♪♪ >> CATHY: AS YOU JUST SAW, THIS WEEK MARKED TEN YEARS SINCE THE LANDMARK DECISION FROM THE SUPREME COURT ON GAY MARRIAGE.

MEMBERS OF THE TWO SPIRIT LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY HAVE ARGUABLY NEVER BEEN MORE VISIBLE, LIKE AT OUR STATE CAPITOL, BUT THERE'S STILL WORK AND WORRY AHEAD.

JOINING US IN THE LAST REMAINING DAYS OF PRIDE MONTH IS DFL REPRESENTATIVE ATHENA HOLLINS OF THE MINNESOTA QUEER LEGISLATORS CAUCUS.

SHE ALSO REPRESENTS St. PAUL.

IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU.

SAY, BEFORE WE BEGIN, I JUST WANT TO SAY, I KNOW IT'S BEEN VERY VERY DIFFICULT, LOSING SPEAKER HORTMAN.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: WHAT KIND OF AN ALLY WAS SHE?

>> OH, MY GOSH.

SHE WAS A TREMENDOUS ALLY.

I MEAN, THROUGH AND THROUGH, THE NUMBER OF TIMES I CAN SAY THAT WE TOLD HER, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF LEGISLATION TO THE QUEER CAUCUS, SHE ABSOLUTELY LISTENED AND SHE SAID, THEN IT'S A PRIORITY FOR ME.

>> Cathy: AND, AGAIN, SO SORRY.

HOW ARE YOU DOING?

>> THANK YOU.

YOU KNOW, SURVIVING.

IT'S HARD.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE.

AND I'M JUST TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, AS I KEEP TELLING MY CAUCUS, WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE.

>> Cathy: RIGHT.

>> Eric: YOUR CAUCUS WAS KIND OF ON OFFENSE IN '23 AND '24, AND THE LAST SESSION, PLAYING MORE DEFENSE, IS THAT FAIR TO SAY?

>> YEAH, I THINK THAT'S ACCURATE.

I THINK WE HAD TREMENDOUS GAINS IN '23 AND '24 FROM UR PERSPECTIVE.

AND, REALLY, WE WENT INTO '25 JUST TRYING TO HOLD ON TO THOSE.

>> Cathy: WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING IN THE COMING SESSIONS HERE?

I MEAN, HOW HARD MIGHT IT BE?

DO YOU LOOK AS THIS AS A UPHILL CLIMB, PERHAPS?

>> WELL, FOR THE NEXT SESSION COMING UP IN '26, I THINK THAT'S -- IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT FOR EVERYBODY.

RIGHT?

JUST BECAUSE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.

PEOPLE ARE HURTING AND PEOPLE ARE SCARED AND, SO, THE REALITY OF IT IS GOING TO BE CHALLENGING FOR ALL OF US.

BUT I'M REALLY HOPEFUL, I MEAN, I THINK WE GOT SOME REALLY GOOD THINGS DONE THIS PAST YEAR THAT WERE BIPARTISAN IN NATURE, EXAMINE, SO, I'M REALLY HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN COME BACK AND, YOU KNOW, DO THAT SAME GOOD WORK FOR THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA AND HOPEFULLY GET IN AND OUT AND GET IT DONE.

>> Cathy: I WONDER ABOUT PRIDE, YOU KNOW, WHY IS HAVING PRIDE MONTH STILL IMPORTANT?

>> OH, GREAT QUESTION.

I MEAN, I THINK EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE SEEING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL IS THE REASON WHY IT'S TILL IMPORTANT.

WE'VE MADE HUGE STRIDES, BUT THE REALITY IS, THERE'S O MUCH FURTHER TO GO.

AND MANY PEOPLE JUST WANT TO LOVE WHO THEY LOVE, THEY WANT TO LIVE THEIR LIVES FULLY AND AUTHENTICALLY, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

>> Eric: ONE OF THE MOST VISIBLE ISSUES NOW IS THE FEDERAL HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING WHETHER BIOLOGICAL MALES CAN PLAY GIRLS' SPORTS.

>> YEAH.

>> Eric: WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THAT IN THE COMMUNITY?

>> I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE OUTRAGED.

I THINK, IN GENERAL, THE IDEA THAT WE ARE GOING TO START PICKING APART WHAT PEOPLE'S GENDER IS IS JUST BIOLOGICALLY INCORRECT, RIGHT?

WE KNOW THERE'S MORE THAN TWO GENDERS, IN ANY PARTICULAR SITUATION.

TRANS GIRLS ARE GIRLS AND THEY WANT TO PLAY SPORTS.

WITH OTHER GIRLS, WITH OTHER LITTLE GIRLS.

AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

AND I THINK MOST MINNESOTANS SEE THIS AS REALLY A NONISSUE THAT'S DISTRACTING FROM THE REAL THINGS THAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT, LIKE HOW MUCH THEIR GROCERIES, HOW MUCH THEY'RE PAYING FOR RENT, THINGS LIKE THAT.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, WHEN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE PASSED THE STATE OF MINNESOTA IN 2013, I THINK PEOPLE -- IT WAS A MASTER CLASS IN GETTING SOMETHING DONE, RIGHT?

>> YES!

>> Cathy: BECAUSE THOSE WHO WERE IN FAVOR, IT WAS PERSONAL.

AND THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, LOOK AROUND YOU, YOU PROBABLY HAVE A FRIEND, YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A NEIGHBOR, A FAMILY MEMBER, RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: AND I'M WONDERING, AS YOU MOVE FORWARD IN THE QUEER CAUCUS, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAYBE PERSONALIZE YOUR STORIES WITH OTHER MEMBERS IN ORDER TO GET WHAT YOU NEED TO GET DONE?

>> YEAH.

I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REMEMBER HEARING IN 2013 WAS GRANDPARENTS WHO REALIZED THAT THEY HAD, OU KNOW, A AY OR LESBIAN GRANDCHILD, AND THEY WERE, LIKE, WELL, I DO WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO MARRY THE PERSON THEY LOVE.

THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME, PERSONALLY.

SO WE HAVE TO DO THE SAME THING WITH ALL OF OUR QUEER EQUITY RIGHTS, I THINK.

WE ARE SO BLESSED TO HAVE MULTIPLE PEOPLE WHO ARE NONBINARY IN THE MINNESOTA HOUSE NOW AND ALSO OUR FIRST TRANS LEGISLATOR, LEIGH FINCKE, WHICH I THINK IS A -- GOES A TREMENDOUS WAY TO MOVING PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU GET TO KNOW THESE FOLKS AT HUMAN BEINGS AND UNDERSTAND THEIR PASSIONS AND THEIR INTERESTS AND WHO THEY ARE AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.

AND I THINK THAT THAT REALLY HUMANIZES THE SORT OF ISSUE AND MAKES IT MORE PALATABLE FOR PEOPLE BECAUSE JUST LIKE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, IN 2013, WHEN FOLKS REALIZE THAT YOU JUST WANT TO LOVE WHO YOU LOVE, THAT'S EASY TO UNDERSTAND, RIGHT?

IT WOULD BE HARD IF YOU TOLD ME, I'M NOT ALLOWED TO BE WITH WHOEVER I WANT TO BE WITH OR THAT YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BE WITH WHO YOU WANT TO BE WITH, AND WHEN YOU SEE THAT BEING PLAYED OUT, IN A LARGER SCALE, IN A MORE DIVERSE WAY, I THINK MOST PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS ISN'T HARMING ANYBODY.

RIGHT?

THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE DIDN'T FALL APART AFTER WE LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.

AND THE SAME THING IS GOING TO BE TRUE FOR TRANS RIGHTS.

NOTHING IS GOING TO FALL APART.

WE'RE GOING TO BE FINE.

>> Cathy: GLAD YOU WERE HERE.

>> THANKS SO MUCH.