Law Commons^™

Reflections At The Silver Anniversary Of The First Trans-Inclusive Gay Rights Statute: Ruminations On The Law And Its History -- And Why Both Should Be Defended In An Era Of Anti-Trans 'Bathroom Bills', Katrina C. Rose

University of Massachusetts Law Review

In 1993, Minnesota became the first state to enact a sexual orientation civil rights statute that also provides protections for transgender people. At the twenty-fifth anniversary of that achievement, the intricate history underlying the statute remains underappreciated. The pioneering status of the 1993 state statute, as well as that of the 1975 Minneapolis trans-inclusive ordinance upon which it was based, now typically are recognized. The degree to which radical agitation against politically moderate interests did not sabotage trans-exclusive gay rights but, instead, gave birth to trans-inclusive gay rights is still largely misunderstood. The degree to which that earliest trans rights …