>> MARY: JUNE IS PRIDE MONTH, AND THERE ARE LOTS OF CELEBRATIONS PLANNED IN THE COMING WEEKS.

THE PAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION WAS HIGHLIGHTED BY THE MINNESOTA QUEER CAUCUS, AND THE WORK CONTINUES FOR ADVOCATES LIKE OUTFRONT MINNESOTA, THE STATE'S LARGEST LGBTQ+ ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION.

THEY'VE BEEN ACTIVE UP AT THE CAPITOL, AND HERE WITH US NOW IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KAT ROHN.

WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT KIND OF A TOUGH SITUATION WHICH WE'RE STILL UNFOLDING AND FINDING DETAILS ABOUT A STUDENT ASSAULTED IN A HOPKINS BATHROOM.

SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD MIRROR AN INCIDENT WITH ANOTHER TRANS STUDENT ELSEWHERE.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW AT THIS POINT?

>> YEAH, WE'VE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THE FAMILY AND HAVE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH MANY MEMBERS OF THE HOPKINS COMMUNITY.

UNFORTUNATELY, A TRANS STUDENT WAS VIOLENTLY ATTACKED IN HOPKINS, JUST ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AGO.

AND AS THE COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO ESPOND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GATHERING MORE DETAILS.

BUT CERTAINLY WE BELIEVE IT MAY BE A BIASED MOTIVATED INCIDENT.

THANKFULLY THEY HAVE A SUPPORTIVE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY.

BUT WE KNOW THAT THESE INCIDENTS CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE INCLUDING HERE IN MINNESOTA.

>> Mary: AND DID IT TAKE SOME TIME?

I DEFINITELY HEARD THERE WAS SOME CRITICISM.

WHEN YOU SAY A WEEK AND A HALF AGO, THIS FEELS LIKE IT TOOK A LITTLE WHILE TO COMMUNICATE?

>> YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S CERTAINLY SOME CONCERNS AROUND HOW THE SCHOOL COMMUNICATED ABOUT THE TIMELINE TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS, TO MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY WESTBOUND THE HOPKINS HIGH SCHOOL.

AND WE CERTAINLY HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE OVERALL IMMEDIATE RESPONSE AND, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL'S RESPONSE TO THE LEVEL OF SEVERITY OF THE INJURIES THAT WERE SUSTAINED BY THE VICTIM.

SO THERE'S STILL MORE PIECES TO NCOVER AND FIGURE OUT.

>> Mary: AND SEVERE INJURIES, IT SOUNDS LIKE BROKEN JAW IN MULTIPLE PLACES, CRACKED TEETH.

THIS DOESN'T SOUND LIKE IT WAS A MINOR ASSAULTS.

>> NO, I DON'T THINK THERE ARE ANY MINOR ASSAULTS BUT THIS IS CERTAINLY ONE THAT IS EXTRAORDINARY SEVERE AND FORTUNATELY.

THE STUDENT DID RECEIVE MEDICAL ATTENTION ND IS RECOVERING WITH THEIR FAMILY NOW.

BUT WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.

>> Eric: DO YOU EVER TALK TO SOME OF THE ELDER ADVOCATES OF THE MOVEMENT OF OUTFRONT AND DO THEY MARVIN YELL AS WHAT'S BEEN ACCOMPLISHED FOR YOU FOLKS IN THE '23-'24 SESSION?

>> YEAH, I HAD A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN WITH JACK BAKER AND A NUMBER OF THE OTHER ADVOCATES WHO WERE INVOLVED IN MINNEAPOLIS'S NONDISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE IN THE 1970s AND I THINK WE ALL LOOK AND MAR 1RE8 AT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME SO FAR IN 50-PLUS EARS OF ADVOCACY WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE HERE IN THIS COMMUNITY AND YET THERE'S STILL MORE WORK TO BE DONE.

>> Eric: THE E.R.A.

NOT PASSING, WAS THAT A PARTICULAR DISAPPOINTMENT TO U?

>> YEAH, I THINK IT WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES, AND LGBTQ MEMBERS, WOMEN WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR THE E.R.A.

FOR MANY YEARS, WE CAME SO CLOSE WITH THE PASSAGE THROUGH THE HOUSE THIS YEAR BUT WITHOUT THE TIME TO DO THE WORK IN THE SENATE.

>> Mary: YOUR D.F.L.

ALLIES WHO CONTROL ALL OF STATE GOVERNMENT HAVE DELIVERED ON A LOT OF THINGS.

I THINK YOU STILL HAVE MORE.

HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU NOW THAT THE SENATE'S GOING TO BE UP WITH A SPECIAL ELEGISLATION AND THE WHOLE HOUSE IS UP?

ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT PARTY AFFILIATION COULD CHANGE AT THE CAPITOL?

>> I THINK, FOR LGBTQ COMMUNITIES, THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY GUARANTEE.

WE HAD A UNIQUE INTAITION COMING INTO 2023 WHERE FOR THE FIRST TIME WE SAW A FULLY LGBTQ SUPPORTIVE TRIFECTA.

AND I THINK THAT WAS A UNIQUE SITUATION.

IT'S CERTAINLY ONE THAT WE HOPE TO EPLICATE IN THE YEARS TO COME BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH WORK TO DO.

AND SO I THINK FOR LGBTQ ADVOCATES PART OF OUR JOB IS SHARING THE GREAT WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS AND HELPING TO MAKE THE CASE TO LGBTQ MINNESOTANS AND TO OUR ALLIES ACROSS THE STATE THAT WE NEED THAT MAJORITY TO KEEP MOVING THE WORK AHEAD.

>> Eric: PRIDE WEEKEND IN MINNEAPOLIS IS WELL KNOWN.

AS A POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC POWER HOUSE FOR THE CITY.

GETTING A LITTLE MORE TRACTION IN GREATER MINNESOTA?

>> YEAH, JUST SO ACTUALLY THIS WEEKEND, WE HAVE ALMOST A DOZEN PRIDE EVENTS ALL AROUND THE STATE INCLUDING -- >> Eric: FEEL FREE TO CLEAR YOUR THROAT.

>> Mary: YEAH, IT'S FINE.

WE'RE LIVE.

>> SO INCLUDING HASTINGS, MINNESOTA, RED WING, ANOKA, MARSHALL, MINNESOTA, DULUTH IS HOSTING A TRANS JOY FESTIVAL.

SO TWIN CITIES PRIDE, GREAT EVENT.

LOVE TO BE THERE.

GREAT TO SEE THE HUGE CROWDS.

BUT WHAT'S BEEN REALLY BEAUTIFUL TO SEE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS HAS BEEN JUST THE BEAUTY OF ALL THESE SMALL TOWN PRIDES STEPPING UP AND CREATING -- >> Eric: YOU HAVE DIVERSE GROUPS WITHIN YOUR COALITION.

AND I WONDER HOW YOU KEEP EVERYBODY ROWING THE BOTH IN THE SAME DIRECTION?

>> NO, I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANY LGBTQ COMMUNITY MONOLITH BUT WIESK WHAT HOLDS US TOGETHER THE IS THE SENSE THAT WHEN WE COME TOGETHER AS COMMUNITIES WE CAN LIFT UP ALL THE CONCERNS AND KEEP WORK MOVING FORWARD AND HISTORICALLY AS A MOVEMENT THAT STRENGTH OF WHEN WE'VE COME TOGETHER WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THESE BIG STRIDES AND BIG PIECES OF PROGRESS I THINK IS WHAT HOLDS THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND IT'S THE FACT THAT FOR SO MANY OF US, BEING MARGINALIZED, BEING ON THE OUTSIDE, FINDING ANYONE WHO HAS THAT SHARED EXPERIENCE AND SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING IS SUCH A GREAT THING TO HAVE.

AND SO THAT KEEPS US TOGETHER.

>> Mary: IS THERE A PLACE WHERE FOLKS CAN GO TO FIND OUT ABOUT EVENTS IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND STATEWIDE?

>> YEAH, SO OUTFRONT.ORG/PRIDE, WE HAVE OUR LIST OF EVENTS,