Minneapolis City Hall hosting first-ever drag show to celebrate Pride month

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - As part of Pride month honoring the LGBTQ+ community, Minneapolis City Council members have announced they will host the first-ever drag show at city hall this week.

Minneapolis City Hall drag show

What we know:

Minneapolis City Council and city employees have announced they will honor the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community with a breakfast, reception and city hall’s first-ever drag show to kick off Pride Month on Thursday, June 11.

All are welcome to attend the historic event, according to a press release, which is expected to involve three to five drag performers.

Dig deeper:

Minneapolis plans to host its annual Twin Cities Pride Festival on Saturday, June 27, in Loring Park, which also involves a parade through downtown the following day. 

Throughout the state, several events are held throughout Minnesota during the month of June to celebrate Pride month.

What's next:

Council members are also set to approve an honorary resolution on behalf of the LGBTQ+ rights movement at its full council meeting on June 11.

A full version of the resolution can be found below:

The backstory:

Pride Month is celebrated each June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City – often seen as a pivotal moment in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature passed a marriage equality statute, effectively legalizing same-sex marriage at the state level.

By 2015, same-sex marriage expanded to all 50 states in the U.S. through various state and federal court rulings, legislation and voting measures.

In 2017, the city council approved the creation of the Transgender Equity Council as an advisory board, and the following year, then council vice-president Andrea Jenkins and council member Phillipe Cunningham were sworn in as the first openly transgender people to serve on the Minneapolis City Council.