Last Wednesday night, more than thirty neighbors gathered at Apple Valley Community of Christ for the first of our LGBTQ listening sessions in the southern part of the Twin Cities. Folks took turns sharing what drew them to this conversation, and what they enjoy about living in this part of Minnesota. We also created an inventory of the LGBTQ-affirming spaces, organizations and resources that folks recommend in the area, named challenges for members of the rainbow family in the south metro, and created almost a full page of possibilities that our communities might focus on developing to better support LGBTQ+ people here. It was an inspiring gathering, and even after two hours the conversations continued informally out to the parking lot!

Through this shared space and time, strangers began to recognize each other as neighbors with shared commitments to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the South Metro. We sent people home with a list of dates when LGBTQ folks nearby might naturally gather again for community, including our next listening session in Savage on May 6th, and the Pride festivals in Northfield, Bloomington, and Burnsville.

Prism leaders–including a South Metro core team of almost a dozen people–are organizing these community conversations in regions of the state beyond the core Twin Cities. Prism hereby gathers, connects, and sheds light on the rainbow community that’s already present all over Minnesota, even in places where LGBTQ people feel isolated or alone. We’re amplifying what good networks and organizations already exist, organizing meaningful community in suburbs, exurbs, and greater Minnesota, and developing leaders “close to the ground” all across the state who can help address local LGBTQ needs.

These listening sessions and community conversations will form the core of Prism’s organizing work for the next few months. Will you be able to attend the one in Woodbury on April 29th? Could you help us gather people elsewhere, perhaps in the North or West Metro, Rochester, Duluth, Moorhead, or Saint Cloud? Contact Lead Organizer Oby Ballinger if you can help Prism spark such transformational conversations and networked community all across the state!