Kluwe, Vikings announce settlement
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The standoff between the Minnesota Vikings and former punter Chris Kluwe over allegations of homophobia has ended with a settlement, Kluwe and the team announced on Tuesday.
Minnesota schools make “most LGBT-friendly” list
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Four Minnesota schools were recently placed on the annual 2014 CampusPride top-50 list of LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. Augsburg College, Macalester College, and both University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and the Twin Cities, were all ranked as 5-star schools. Schools listed are recognized for their efforts to improve the campus environment for students, particularly in terms of academics and social safety. Augsburg College provides advising and advocacy for students who identify as LGBTQ, such as opportunities for student leadership, and a handful of all-gender bathrooms, amongst other work. “We’re grateful for this type of recognition, but a lot of credit belongs to our students for leading boldly…individually and as groups,” said Stephanie Weiss, a spokesperson for Augsburg College. Continue Reading
Twin Cities Saudi woman bridges gap between Islamic and Western worlds through art
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Have you seen the tree trunk standing before a corner house where Hague Avenue intersects with Pierce Street north in St. Paul?
BEHIND THE STORY | Taking on my local co-op over Eden Foods
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I don’t consider myself much of a political or activist person. I’m used to listening more than speaking. I write about what other people are doing to make the world a better place rather than taking initiatives on my own. So lately I’ve found myself in a strange, unfamiliar place taking on a cause. It has to do with my local co-op and their decision to continue to carry Eden Foods, the Hobby Lobby of Soy products. After the Hobby Lobby Supreme court victory, allowing them to be exempted from providing health care for four types of birth control, Eden Foods revived their own case, which would allow them to be exempted from covering any type of birth control whatsoever.
Farewell, StrongBlackWoman
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Ask anyone – Black or White, male or female – to describe Black women and the most common answer is likely to be strong. The StrongBlackWoman is a legendary figure, typified by extraordinary capacities for caregiving and for suffering without complaint. She is a cultural myth that defines – and confines – ways of being in the world for women of African descent…[This] manifestation of strength that has become normative for Black women is uniquely racialized and gendered. Strong is a racial-gender codeword. It is verbal and mental shorthand for the three core features of the StrongBlackWoman – caregiving, independence, and emotional strength/regulation…The StrongBlackWoman possesses each of these characteristics to such an excessive degree that it interferes significantly with her physical health, her emotional and spiritual well-being, and her relationships. – Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes[i] Continue Reading
Bachmann sponsors anti-LGBT adoption bill
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A new bill offered in the U.S. House and Senate would allow adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT people, according to national LGBT groups. Rep. Michele Bachmann is the sole member of the Minnesota delegation in Congress sponsoring the bill.
Target (finally) backs marriage equality
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In a blog post on Tuesday, Target executive Jodee Kozlak announced that the company has filed a brief in court in support of marriage equality in Wisconsin and Indiana, and that the company is publicly backing same-sex marriage. The move comes after several missteps by the Minneapolis-based retail giant.
Say Anything: Matt Entenza once voted for Defense of Marriage Act language (in his own bill)
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One of the fascinating things about the long history of the movement for marriage equality is the ability of people to change their minds–and hearts–about the definition of marriage, and for politicians to gain the courage to adopt love as the law. Continue Reading
Minnesota Archdiocese wanted to label marriage equality-supporting priest ‘disabled’
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The investigation of alleged cover-ups of child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has brought a flurry of court documents which reveal some details of Archbishop John Nienstedt’s war on gay marriage. In one case, the Archdiocese allegedly considered having a priest labelled disabled to silence his support of marriage equality.Father Michael Tegeder of St. Francis Cabrini and Gichitwaa Kateri has been an outspoken critic of Nienstedt’s assault on LGBT rights. He was sharply critical of the anti-gay marriage amendment that was on the ballot in 2012.He was so outspoken, Nienstedt threatened to remove him from ministry.“If you choose not to offer your resignation, but continue to act openly or speak publicly about your opposition to Church teaching, I will suspend your faculties to exercise ministry and remove you from your ministerial assignments,” Nienstedt wrote to Tegeder in a letter in November 2011.But behind the scenes, Nienstedt was considering other measures to silence Tegeder. Continue Reading
OPINION | Bragging on Minneapolis: 8 reflections on the city’s LGBT climate
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For LGBT people, the climate in Minneapolis is good. A large community, safe schools, mostly equal rights, and supportive community leaders and institutions have made it a city LGBT people can take pride in.