Transgender state Rep. Leigh Finke issued a statement Thursday saying he believes Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the DFL nominee for Minnesota governor, will support efforts to enshrine abortion and “gender identity” in the state constitution.
In a social media post, Finke said his goal for Minnesota’s upcoming legislative session is to pass the so-called Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), “protect our immigrant neighbors from ICE,” and “hold ICE accountable for their reign of terror and murder.”
“I believe that Amy Klobuchar is all in to help us achieve every one of those goals,” Finke, a Democrat who represents part of St. Paul, said. “Let’s make Amy our next governor. And together, let’s make a more just Minnesota for all.”
The ERA has been a major Democratic priority for decades. While many associate the ERA with the failed 1970s effort to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution in support of women’s rights, the ERA currently being pushed in Minnesota is significantly different.
The Minnesota ERA would add an amendment to the state constitution banning state and local government from discriminating based on race, sex, color, origin, disability, ancestry, pregnancy decisions, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation.
Notably, neither religion nor creed are among the protected categories in the ERA.
Further, the ERA would ban state and local government from discriminating against those protected categories “in intent or effect,” which appears to prohibit state policy decisions that inadvertently discriminate even if the intent is not discriminatory at all.
Religious groups, such as the Minnesota Family Council and Minnesota Catholic Conference, are opposed to the ERA and have voiced concerns that its language could result in females being forced to share private spaces and athletic opportunities with men.
Additionally, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, Minnesota’s largest pro-life organization, has said the ERA “allows no protection for faith, creed, religion, or conscience,” and it would place language allowing abortion-up-to-birth “into the heart of our state Constitution.”
During the most recent legislative sessions, Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature have attempted to pass a bill that would ask voters if the ERA should be added to Minnesota’s constitution. That bill is authored by Finke in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
The ERA bill is almost certainly going to return during the 2027 legislative session next year. As such, Alpha News contacted Klobuchar to ask if she supports Finke’s ERA.
In recent weeks, Klobuchar has spent significant time trying to convince Minnesotans she would govern as a moderate if elected governor. She has pledged not to raise taxes, called for a full audit of state government, and embraced other right-leaning ideas.
However, supporting Finke’s ERA would be a definitively leftist position.
Of course, proposed constitutional amendments do not need to be signed by the governor to be put before the voters; only passage by the legislature is necessary. Nevertheless, the governor has a major bully pulpit to rally support or opposition to laws like the ERA.
Klobuchar did not respond to Alpha News’ questions about the ERA and ICE, which was also mentioned in Finke’s post about Klobuchar.
In this year’s race for Minnesota governor, Klobuchar faces Republican Lisa Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Election Day is Nov. 3, but early voting is currently underway and available through Nov. 2.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
