# Leigh Finke *American politician, member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (DFL) since 2023* Leigh Dawn Finke is a Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) politician who has held a seat in the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] since 2023.[^1] Her constituency, District 66A, lies in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. It covers Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Roseville and Saint Paul, along with parts of Ramsey County in [[Minnesota]].[^1] She is the first member of the [[Minnesota Legislature]] to be openly transgender.[^1] Before taking office, Finke worked in religious media production and later as a storyteller for the [[ACLU of Minnesota]].[^2] In the House she helped found the Queer Caucus and chairs it. She has sponsored bills on gender identity in the state human rights statute and on the law criminalizing HIV exposure.[^3] ## Early life, education, and career A native Minnesotan, Finke was raised in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities and finished high school at Maple Grove Senior High School in Maple Grove.[^2] Bethel College awarded her a B.A. in English literature in 2003, and she later took an M.A. in Shakespeare at DePaul University.[^2] Her political activity began at Bethel, in protests against the Iraq War.[^2] Finke held the post of senior producer at 1517 Media from 2018 to 2021.[^2] In that role she wrote and produced the documentaries *Ending the Silence: Confronting Sexual Shame in the Church* and *White Savior: Racism in the American Church*. She also edited two nonfiction titles for Beaming Books, *Queerfully and Wonderfully Made* and *Welcoming and Affirming*.[^2] The ACLU of Minnesota employed her as Multimedia Storyteller during 2021 and 2022.[^2] In late 2022 she publicly criticized Scott Jensen, then the Republican candidate for governor, for repeating claims that schools were providing litter boxes for students; the cited article describes those claims as a hoax.[^2] In March 2023 she founded the Queer Equity Institute, a nonprofit organization that backs queer people in politics.[^2] ## Minnesota House of Representatives Finke won her House seat in the 2022 election.[^3] Her first campaign came after legislative redistricting and after Alice Hausman, a DFL member who had served 17 terms, retired.[^3] Finke has said she decided to run in response to bills introduced by state Republicans in 2021. Those bills would have made it a petty misdemeanor for transgender girls to take part in girls' sports.[^3] LGBTQ+ legislators organized the Queer Caucus before the 2023 session; Finke was among its founders and is its chair.[^3] Her committee assignments are Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy; Human Services Policy; Judiciary Finance and Civil Law; and Legacy Finance.[^3] ### LGBTQ+ rights Finke backed legislation prohibiting conversion therapy in Minnesota for minors and vulnerable adults.[^3] She also voiced support for an Iowa school district's policy under which staff and students were to use the name and pronouns a student prefers. Explaining her support, she said: "We need to be supporting kids. We need to be including and recognizing them and believing them".[^3] Finke sponsored a bill to strike language in state law that associated sexual orientation with pedophilia. The bill would also place gender identity among the protected classes in Minnesota's human rights statute.[^3] Republican representatives opposed the bill, and some threatened to misgender Finke. She received death threats amid the backlash.[^3] Legal experts rejected Republican claims that the measure would protect pedophiles, saying: "This doesn't create some sort of broad-based protection for those who prey on minors".[^3] Finke also authored a bill to repeal a law criminalizing knowingly exposing another person to HIV. She described such laws as "old, outdated homophobic statutes".[^3] ## Awards and honors *USA Today* included Finke among its 2023 Women of the Year, a list recognizing women for their impact nationally.[^4] [[Minnesota Public Radio]] featured her in its *Changemakers* series, which profiles Minnesotans from diverse backgrounds.[^4] Also in 2023, Children's Minnesota gave her its Children's Health Hero Award for her work on the trans refuge bill.[^4] ## Personal life Finke has two children and lives in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul.[^5] In August 2025 she married Deborah Marie Fox at the State Capitol Rotunda.[^5] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Leigh Finke* (revision 1376030494, retrieved 26 October 2026) — lead: DFL membership, House service since 2023, District 66A and its municipalities, first openly transgender member of the Legislature. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Finke [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Leigh Finke* (revision 1376030494), section "Early life, education, and career" — upbringing, degrees, 1517 Media films and books, ACLU of Minnesota role, late-2022 criticism of Scott Jensen, Queer Equity Institute (March 2023). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Finke [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Leigh Finke* (revision 1376030494), section "Minnesota House of Representatives" — 2022 election after redistricting and Hausman's retirement, stated motivation, Queer Caucus, committee assignments, LGBTQ+ legislation and the quoted statements. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Finke [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Leigh Finke* (revision 1376030494), section "Awards and honors" — 2023 USA Today Women of the Year, MPR Changemakers series, 2023 Children's Health Hero Award. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Finke [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Leigh Finke* (revision 1376030494), section "Personal life" — Midway residence, two children, August 2025 marriage at the State Capitol Rotunda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Finke