LGBTQ rights in Minnesota

LGBTQ rights in Minnesota
Legal statusLegal since 2001; codified in 2023
Gender identityTransgender people allowed to change legal gender, gender affirming care protected
Discrimination protectionsSexual orientation and gender identity protections, conversion therapy ban
Family rights
Recognition of relationshipsSame-sex marriage since 2013
AdoptionFull adoption rights since 2013

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Minnesota have the same legal rights as non-LGBTQ people. Minnesota became the first U.S. state to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in 1993, protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination in the fields of employment, housing, and public accommodations. In 2013, the state legalized same-sex marriage, after a bill allowing such marriages was passed by the Minnesota Legislature and subsequently signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton. This followed a 2012 ballot measure in which voters rejected constitutionally banning same-sex marriage.

Minnesota is frequently referred to as one of the most LGBTQ-friendly states in the Midwestern United States. Though legislation outlawing same-sex sexual activity remained in nominal effect until 2023, it had been invalidated since 2001 when the state's Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional. In July 2021, an executive order was signed and implemented banning conversion therapy state-wide. Some cities within Minnesota had previously banned conversion therapy by local ordinances. In Spring 2023, the state passed a law banning conversion therapy and a "trans refuge" law, protecting access to gender-affirming care.