Rep. Leigh Finke on Trans Advocacy, Harris-Walz Presidency

Leigh Finke never planned to run for office. But with a background in journalism and media production — she’s written books and made documentary films — activism had always been a big part of her life. When a seat opened up in the Minnesota House of Representatives due to redistricting in February 2022, Finke was working at the ACLU of Minnesota as a media producer.

There had never been a trans person in office in Minnesota, and Finke thought it was important to have someone representing trans folks like her. “So it was me,” she says. That November, she won her St. Paul seat as the first openly trans person in the Minnesota state government. She calls the opportunity to represent her community “a great honor” and remains “very proud” to be in this position. Finke is currently running for reelection to a second term.

Growing up in the western suburbs of Minnesota in the ’80s and ’90s, Finke had no concept of what it meant to be transgender. As a child, she didn’t know anyone who was gay or trans, and never even met another trans person until she started her own transition at age 36.

Before her transition, she began writing about trans culture and issues in her work. She highlighted stories of real folks like a Harry Potter enthusiast who came out on YouTube. Being exposed to these stories helped her start to examine and understand her identity, which had always felt dissonant, she says. Now, in her advocacy and legislative efforts, she continues to be inspired by these types of narratives.

I love hearing stories, and I think that that really has prepared me very well to be in the position that I’m in.

“I love a good story. I love storytelling. I love hearing stories, and I think that that really has prepared me very well to be in the position that I’m in,” she says. At the ACLU, she covered court cases, talking to people who were in some of the most difficult and tragic situations imaginable. “It really suited me well to be able to hear and empathize and share and express what it means to be a marginalized member of a society,” Finke says. And now, as a legislator, her background has helped shape the way she talks about how our “flawed” and “privileged” governing system does harm.

During her first year in office, she founded the Queer Equity Institute, which partners with national organizations to create safe spaces for the trans community, and helped pass significant pieces of legislation for trans folks, including the Trans Refuge Bill, which established Minnesota as a trans refuge state. “This means that we protect people who want to access gender-affirming care in the state of Minnesota, whether or not they live in Minnesota and whether or not they live in a state that has banned access to gender-affirming care,” she says. “So if you live in North Dakota, for example, and North Dakota has banned gender affirming care, you [can] come to Minnesota to receive that care and be protected from the laws in Minnesota.”

Gov. Tim Walz, who Kamala Harris has tapped as her running mate, signed the bill into law in 2023. For a swing state in the Midwest, this was a big deal.

While freshman legislators typically focus on earning their dues, Finke felt called to push the Trans Refuge Bill. “We needed to do this right away and we weren’t going to wait because it wasn’t on anyone else’s list of priorities,” she says. At a time when neighboring states were passing anti-trans bills — several Midwestern states, including Iowa, Indiana, and Missouri have banned gender-affirming care for trans minors — the issue felt incredibly urgent.

Luckily, she came into office with a lot of public support and used her background as an organizer to mobilize trans people and families with trans kids. There was no time to waste. “I do think that is a different way to come in than most people who get started in state politics,” she says.

But since passing the law, Finke has become a target for Republicans in the state. In 2023, a far-right organization falsely accused Finke of protecting pedophiles, drawing attention from right-wing media. The lies put Finke at risk, she says, and she began to receive death threats. “It was very scary,” she says. “I felt more unsafe going to work at the Capitol than I did outside of the Capitol.” But she had strong support from her community and other Democrats in Minnesota. “When I wasn’t at work, I was spending time with my kids and my friends and my loved ones and, you know, just remembering that what we’re doing is good, right?”

With Walz on the Democratic ticket for the presidential election, drawing national attention to Minnesota politics, the backlash has only gotten worse. “All of the work that I did in Minnesota is being lied about on the national stage by the national media in terms of the presidential election, which is very unexpected,” she says. Now, people are scrutinizing everything Walz has ever said and done. “And one of the things that is unique about Minnesota is that we have really moved the ball forward publicly to protect trans people,” Finke says.

Despite the negative attention from the right, Finke is energized by the prospect of a Harris-Walz presidency: “[Walz and his team] are supporters of people having the ability to live their best lives, which is what it means to protect trans people.”

Although being the only trans person in the Minnesota House of Representatives has made Finke an easy target, she’s been recognized as one of the loudest advocates within the state House for social justice issues. Finke is confident she’ll hold her seat in the upcoming election and feels inspired to keep supporting her community.

“I really have an opportunity to support people who need support,” she says. “I have an opportunity to support Governor Walz and his run for vice president and Kamala Harris and her run for president.”

Sara Radin is a writer and publicist based in Philadelphia. Her writing on internet trends, style, youth culture, mental health, wellness culture, and identity has been published by The New York Times, Glamour, Self, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, Allure, PS, and many others.