First Out Trans Governor Candidate for MN...Kobey Layne!

Join us as Trans Northland welcomes Kobey Layne to the conversation!

Kobey (she/her) is a progressive DFL candidate running for Minnesota Governor this year. She is a renter in St. Paul and a community organizer in the Twin Cities trans community. She is one lead of Tea Time, the largest peer-led support network for Transfemmes in the Twin Cities. Kobey is running for Governor to make sure progressive intersectional values are represented in this race.

Show Notes:

Learn more about Kobey's campaign and get involved at: https://www.kobey4governor.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Well, hey there, friends. Together we are back, and we are live with TransNorthland for another what I know is going to be an incredible conversation with our guest star, who I will bring onto the stage here momentarily. But uh, for those of you who don't know, my name is Sean Hayes, and my pronouns are he, him, and his. And I am a co-founder and the executive director here at Trans Northland. Uh, and I'm so excited to be able to do this show and to get to introduce all of our community friends to new folks in the community uh who are doing cool things uh and making waves in really awesome ways. So I'm excited to welcome onto our stage our guest for this conversation and guest star, would you please introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Hi, yes, my name is Kobe Lane. I use she, her pronouns, and I am a candidate for Minnesota State Governor.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

Yes, welcome, welcome. We are so glad to have you. Uh, and like I said, just to get into it, learn a little bit more about you and your story and what brought you to this moment where you are, I think you had said, the first ever known trans person to run for governor in Minnesota.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Yes. So I was doing a little bit more research into this, and we don't know for certain if I'm the first person of trans identity to run for a governor, but as of now, we haven't had anybody who has filed an affidavit of candidacy going into a primary of someone who has trans identity. So that's kind of an exciting first that I get to hold once we get up to um that filing period.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Very, very cool. Oh my goodness. Well, yeah, thank you so much for taking the time to join us here and to have this conversation with me and um yeah, to introduce yourself a little bit more to our Northland uh Northern Minnesota community.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Yes. So for our wonderful viewers and community members who've tuned in before, uh, we always like to start off these conversations with our gender joy segment. And so if you don't know, this is something that we like to ask our guests, which basically is like share a moment uh that you've recently experienced gender euphoria or gender joy as we call it. Um, so this could be anything from I bought a new outfit that makes me feel so good and like affirms my identity, or it could be I came out as trans and that that felt so great, you know. So it could be really anything. Um, and so yeah, Kobe, I'm curious if you have a gender joy story to share.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Yeah. Um the one that comes to mind, and it's maybe more of a simple example, but I had one of those moments where you you look in the mirror and you just no longer see the man that you once were. Um and in for me, there's something beautiful about realizing that I was playing a character in a story that wasn't mine, and so getting to be my most authentic self is is so liberating. Knowing that I get to be the person that I am, with how happy I am in my most authentic self for the rest of my life. It it was exciting for me, even though it was a very simple moment a couple days ago in front of the mirror, and it brought me a lot of joy.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Oh my goodness, I love that so much for you, and I totally know that feeling. And I'm also like so lucky and grateful to be able to say that I have moments like that more and more where it's just like I see me in the fullness and like who I have been always meant to be. And um, yeah, so it's such a oh, it's such a good feeling, and it's why I love starting these conversations like this. Um, because yeah, hopefully trying to bring and share joy and then spread that out, you know, into the community. Um, and so I guess for me, um, I I don't know that it's like a specific thing, but I've just been having a lot of conversations lately with folks. And then I've like shared how long it's been since I came out and like since I started hormones myself, and I'm in double digits, and like it is so it just like still blows my mind because I remember like that first day getting my first tee shot and being like, I want to be the trans guy 10 years on tea, and now I've surpassed that, and it just feels so like, what is this real life? Because it's so good.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

I agree. It's it's a magical feeling that I I wish so many other people would get to experience that kind of euphoria.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Seriously, it is the best. Um, and so yeah, so thanks for everybody, you know, listening, tuning into our gender joy segment. Um, and I would just encourage you, right? Like we have these moments all the time. Things around us in our country, in our communities, feels real stressful um all the time lately. That's sort of just the life that we're living right now. But um, there are so many moments of joy uh happening, and so I'd encourage y'all to think about something that brought you joy today uh or recently. Um, and now, yeah, we're gonna slide into our uh events highlights section of our conversation, um, which is where we like to tell you about what we've got coming up for Trans Northland. Um, and there's a lot coming up, y'all. Um so first off, um, we have our next show up squad uh get together, which is gonna be this Saturday, April 11th, uh starting at 5 p.m. at Studio Cafe. And we are showing up as a squad uh to the queer game club uh that meets there at Studio Cafe. And so show up if you are a gamer, there's gonna be like a larger campaign game happening. Uh, I myself will be arriving, um, probably with my child. So we may bring Candyland. So show up. Um, and just a reminder: this is just a cool new initiative we're trying where we can show up and support other groups and what they're doing in community because we really want to be building solidarity right now and building power among all of us. So show up on Saturday. Um, and then coming up, we have um uh our event, which is our Be Safe Get Tested uh STD HIV testing event. This is the second time now that we have done this, uh, and it's coming up on April 25th. Uh, last year we did this for the first time. We teamed up with Wii Health Clinic, uh, and it was such an amazingly set up event. And we had a low turnout, and we wondered is that because there's still so much stigma, right, around testing, around safe and healthy sex practices. And so we're doing it again, y'all. And this time, last year was a Friday. This time we're trying a Saturday afternoon. So come down, they'll probably be good snacks. Um, this year we're joined with um, or by our uh Black Boots Twin Ports group as well. They're gonna be there with a lot of their harm reduction stuff, free giveaways that they have. So come uh say hey, probably eat a snack, get tested. Um, yeah, and just show up for that on April 25th. Um, and yeah, and then like Trans Joyfest is gonna be here before we know it, y'all. So if you're a vendor, if you're someone who wants to be a performer at Trans Joyfest, and if you want a sponsor, get in contact with us. We're gonna be releasing a lot of that information real soon. So uh keep an eye out on the socials uh for all those details. And I think that's gonna wrap us up on our events calendar uh updates, which is exciting because that means we're gonna get into our deeper conversation here with our amazing guest star. Um, and so yeah, just thanks again for taking the time, Kobe, to you know, come and talk to us and um to start us off. I would like you to tell us more about the community work that you do. I know that you're you know located in the Twin Cities area, and so those of us you know up here may not be as familiar with what's going on down there. But yeah, if you want to share about that, that would be cool.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Absolutely. Before I go to that, I just want to say I appreciate that you're one uh promoting sober spaces like with your game club night. That is so important for the our communities at large, but particularly the LGBTQIA plus two spirit communities. Um, also advocating to make sure people know their status. It is so important. Um, and I'm proud to say I myself am on um the Yas2Go shot. It's important to take preventative measures for yourself and that, you know, doing the right call for you, you shouldn't be afraid to do it. Um, but yeah, a little bit about me. Um my name is Kobe Lane. I am one of the leads with Tea Time, which for those of you who do not know is the largest peer-led support network for trans femmes in the Twin Cities. Um, we do a lot of work around just creating a sense of community because um having community is one of the building blocks to help fighting HIV transmission, making sure that people have support networks to fall on, um, and just making sure that we're there for each other. Um, I've also done some other like private community organizing. There's one event that um I've organized at a local local bar that's grown to be um it's actually on Tuesday nights. It's where I'll be after this. At least 100 people, and it's just essentially a giant trans takeover night. Um, and it it it grew slowly and then all at once. It started in 2023. Um, but yeah, I've been very active in making sure that like community spaces, making sure people feel seen. A lot of times community organizing gets too much um lost as like these institutions, but it really starts with those personal connections that start first, and then oftentimes an organization will come out of that. So truly, it's about just at the end of the day, meeting your neighbors, um, whether that's near or far. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

I love that. And I mean, you almost could have just been telling Trans Northland story too, you know, because when we first started up, it was just a couple of folks who would host a support group in like this room that had this burnt orange shag carpet. Uh and then now, you know, yeah, and then 10, 11 years later, you know, we're a nonprofit and we sort of have like followed that path you just said. Um, and so I love to hear it. And I'm realizing now like two things I should have mentioned. So, number one, we're usually live coming to you on Wednesdays at noon, but because of Kobe's schedule, we wanted to make sure we could get her on. Uh, so yeah, we are pre-recording this Tuesday night. So last night, if you're watching live tomorrow, anyways, it's a time vortex over here. Um, and then secondly, yeah, Kobe, I'm I meant to be like, tell us more about your story. Um, so you talked a little bit about that community work that you're involved in right now, but who is Kobe? Like, how did you come up? Uh, tell us a little more about yourself.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Yeah, um, my coming out story. So I was in ninth grade when I came out as a gay man, and I lived mostly happily as a as a gay man for quite some time, and then it took me getting laid off from the Minnesota Senate in 2022 after the election, and I was living alone, I was unemployed, so I had a lot of time on my hands to do a lot of thinking. And one of the pieces that I came to terms with was that I I felt like I didn't exist if I wasn't with other people, and that was kind of the precursor understanding to you're living a life that isn't yours. You you perform this version of yourself for other people. So when you're by yourself, I found that like I I felt like I was very unsettled, very unhappy. Um, I took a trip during my unemployment. I went out to Los Angeles. I'd always wanted to take a solo trip. I'd heard that it's really good for just getting to know oneself in an uncomfortable environment. And it was my first night in Long Beach. Um, I would happen to be at a bar and I met this black trans woman named Kia, and she she spotted me and was just like, I sense your feminine energy. And we got through, um, we were just did a lot of talking, and she explained to me uh this metaphor that I I I love. It's it's the metaphor of being on a train. So when it comes to gender journeys, a lot of people feel like they get on a train to pursue themselves, and maybe they get off at the stop, and that's just trying on some makeup every once in a while at home. And for some people, maybe that's just not enough. So they get back on the train. And then maybe at the next stop, they get off, and maybe that's you know, trying out a new name or um going out in public in the apparel that is most uh affirming for them. And for some people, that's still not enough. And so maybe they they they come out at work, and for some people it's still not enough. And then at later stops, it might be um hormones uh at an even further stop. Maybe it's surgical interventions to help real like help the body align with one's gender. Um, and I thought that was just a beautiful way to encapsulate what a thoughtful and slow process, a gender journey is. Um, some people in this country would like to believe that people just go from zero to hero, um, but that is very not the case with many of many of the individuals that I've met. That it it really is a slow reckoning with who we really are and how we can best find that gender peace within us. Um long story short, she basically Kia gave me permission to just be myself for the rest of the trip. Um, and then come to find out it was San Diego Pride too. So I took the Amtrak down there, and that was a wonderful experience. Um and then I came back from from that trip, and I now it was you have the feelings that you have now of like where your authenticity needs to go. Now we need to start telling people, and that was kind of nerve-wracking. Um, I found my first job after this would have been like nine months of unemployment, honestly. When I found this job, it was like I didn't know where I was gonna pay my next month's bill. And uh so I got this job, and I even was just like, they asked me, What what pronouns do you want to use? And and I said, she, her. This is the first time in a formal work setting I decided that I'm going to pursue this. And that uh after my first day at the job, I remember calling my mom to tell tell her how the day went, and we were about ready to hang up, and I uh I I remember telling her, Oh, by the way, I came out as a trans woman at work, and I I figure I should tell you that's a big part of how my day went too. Um in another lifetime, maybe I would have broken the news to my mother in a different way, but generally I had a very slow but wonderful experience with coming to terms with myself. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Yes. Oh my goodness. And I love to hear that. And that is such a great metaphor. Um, because yeah, it really there's no, you know, one-stop shop, you know, there's not one way to be trans, to be non-binary, gender expansive, right? And so I love that that you and that you just like took this solo trip. I was just talking to somebody about that earlier today, and I was like, I would be afraid to do that. So props to you, and that it was like this huge sort of moment in your own, you know, journey and development. And um, and I yeah, I really love that for you, and that, you know, it isn't a rush and it doesn't happen quickly for most of us. Um, I think that that is also key to note because as you said, there are people in this country who will tell you, you know, will tell you to be afraid that if you send your kid to school, they might come home and be the opposite gender of what they went in the morning. And that is not the case. I would go as far as to say insane, and also, you know, um, that is just not how it happens. And so a lot of the sort of propaganda that we hear in the media about trans folks, I mean, talk to a trans person, and most of us will tell you it was a long time coming for most of us. So um, I just appreciate you sharing that part of your story. And um, and I know all of the like trans folks listening, we get it, you know, it is. It's like every journey is, you know, unique and special. We're all special unicorns.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

And I appreciated your um the part that you said about learning that there's no right way to be trans. And I recall uh a memory from my early transition where um a friend had invited me to a mutual friends transversary um barbecue, and it was quite literally the first time in my life I had seen more than like two trans people in a room. And so to have every genre of trans person out there, like you had your your your your flowery girls, you had uh your goth baddies, you had um the the girls at the table playing Magic the Gathering, like it was so liberating that I I realized, no, you you do get to be yourself, it's about your authenticity, not playing a different role, just as maybe the gender opposite, uh gender other than the one you were assigned at birth.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

Yes, oh my gosh, totally, yeah. It's like the opportunity for us to quit acting and really get real about who we are, who we want to be. And I yeah, I just love that. I think trans folks are sort of way ahead of the larger society when it comes to these sorts of like self-reflection kind of things, like because we do take a lot of time to kind of figure out what is this part of my identity and what does it mean for me, and you know, all of that. So oh my gosh, yes, be you, be all authentic you. That is always what we'll tell people. Um, but yeah, and so you know, transitioning. Ha ha ha. I need like a butom ching.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

For my dad jokes, bad dad trans jokes. Um, transitioning to our next question, though, and and I'm really curious and and excited for you to share more about this journey now that you're on. Running for governor of Minnesota. And let me just say when I think I got an email from either you or your campaign manager, you know, kind of sharing a little bit about who you were. And I was just like, what? A trans person is running for Minnesota governor. Like, I gotta meet this person, I gotta hear this story, and then I want to get the story out to the community, you know, so folks can uh hear about who you are, and then if they're interested in getting involved, learning more, volunteering. I'm sure there's lots of ways that you can share. But yeah, so I'm gonna pop this up on the camera. So uh, will you share the story of how you decided to run for governor as the first out trans person that we know of to do so?

SPEAKER_00 21:51

I'm setting the stage. Yes, it is it's mid to late January, and we're hearing that Governor Walls is driving. out of the race. And that there's rumors that Amy Klobuchar is going to run for governor, which I don't think comes as necessarily a surprise to many. But I was surprised when I saw that there was no one else running for this race. And I, as a little bit about me as well, like I'm generally someone who doesn't ask someone to do something that I'm not willing to do myself. So instead of um in my world feeling like a like complaining that we don't have uh any progressive candidates, I decided to step up to meet this moment and say, I will make sure that progressive values are represented in this. I just think that with everything going on with the president's administration, the one big beautiful bill budget cuts, like so many people are going to be kicked off their health care. So many people are going to lose their homes under federal occupation if people can't get to work to make an income, to pay their landlords. To me, a lot of getting in this race has been about learning to meet this moment and knowing that we need a coalition in order to get across the finish line. And so that's why we've been proactive about reaching out to different communities. Example um this weekend Sunday through Tuesday we're going to be doing a tribal listening session tour of six of the seven Anishanabe tribes up in or Ojibwe tribes in northern Minnesota. So we're going to go visit uh Leech Lake, White Earth Red Lake, Boy Fort, um Fond du Lac, and then Grand Portage as well. Because to this campaign it is so important that we are meeting people where they're at and not asking them to serve our politics. It's about making those connections and honorable connections at that and I just think that that's something that's been really missing from our electorate. Like it feels like people are upset with establishment Democrats, especially ones that are more in the center after everything we've been through, Minnesotans are expecting substantial systems level change in this election. With the advent of AI coming and treated as it's inevitable, I think we need a moratorium on data center production in this state, at least until we have a framework in place to regulate them. I think it's also about having a comprehensive LGBTQIA plus bill of rights as well. We are no strangers to knowing that there are very little protections for trans folks in this state beyond just the trans refuge bill that was passed in 2023. So it's making sure that we're codifying protections for students and for teachers to make sure that they are protected when they're just discussing their personal lives, you know, without being seen as trying to introduce woke gender ideology into the classroom it's making sure that we are protecting trans healthcare for minors in this campaign we leave no one behind with our coalition. We're not leaving indigenous communities behind. We're not leaving trans minors behind in this process. It is quite literally all of us or it is none of us. If standing up for trans minors is what cost me the primary so be it that people will have spoken but it would be a disservice to our community to leave them behind and say that they are that it's okay to to leave them behind most definitely I love that.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

And I mean um I mean there's so many things I could say to in response to that but I mean the the piece around healthcare for trans youth I mean that that is just so much on the forefront of many of our minds right now. I mean uh obviously places uh that are more conservative states you know away from us you know have already enacted bans on gender-affirming care and as of now that care remains legal and protected here in the state of Minnesota and yet we are having you know hospitals that are um you know stopping or pausing offering that kind of care to our trans youth in our communities and um and I know like we just heard the news that Children's Minnesota is like unpausing their pause. And they I believe they they were like tied up in you know like in a lawsuit about all of that. And so we are so glad to hear that they are you know going to be offering that care again to all of the hundreds of families that they serve you know down Y'all's way um and yet then we're also hearing of hospitals in our area here in the Northland as well as throughout the state that are you know toying with this idea of canceling and and pausing or stopping altogether this care. And so um I just want to highlight that that yeah you're exactly right we need candidates who are going to be able to say those things and bring our trans youth into the room and fight for them right because if we don't do it no one else is going to do it. So I just want to yeah just like applaud what you said there um because if we're not taking care of our youth, you know what is all of this for right except for them to come up and then hopefully inherit good things from us. And I also just want to highlight too I think you were referring to like the equal rights amendment that like gender justice has been working hard on and so many other groups and agencies I'm sure um so to see something like that get passed I mean that would be historic and that would grant a lot of protections I think to all the folks in our communities. I agree and yes it um it is uh about the the ERA amendment and making sure that we just have anti-discrimination in our constitution but I want to make sure that it's also inscribed in law spelt out the specific ways in which we cannot be discriminated against because this is about making sure that we have those codified protections not just a constitutional amendment to sue under retroactively yes oh good point and I know for folks like me I I get confused about all the political you know we're not taught a lot of these details um but yeah more rights for all of our communities that is what you are fighting for and folks with the ERA are fighting for um and so yeah I'm just excited to again just be introducing you to our community um and I'm actually gonna I'm gonna pop up haha the website where you can learn more and see everything you know that that Kobe is running on and campaigning for we'll get to that um just in a minute here um I also Kobe I meant to ask you this ahead of time so I'm gonna put you a little bit on the spot here but I know we have talked about this ahead of time um and so for folks who you know check out your website and they're interested in learning more they may find out that like you grew up in a home I think that was pretty republican pretty conservative uh you and I I think share that experience um and so I'm curious what you might say to folks who would say well she's got this history um and how can maybe like that the question is how can we trust someone who you know used to be a Republican and so I you know politics are hard to talk about but also I think it's important to ask those questions and hear folks' stories.

SPEAKER_00 30:08

Yeah absolutely because I know that my story isn't unique. Uh the thing I come back to is we are bigger than the worst things that we have ever done. As it stands now I I live with the shame of having been a Republican but that shame does nothing to serve our communities for me to wallow in this shame doesn't move the conversation or policy forward. So I own it and I take responsibility for that was a person that I was but I I will also say that poverty is is pretty radicalizing. If you know anybody who's ever battled with homelessness or near homelessness I have gotten to see that the systems are not designed to be our friends.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

They are designed to allow for our exploitation our struggle feeds the corporate class, the Epstein class um yeah I I think about often like how much I have changed like I am definitely someone who is pro-choice and a lot of that has come through my gender transition and realizing bodily autonomy is all wrapped up in one if we allow the government to tell trans people what they can do with their bodies they can tell cis women what they can do with their bodies and so it's can tell you know even like we think about sex work then they can tell them what they can do with their bodies but if we're rooted in bodily autonomy we need to make sure that people are centered in the ways that they can use their body it's not the government's decision in any way and it's it's fighting for that to make sure bodily autonomy is represented in our in our policies most definitely yeah the trans rights uh bodily autonomy uh all of that it's all interconnected um and so yeah I really appreciate you saying that because yeah I mean the fight for trans rights is directly tied to so many cis women's rights to their bodily autonomy um and so I feel like the sooner folks can understand that and like join together you know in these coalitions we're talking about we're talking about building community power building solidarity across communities um and then in order to enact change at this political you know legislative level in our state to make it a safer place for everyone who's here now and all of the folks you know we know there's tons of trans migrants who have been coming into our state just in the last year due to everything going on in the attacks against our community. And so um it's yeah it's just more important than ever that we're building that solidarity. And I also would just share you know as someone who also grew up you know I'm sure our stories are similar in some ways and different in a lot but you know growing up in a family is tough. You know you don't always know what you believe right until you get a little older and you get out into the world and you have some experiences and you learn from other people's stories and from their experiences. And that's what we need folks to be doing is growing um learning uh and you know shifting our perspectives as we learn that there's a better way or a more or like a less harmful way maybe is what I mean.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

But yeah I I just appreciate you sharing because that is it's a it's a trip as someone who also yeah I just uh it's kind of like yeah it's been a kind of a journey of like when you know better you should do better like something that I have learned in the last few years is when you a healthy level of accountability is actually quite liberating it's okay to say this is what I believed at this time this is what I this is what I've learned this is what I'm gonna stand up for now if people if our elected leaders could just healing our our beliefs in electoralism I think that yeah I just having a healthy moan of accountability and transparency is so important in an elected leader and I'm glad that I have learned that skill going into this election definitely oh my goodness accountability and transparency I feel like our skills are so key um and are so absent oftentimes when it comes to politicians um and so yeah I really appreciate you bringing that in um and so as we you know continue in our conversation um you know I'd love to hear more about your vision like a larger vision for Minnesota and then if you want to talk about like how could folks learn more um what ways could folks get involved in your campaign if they're looking to support um yeah just tell us more about all that yeah absolutely uh the the main central focus of this campaign is making sure one our policies are generally geography neutral but it's about more than just investments for the sake of investments it's about taking control of our system as as the working class so it's making uh investments in worker cooperatives and cooperative enterprise whether that's like an agricultural cooperative a producer consumer worker cooperative so that we can finally make sustainable economic um exit from this corporate system however it does not how much money we lend these businesses if we don't uncouple our health care from our employers ones that which corporations will always be able to dangle over us. So we need to pass Medicare for all universal healthcare but also universal childcare. Once we remove those barriers people can actually leave their corporate jobs because the goal is to make corporations not just compete against corporations it's about making corporations compete with other models of business that support more dignity for the working class because either people are going to leave because they can get better wages benefits at worker cooperatives or they'll stay corporations but corporations will have to pour more money and benefits into their people which is at the end of the day what we want. Corporations aren't inherently well I will say that it's pretty um it's a pretty evil system. But um but yeah it's basically about creating sustain sustainable exit from our corporate system. And so it's passing a bonding bill that will help get infrastructure projects particularly in green energy as we try to get to 100% green energy by 2040 it's moving the needle on that and all of that will help pour m state dollars into the hands of the working class not a proxy through corporations that won't trickle down. Other parts of the vision oh absolutely the LGBTQIA plus bill of rights like you said with Minnesota being a trans refuge state this is so important that we're not re-traumatizing a lot of people who left their home states because it was a more hostile environment we need to make sure that people can feel safe here and feel as though the legal framework also protects them not just their neighbors informally um making sure we have quality public schools like I said the goal is to get resources into the hands of our communities at the worker level. So it's making sure that teachers are paid adequately I was on uh an education Minnesota um uh screening process and I fully endorse I think that teachers should get $60,000 a year minimum uh the public school system is a wonderful vehicle for making sure we get financial resources even into like rural communities. Um it's not a new concept that that rural Minnesota needs some serious uh economic revitalization. I think that this worker cooperative model or investments in this model will do really well for all communities across the state because it's not it's not about the state telling these communities what they need it's enabling these communities to say hey we have an opportunity for commerce we don't have access to capital but we can get a loan so that we can start up this business and it'll be a business model that is ran and owned by and for the employees that actually do the work. So maybe that looks like a number of farmers in southwest Minnesota get together um and and start an agricultural co-op or maybe they join Lando Lakes which I recently learned is is an agricultural cooperative itself. Maybe that's maybe some more tourist industries in northern Minnesota.

SPEAKER_01 39:50

Maybe they have more restaurants more leisure more recreation to attract tourists to come enjoy lake life in northern Minnesota um maybe that's just more uh another business or two for historically um uh historically marginalized communities like down in in the cities and even across the state as we think about indigenous communities too it's about enabling opportunity because a lot of corporations and of the elite class would love to love to say that our communities don't have the knowledge don't have the skills to run successful businesses and that's why we need them but the fact of the matter is a lot of the people who live here in in in Minnesota we're the ones working for corporations making them money so there has to be some level of of uh competence to do these tasks so it's this campaign is really a belief in the people that we can do this we need to take control of our economy again and I want the state to enable that work definitely oh my gosh I mean yeah everything you're saying about just like I mean almost upending the system right which is kind of what needs to happen thinking about our working class and all of the folks who are living in poverty in this state you know and uh and there's just so much more work to be done and I think um sort of flipping the systems is what is gonna be required uh rather than just reform reform reform the broken system I think the systems are crumbling around us we're watching that every day uh on Twitter and all you know wherever you're getting your updates about our current like federal government um but dang I mean and that is what it's about and there's so many of us right there's so many more of us uh than sort of that corporate elite 1% group um and those of us who are really struggling like we need to see some really effective change happen and that is across communities right and it has to be um you know bringing those folks in those communities to the table like you mentioned like the fact that you're going around and talking with the different tribes uh and coming up to Fond du Lac which is like our neck of the woods um that is key right coming and talking to folks in the LGBT community about what does this look like? How do we make life better so like less of us are just trying to survive every day, you know, making ends barely meet um we can do better. And and I think that our leaders can and need to do better. So I like what you're saying Kobe. And then I also wanted to just mention too like you mentioned the trans refuge bill and like how important it is for Minnesota to really codify you know equal rights for LGBT plus folks as a whole right as the entire community but then yeah like thinking about how excited I was hearing like oh we're a trans refuge state to then like very quickly realizing well that's really only a name right now like we're saying the right things but where's the funding to create the infrastructure for all of the trans migrants and like families of trans youth who are coming to our state who are going to enrich and make our communities more diverse and beautiful there's nowhere for them to go right now. So like put your money where your mouth is kind of if that makes sense like yes let's be the refuge state and then let's actually create things to sustain and like enable that to be actually true, you know?

SPEAKER_00 43:48

Yes. Because ultimately we we love to talk about you know needing to exit the the the corporate system and and and so it's finally taking like this theory and practice and we're using the state to use that as a very serious lever to get resources to get this going because at the rate it's going we are not going to be able to keep up with with with artificial intelligence um for example like if we think about current global events like with the Iran closing the the Strait of Hormuz like if the petrodollar fails in the next one month one year four years we need to make sure that our infrastructure has been adequately funded before the fall of the US dollar because we're gonna have a whole host of issues so it's kind of getting ahead of the curve in some ways. I hope the catastrophe doesn't happen and that the US dollar doesn't fail.

SPEAKER_01 44:49

But should it should it happen I think we will have wished that we had invested sooner no doubt yeah and I think we have to be thinking long term for sure I mean and it is scary to think about some of the possible outcomes you know as you said and we hope for the best and those of us who are trying to care for communities and all the different ways that we do that politically within the community etc um you know it is really wise I think for us to be ahead of the curve to sort of strategize ahead of those possible outcomes um to better be able to care for our communities in those cases. But gosh yeah I mean there's there's a lot of work to be done I think in this country many of us I think tuning in here would agree um and there's plenty of work to still be done here in Minnesota and I also want to just say like there are a lot of rights and protections here in this state and so like we want to just see those continue to expand to cover all of the folks in our communities uh not just the ones with the most privilege right but um yeah I mean let's keep making this state great and more and more folks are gonna keep pouring in and just oh I love that expanding our community in all the good ways I agree I agree I have really enjoyed meeting all of the folks that have come from across the the country and I love just talking cultural exchanges like like what what came as a culture shock to to to you someone from Texas someone from you know Utah someone from Kentucky um and I love that they get to bring a little bit of themselves and educate us on what it's like in other parts of the country um I think it just broadens our horizons it's like a little silver lining out of a really dark day most definitely yep I I actually just had uh the opportunity to meet with a a young trans person who was traveling to Duluth for like a job interview um looking at relocating from a red southern state um and yeah just like asking her about her story and the experiences of like what does it mean to be trans in those states versus you know being able to feel at least a little bit safe and protected in a state like Minnesota. And it was wild yeah to hear I mean like she's not able to access her hormone therapy um and you know her family is basically trying to help her get to a new place like Minnesota hopefully where she can be safe and access that care that she needs to be healthy and um you know a contributing member of society or whatever. And it is you're right like there's so many pieces of different cultures and ways of being that yeah just add to all of our Minnesota you know cultures as well. Exactly oh my goodness well I don't know that I've talked about politics so much in a long time uh I usually try to kind of like oh you know focus on you know working within my community and and so I this has been good for me and hopefully you know I I feel hopeful that it will also um feel good and be helpful for our community members who tune in and watch uh or listen if they're listening on a podcast somewhere. But you know one of the things that we always ask our guest stars as we're starting to wrap up our time um in our conversation um is just acknowledging that like the world is a dumpster fire in so many ways. Every day there's new ways it seems like uh and it is really hard uh to just keep surviving and to keep hope alive and all of that. And so what are one to two ways that you uh take care of yourself um and hopefully you know by you sharing those things hopefully someone else might be like oh I could try that that might work for me right so we can like model how to care for ourselves.

SPEAKER_00 49:25

Yes absolutely I would say oh one of the ways that I do care for myself is I I allow people in my support network to help me like I have a friend you know there are certain times that I'm sure we've all experienced where the house will start to get messy the laundry will will build up but she has quite a bit of time on her hands. And so it's it's allowing the people in your life to help you it's reminding yourself that you're not a burden that people want to help you especially if they are offering to help you um and so that is one way I've been practicing kind of the the humility that comes with saying you're right I I do need some help in certain ways. So she'll come over and she'll help me and she'll do some dishes and and help me with my laundry which is so appreciated. The other way I make sure I get out in community as much as I get tired and I want to just curl up in bed and scroll TikTok for an hour or two I make sure at least once or twice a week I get out of the house intentionally with people, specifically trans people to remind myself like why I'm doing this work, why I am even daring to lead a state of 5.7 million people because that um that weight is heavy it is very heavy. And so I'm reminded that we need to take responsibility for our community and if I'm the one that's stepping up to do this it's important that you remind yourself why and for whom you're doing this work.

SPEAKER_01 51:08

So that's one way that I I make sure I care for myself well thank you so much for sharing that and I could not agree more on both of those. I need to keep practicing that asking for help accepting help it is key. It takes all of us uh and I definitely believe we are not meant to live in isolation even though that is kind of a lot of our go-to when things are crazy and and wild and scary is to isolate and just to kind of hunker down and take care of ourselves but reach out yeah reach out to community let folks help those are such amazing messages so thanks for sharing those and yeah as we're coming to the end I just want to pop up the link to your uh campaign website uh and for folks who are listening so that's Kobe for the number four governor dot com. Uh and we'll also include that link in our show notes as well. So you should be able to scroll down and find that. And yeah we just want to say thank you again um for taking the time to join us um to pre-record and uh fit us into your busy schedule. I know you're working and now you know running this campaign and you're a busy busy gal. So we appreciate your time.

SPEAKER_00 52:32

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 52:33

It's been a pleasure to be on here and I I love connecting with other LGBTQIA plus folks so and especially ones across the state I especially with trans refuge I know there's at least down here there's a sentiment that they just cluster in the cities but I want to make sure that people know they are all across the state like we cannot forget our rural um our rural LGBTQIA plus uh brothers sisters and siblings yes don't forget us we're up here we're here we're queer oh goodness well yeah hopefully you can make your way up here and maybe we can grab coffee or something but you know good luck to you in all that you are doing with the campaign um and just yeah thanks again and for all of you you know we want to say thank you to our viewers for tuning in for following uh our show and and coming along the journey and meeting all of these amazing guest star community members um yeah we just got a really big cool community out here folks so get connected um as a reminder you can check out our events calendar on our website at transnortland.org slash connection there that link is and then yeah as a reminder you can follow us on socials we're on Facebook Instagram uh we have an email list you can sign up to get our emails um and yeah connect with us at transnortland we'd love to meet you see you at an event um and yeah thank you again for tuning in with us joining us kind of live well we're live now um and yeah we will see y'all back uh in a couple of weeks and I'm very excited uh our next guest star uh is gonna be Riley Barca who is gonna be joining the live stream next um Riley's a local leader in the community health uh field with a strong commitment to advancing health equity for our community LGBT plus community uh as a registered nurse and the director of community health for black boots twin ports Riley has focused on building community uh partnerships through expanding access to health services and harm reduction supplies uh and so yeah we are super excited to have Riley join us and that'll be the next one will be on April 22nd which is a couple days before our Be Safe Get Tested event so we'll talk a little bit about that event too. So tune in uh in two weeks and we will be back with you then. Take good care friends