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MNQT Staff: Emma Watts, Executive Director emma.watts@state.mn.us Angelica Gentile, Senior Operations Specialist angelica.gentile@state.mn.us Kelsey Waits, Research Director kelsey.waits@state.mn.us Stay updated with MNQT:  Instagram: @MNCOUNCIL_LGBTQIA2S+ Facebook: MN Council on LGBTQIA2S+

Letter from the Executive Director

Dear friends and supporters,

As we close out 2025, I’ve taken time to reflect on the journey we’ve traveled together. It has been a year defined by challenge, growth, and meaningful progress. From building a brand-new state agency to engaging communities across Minnesota in thoughtful and authentic ways, we have laid a strong foundation for lasting impact.

This feels like a meaningful moment to pause, reflect, and acknowledge the collective effort it took to get here. Every milestone we reached this year was shaped by the leadership of our Council and staff in collaboration with the dedication and partnership of our communities. With that foundation in place, we’re ready to move forward with clarity and purpose.

Foundation Building

Launching a new state agency is no small feat. Over the past year, we established the core operational systems that make our work possible, from human resources, finance, and IT to contracting, communications, and more. And we did all of this while simultaneously laying the groundwork for our programmatic mission and launching a historic Community Needs Assessment.

Equally important was building the right team. By the end of 2025, we onboarded a small but mighty staff deeply committed to community, equity, and collaboration. With a mix of permanent and temporary roles, we focused on building a strong foundation while remaining flexible and responsive to emerging needs.

Much of this work happened behind the scenes – forms, budgeting, systems troubleshooting – but every decision was made in service of long-term sustainability and our mission to advance equity and justice for LGBTQIA2S+ Minnesotans.

Community Needs Assessment

The cornerstone of our first year has been the launch of the Council’s statewide LGBTQIA2S+ Community Needs Assessment – the first of its kind in Minnesota in 30 years. This initiative is designed to help state leaders, agencies, and advocates better understand the needs, priorities, and strengths of LGBTQIA2S+ Minnesotans.

From day one, our Council Members recognized that listening directly to LGBTQIA2S+ Minnesotans through research and data collection was essential to building a new agency rooted in trust, accountability, and real community needs. We began building towards this vision in earnest in December 2024, launched the survey in March 2025, followed by focus groups in April, with the bulk of the outreach extended through Pride Month. We paused promotion in July while adjusting to lower staff capacity, though we continued promoting the survey at pride festivals across the state. Finally, at the beginning of December 2025, we relaunched the survey for one final push before we dive into analysis.

Right now, we have over 7,000 responses. For a small team, this was an ambitious undertaking, and we met it by living our values as a community-powered agency. We partnered with more than 40 community organizations across the state to extend our reach and ensure meaningful participation.

In addition to the survey, we convened 12 focus groups with 69 participants, prioritizing voices that are too often left out of state decision-making. These conversations provided depth, context, and nuance that data alone cannot capture. We were intentional about caring for participants throughout the process, offering compensation, using asset-based questions to avoid unnecessary harm, and providing optional mental health support and grounding resources at the close of each session.

In September, we launched our Organization and Provider Survey – the third component of our Community Needs Assessment. This is survey is an opportunity for organizations who serve the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Minnesota in any capacity to share about their work, their experiences working with the State of Minnesota, and the challenges they may be facing.

At the same time, we conducted a statewide agency scan to better understand where Minnesota is effectively serving LGBTQIA2S+ communities and where gaps remain. This work has already strengthened relationships across state government and will continue into 2026. The insights gathered will inform recommendations for policy, administrative improvements, and future collaboration, helping the Council support agencies in more coordinated and impactful ways.

As we look ahead, we are excited to move from listening to analysis, action, and implementation, ensuring that the stories shared with us shape policy and practice across Minnesota.

As we close this first full year, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the thousands of Minnesotans who so generously shared their stories, experiences, and time through our survey and listening sessions. I am also profoundly thankful to the many organizations and individuals who helped promote the survey and encourage participation across the state. While we can’t name everyone here, we look forward to offering the thorough acknowledgements they deserve in our forthcoming reports. To our Council Members, thank you for your wisdom and steady guidance throughout this foundational year. And finally, my deepest appreciation goes to the incredible MNQT staff, past and present – Angelica, Kelsey, Brittany, and Mars. This small but mighty team made magic together in an incredibly short amount of time, bringing unique skill sets, unparalleled energy, and deep commitment to this work. Their investments and expertise are embedded in the Community Needs Assessment and will live on in its impact for LGBTQIA2S+ Minnesotans for years to come.

I’m proud of what we’ve built together and deeply hopeful about what comes next.

With gratitude,

Emma Watts  
Executive Director  
Council on LGBTQIA2S+ Minnesotans

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