SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Today, Thursday, April 27, Governor Tim Walz signed the Trans Refuge bill into law. The Trans Refuge bill will protect people seeking or providing gender-affirming health care in Minnesota. Rep. Leigh Finke (DFL-Saint Paul) is the author of the bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In celebration of the historic victory, Rep. Finke released the following statement:
“Signing the Trans Refuge bill into law is monumental to our trans community, especially our trans youth. The criminalization of our existence by extremist Republicans across the country is mounting, and when our community is mentioned in the headlines, it’s often about hate-motivated attacks, dehumanizing fabrications, and attempts to diminish our right to live. But today is a good day in Minnesota. As a state, we stand on the right side of history by boldly welcoming and celebrating our trans community. In a time of vulnerability and fear, we choose to love and accept our neighbors and relatives for who they are and who they will become. I want to thank Senator Erin Maye Quade for leading this bill in the Senate. This is also a time to celebrate and acknowledge the influential organizers behind this movement, our youth. Our beautifully weird, eclectic, and fabulous queer agenda is to continue to show up in spaces that were designed to shut us out, and we’ll continue to be joyous. Our joy is an act of resistance, and we won’t rest until all our liberation efforts succeed.”