Minneapolis played host to two very different celebrations this weekend: one marked by rainbow flags and bathhouses, the other by blue Somali flags and Somali Independence Day festivities — honoring a land where homosexual acts are criminal.
In attendance at both celebrations was Mayor Jacob Frey.
From public health threat to permitted business
On Sunday, Frey signed into law an ordinance repealing Minneapolis’ 38-year ban on bathhouses and adult sex venues, a move long sought by LGBTQ activists. That ordinance signing was just one part of the mayor’s activities celebrating LGBTQ Pride.
For nearly four decades, Minneapolis treated bathhouses and sex clubs — venues historically used by gay men — as a public health risk. City leaders banned those venues in 1988 as the AIDS epidemic swept through communities across the country.
But now, those concerns appear to have gone the way of the rotary phone.
With a 9-2 vote of the Minneapolis City Council and Frey’s signature, the city has come full circle, deciding to repeal the ban and begin the process of establishing a regulatory framework that could allow bathhouses to return.
Frey posted on X: “Minneapolis stands with our LGBTQIA+ neighbors – we always will. That’s why I’m proud to have stood with members of the City Council and community advocates to sign the Bathhouse Repeal Ordinance and Pride in Policy package into law.”
Minneapolis stands with our LGBTQIA+ neighbors – we always will. That’s why I’m proud to have stood with members of the City Council and community advocates to sign the Bathhouse Repeal Ordinance and Pride in Policy package into law.
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) June 28, 2026
Council Member Jamal Osman, the only Somali member of the Minneapolis City Council, was present during the council vote on the ordinance but abstained from voting. Alpha News asked Osman about his abstention, but his office did not respond prior to a publication deadline.
Osman’s abstention came against the backdrop of Somalia’s deeply conservative views on homosexuality. Somalia’s penal code provides prison terms for same-sex conduct, and the country’s constitution upholds Sharia law.
According to Human Dignity Trust, an international LGBTQ watchdog group, parts of Somalia “operate a strict interpretation of Sharia law, under which same-sex sexual activity can be punished with the death penalty.”
Frey praises Somali community
Pride wasn’t the only celebration on the mayor’s weekend calendar.
Frey also took part in Somali Independence Day festivities. Speaking to a crowd and holding a Somali flag, Frey said, “In Minneapolis, we love our neighbors. In Minneapolis, we do not see you as immigrants, we see you as our family.”
“You’re our brothers. You are our sisters,” the mayor added. “You have done so much for this incredible city, and for that, we stand with you.”
In a social media post, Frey wrote, “Happy Somali Independence Day! Here in Minnesota, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, we celebrate the resilience, culture, and leadership that continue to enrich our city and community.”
Happy Somali Independence Day!
Here in Minnesota, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, we celebrate the resilience, culture, and leadership that continue to enrich our city and community. pic.twitter.com/RP7jlgO5ar
— Mayor Jacob Frey (@MayorFrey) June 28, 2026
While Frey had high praise for the contributions of the Somali community, public data shows the substantial contributions taxpayers have made to the Somali community through government assistance programs.
A 2025 report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) found that 89% of Somali households with children in Minnesota receive some form of government welfare. The CIS report also found that Somali-headed households receive food stamps at far greater rates than native households.
Frey’s praise also comes as Minnesota continues to deal with massive fraud scandals that have disproportionately involved defendants of Somali descent and reportedly cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Even Minnesota’s legacy media outlets have begun acknowledging a pattern that Alpha News has long reported. In a recent investigation, KSTP noted that “a common theme in Minnesota fraud cases” is that “many defendants are of Somali descent.”
According to a recent congressional report, employees within Minnesota state government “were told not to say anything about the fraud in [state] programs because they would be called ‘racist’ or ‘Islamophobic,’ or that it would hurt the state.”
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
