.147 But one of the questions I've been asking all of my guests and I've definitely been prioritizing my trans and binary gender perspective to spirit guests lately because of the climate we're in is what is bringing you comfort and joy and nourishment during this moment? 00:55:00.147 --> 00:55:02.599 Because there's a lot that's draining us. 00:55:02.599 --> 00:55:11.977 We've talked about a lot of things that drain us and you much more than I could ever imagine at this point in time because of your position. 00:55:11.977 --> 00:55:13.530 But so what is nourishing? 00:55:13.530 --> 00:55:18.407 What is bringing you some comfort and joy in this moment? 00:55:18.792 --> 00:55:20.292 Yeah, it's a great question. 00:55:20.292 --> 00:55:21.892 It's an important question. 00:55:21.892 --> 00:55:29.412 You know, I always like to tell people after an interview that like separate from the apocalypse, like my life is going really well. 00:55:29.412 --> 00:55:32.572 I'm happy, you know, I have a family. 00:55:32.612 --> 00:55:44.872 There's nothing that clarifies what's important to you like living through the end times, you know, like I mean, it really is like what matters to you and then do that. 00:55:44.872 --> 00:55:48.652 I spend time, you know, I could spend forever with my wife. 00:55:48.903 --> 00:55:51.903 I could spend time with my kids. 00:55:51.903 --> 00:55:52.903 I paint. 00:55:52.903 --> 00:56:01.124 do, you know, take long walks, try to be outside, try to, you know, just, I like to watch movies. 00:56:01.124 --> 00:56:03.544 I like to watch shows. 00:56:03.544 --> 00:56:07.764 I just try to spend, you know, and it's hard in the session. 00:56:08.344 --> 00:56:12.304 Session is sort of a unique monster in terms of having peace. 00:56:13.044 --> 00:56:23.510 It's a challenge, but, It really is just, to me anyways, it's like, I wanna spend time with the people who care about me, ah who care about me anyways. 00:56:23.510 --> 00:56:25.133 That's the kind of a thing I think about. 00:56:25.133 --> 00:56:29.227 Like, if you didn't know me for my work, would I matter to you? 00:56:29.227 --> 00:56:30.508 Those are the people that love me. 00:56:30.508 --> 00:56:39.666 And I have, I just have a few communities of multi-generational spaces that I'd like to inhabit. 00:56:39.666 --> 00:56:49.220 uh I just read, you know, I try to do the things that have always been meaningful to me. 00:56:49.220 --> 00:56:51.171 I like to study movement history. 00:56:51.171 --> 00:56:52.258 That's something I do. 00:56:52.258 --> 00:56:58.966 I read a lot about like queer movement history and historical LGBT people. 00:57:00.147 --> 00:57:01.968 All of that brings me joy. 00:57:02.469 --> 00:57:05.771 But lately it's really been painting and being outside. 00:57:05.980 --> 00:57:07.201 ah I love that. 00:57:07.201 --> 00:57:13.056 Nature and creativity, I think, are just such amazing resources for our well-being. 00:57:13.056 --> 00:57:19.932 I'm so happy that you're kind of drawing some strength and joy from painting and being in nature. 00:57:19.932 --> 00:57:24.516 And there's a lot of beautiful nature in Minnesota to explore, for sure. 00:57:25.039 --> 00:57:41.016 Oh, well, and the last very question that I ask all my guests is anything that we haven't talked about that you really wanted to talk about or that you would like to live the listeners or people are watching on YouTube at the end of the episode. 00:57:42.798 --> 00:57:50.221 I guess I'll just do this politics thing, which is like, we have an election coming up this year, you know? 00:57:50.699 --> 00:57:56.163 a lot of people have disengaged, but please don't disengage. 00:57:56.163 --> 00:58:03.965 Just stay in the spaces that are going to make it better for our community. 00:58:04.345 --> 00:58:12.304 You know, if we are trying to build a better future for transgender people, we need everybody to be involved. 00:58:12.304 --> 00:58:17.026 You know, and that means elections, but not only elections, right? 00:58:17.026 --> 00:58:23.128 Organizers understand that elections are opportunities for every other kind of organizing. 00:58:23.268 --> 00:58:35.803 So just, you know, a plea from me to you, it's like we're on the inside, we're doing what we can, but we need everyone on the outside to really keep digging in and uh fighting, fighting for everyone. 00:58:35.803 --> 00:58:38.923 Cause transgender people are a part of every single community. 00:58:38.923 --> 00:58:42.155 So if we fight for our rights, we're fighting for everyone. 00:58:42.685 --> 00:58:43.505 Exactly. 00:58:43.505 --> 00:58:50.905 And I think that's such an important message because so many people are feeling discouraged or like, well, it doesn't matter anymore. 00:58:50.905 --> 00:58:53.345 You know, and I'm like, it's a both end. 00:58:53.805 --> 00:58:56.525 Yes, we need to keep doing that or all the other things. 00:58:56.525 --> 00:58:56.785 Sure. 00:58:56.785 --> 00:59:00.387 Empire is crumbling and we still need to show up and use. 00:59:00.387 --> 00:59:05.371 all the systems and all the tactics at our disposal, including the legislative ones. 00:59:05.371 --> 00:59:06.351 So absolutely. 00:59:06.351 --> 00:59:10.585 Then the midterms are coming up, believe. 00:59:10.585 --> 00:59:16.109 And so, yes, I hope that I know our caucuses here were very well attended. 00:59:16.109 --> 00:59:18.260 So I hope that is true everywhere. 00:59:18.260 --> 00:59:32.038 Well, thank you so much for your time for your strength, for your service, because it truly is a labor of love, the service that you're doing for our community at the state level. 00:59:32.038 --> 00:59:40.568 um Yeah, I hope you can be gentle with yourself as you do this hard work. 00:59:40.847 --> 00:59:45.090 to all the listeners, I hope you're also taking care of yourself. 00:59:45.090 --> 00:59:47.051 And please don't be discouraged. 00:59:47.051 --> 00:59:54.193 know especially if you're listening and you're trans, non-binary, to spirit, gender expansive, this is not an easy moment. 00:59:54.193 --> 01:00:00.586 We've gone through hardship before, as you said, Leigh, as a community, and we'll get through this again together. 01:00:00.586 --> 01:00:09.202 And if you're a cis ally who is listening, please join us, there is plenty of work to do in the movement and we need all of you too. 01:00:09.202 --> 01:00:13.229 So thank you Leigh and thank you all of you listeners. 01:00:13.229 --> 01:00:14.811 Until next time. 01:00:15.784 --> 01:00:16.426 Thank you.