As members of the Queer community, going through life can be draining in itself. We mask at work, we mask on our errands. But when we’re with our community, we should be able to let those masks down and be our authentic selves.

We endeavor to provide this type of space within the Minneapolis-St. Paul LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, because we have both in-person events and an online social space, individuals can engage in the space as frequently as they want and are able.

Counter cultures have existed since the mid-20th century as a form of resistance to mainstream society. The Queer community does more than just exist as a subculture; we demand change from society. We demand acceptance of our identities, the choice to love and marry who we choose. We challenge heteronormativity and the status quo of gender roles.

Everyone deserves respect, regardless of their appearance and if they fall into traditional beauty standards. We do not tolerate any body-shaming.

Along with many other advocacy groups, we assert that trans rights are human rights. As the United States Declaration of Independence states, all United States citizens are granted the fundamental rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Hormone Replacement Therapy is a significant piece of gender-affirming care. It involves supplementing the hormones that are naturally deficient in the body. HRT is used by both cis and trans people to help individuals feel more like themselves. There are many anecdotal stories of HRT helping all kinds of chronic conditions, mental and physical.

At MinneQ, we believe that access to abortion services should be safe, legal, and rare. We believe that providing comprehensive sex education in schools and low-cost access to birth control provide are critical to making abortions rare. Abortions are personal and often traumatic decisions that everyone should be allowed to make, regardless of their reasons why. [The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion][Abortion for Wanted Pregnancies]

Being a woman does not require being born with a uterus/vulva, nor the ability to menstruate or bear children. To demand that in order to be a woman, a person must possess these “innate qualities of womanhood” is to deny the truth that these these qualities do not always exist for cis-women. [Human Rights Campaign]

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Individuals who fall outside the traditional man-woman dichotomy are included under the non-binary umbrella, including genderfluid, genderqueer, agender, bigender, and more. No matter the identity, all are valid. [Human Rights Campaign]

We affirm the Black Lives Matter movement, and the demand for systematic change. Much of American history, from chattel slavery to Jim Crow laws, is built upon white supremacist ideologies, and that we are still feeling the effects of these practices.

Providing a space where community moves from acquaintances to friends to found family is a large part of our mission.

We assert that exchange of sexual services for money is real work, and should be respected the same as any other profession. [ACLU]

Shaming anyone for their sexual activities has much greater repercussions across society than just the individual. It can contribute to a culture of victim-blaming, uphold a culture of misogyny, and discourages open communication around sexual safety.

We affirm the idea that everyone deserves respect, dignity, and safety, regardless of their immigration status.

When infrastructure or policies are intentionally created to be accessible, everyone benefits.

One example at MinneQ is asking everyone provide an ingredient list for homemade food at potlucks. We could ask that people only label the called out allergies from attendees on the RSVP form, but that doesn’t include aversions and simple distaste of certain flavors. This also accommodates individuals with eating disorders and food-related trauma, both of which can make it difficult to eat at potlucks. By asking all ingredients be listed, everyone is able to make informed decisions about their food choices.

We are saddened by the culture of anti-intellectualism and anti-science that is spreading around the country. We believe in the scientific method and peer-reviewed research. We believe that government policies should be informed by experts in the related scientific field, not by people appointed as political favors.

We trust the research that shows climate change is both happening on Earth right now, and is being caused by human activity. [NASA]

We believe survivors of assault every time, without demanding they provide proof or forcing them relieve the traumatic details. We refuse to contribute to a culture of victim-blaming by insisting the survivor should have “known better”.

When we are handling violations of our Code of Conduct, we prioritize community safety and harm reduction. Sometimes this will mean education about the harm caused, or potential to cause future harm. Other times, the harm already caused demands we remove someone from MinneQ to protect the other members of our community.