Twin Cities Pride Festival Preview
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Volume 31, Issue 810 • June 11-24, 2026
EDITORIAL
Managing Editor Noah Mitchell (612) 461-8723
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Editor Emeritus Ethan Boatner
Contributors Lakey Bridge, E.B. Boatner, Stacy Dahl, Natasha DeLion, Alyssa Homeier, Terrance Griep, Hannah Kovnar, Shane Lueck, Elise Maren, Jen Peeples-Hampton, Linda Raines, Gregg Shapiro, Allie Skarda, Randy Stern, Susan Swavely, Sommer Wagen, Carla Waldemar, Todd P. Walker, Emma Walytka
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Inspiration Steven W. Anderson (1954-1994), Timothy J. Lee (1968-2002), Russell Berg (1957-2005), Kathryn Rocheford (1914-2006), Jonathan Halverson (1974-2010), Adam Houghtaling (1984-2012), Walker Pearce (1946-2013), Tim Campbell (1939-2015), John Townsend (1959-2019), George Holdgrafer (1951-2024), Julie Dafydd (1951-2025)
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BY E.B. BOATNER
a 34-Year-Old NBA Center, I’m Black and I’m…’
It wasn’t until a friend remarked on the recent passing of Jason Collins that I recalled the NBA athlete who came out as gay in 2013. Moved at the time by his bravery, I imagined how lonely a decision his must have been, wondered how his declaration was received by cohorts in the rarified, masculine atmosphere of the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL Big Four. I’d hoped others would be emboldened to make declarations — surely, statistically speaking, there must be others, mustn’t there?
Looking back from 2026, I wondered why, at that particular moment, two years before gay marriage was legalized, had Collins decided not only to simply come out, but to go national — global — through the website and pages of Sports Illustrated? How would one even manage to make that happen?
I went back to the sources, and this column was drawn primarily from the original Sports Illustrated interview and two other nearly forensic pieces on exactly how the story went down: SI’s then-Executive Editor Jon Wertheim’s “The Story Behind Jason Collins’s Story The Interview” and The New York Times writer Christine Haughney’s “How Sports Illustrated Broke the Jason Collins Story” both released April 29, 2013, with the feature.
The total secrecy surrounding the initial meeting was Bletchley Park-worthy. Collins’ agent, Arn Fellen, called SI writer Franz Lidz, offering an exclusive concerning a major league athlete’s announcement that he was gay. Said athlete would meet Lidz and editor at a certain address in a Los Angeles apartment. Lidz and Wertheim showed up still not knowing their subject’s identity. In the days before the interview, they’d been sparing with questions, not wanting the potential interviewee to withdraw.
At the initial meeting, Collins stipulated that he be able to tell his story “in his own words … as a first person account,” and that he didn’t want the publication to coincide with the Boston Celtics’ first home game since the Boston Marathon bombing that had occurred the previous Monday, April 15.
The interview was done with writer Lidz shaping the piece through Collins’s own words. It was decided to initially release the still mystery-enshrouded piece on SI’s website on Monday, April 29, at 11 a.m. (only the fourth time SI had released ahead of newsstand access); not too early to reach Collins by phone in LA and close to lunchtime in the East, SI’s website’s busiest time for hits. Within two hours, the website had garnered 5 million page-view hits, more than twice any previous number. Then, the print hit the newsstands on May 5, and the story was read worldwide.
An aggressive strategy, yes, but that’s the kind of team player Collins was. His job, at 7 feet tall and 255 pounds, was to defend his teammates and secure a win, and no matter how sudden any story bursting upon the scene appears, there’s always a backstory, always context.
Jason Paul Collins was born in Northridge, Calif., welcomed into a loving, tight-knit family on December 2, 1978; followed, to his parents’ surprise, eight minutes later by twin brother Jarren Thomas. The boys remained close, and it wasn’t until Jason was about 12 that he realized for the first time that he and Jarren weren’t always on the same page … at least not about girls. Jason kept this uncomfortable secret to himself.
Later, during the 2011 NBA lockout, when Collins didn’t have the near-daily distractions of team practice, he
was forced to focus inward. Silence and secrecy weren’t working; Collins decided to start the conversation, even if, as he put it in the interview, he was the only kid in the classroom with his hand up.
He came out first to his aunt Teri (Teri L. Jackson, first Black woman judge in San Francisco, later presiding judge of that city’s Superior Court), who told him she’d known for years. Twin Jarren had had no clue.
Other factors added to the pressure. Collins relates anger at himself when his (straight) former Stanford roommate marched in a Gay Pride Parade, while he remained silent. Confiding his secret brought a feeling of wholeness, alerting him to the enormous energy drain a kept secret entails. To his grandmother’s concerns, he explained openness would be both honest and preemptive — he’d no longer fear outing by others. The catastrophic Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013, was a tipping point: Collins realized that anyone’s existence could cease in an instant. He’d go public.
Collins wanted a future with the love and support his own family provided; with a partner, a family of his own.
Collins declared his gayness two years before the legalization of gay marriage. In 2014, he did find a partner, Mississippian Brunson Green, a movie producer (Oscarnominated co-producer of 2011’s “The Help”). They lived a decade together, were engaged in 2023, married in May 2025, scant months before Collins’ diagnosis of the aggressive glioblastoma, which claimed him this May 12. Life indeed, as the Boston bombing underscored, is fragile. But Collins had told his truth, had found his life partner, had pointed a way for others.
Twelve years on, there are no active, out gay athletes in the Big Four.
BY HANNAH KOVNAR
Queer, Disability-Friendly Witchcraft in the Twin Cities? It’s Easier Than You Think!
The hosts of the podcast “Chaos and Cunning” implement their magical practices into their everyday lives as queer people, and teach viewers how to do the same
Some may hear the word “witchcraft” and think of a complicated process with dozens of candles, shrines or potions. For Minnesotans Siri Vincent Plouff and Cassandra Snow, reality is far simpler.
Their podcast, “Chaos and Cunning,” is an exploration of how witchcraft can be practiced without the gatekeeping often associated with many magical practices. Created in December 2025, the podcast’s name refers to chaos magic and cunning work as two fundamental parts of their specific approaches, although they each have their own specialties. Through the episodes of the podcast, listeners get a taste of the diversity of magical approaches that exist in the world, from spirit contact to tarot readings to green magic.
“It very quickly became about how to teach people about witchcraft when everyone is already so busy,” Snow says. Many other starter guides to witchcraft, they say, expect beginner witches to spend several hours conducting a complex ritual, which is far from practical for the average person, who often has to work a day job as well.
Though their stories were different, both witches grew up as outsiders in their communities. For Snow, they struggled to connect to their family’s beliefs as evangelical Christians. Being both queer and disabled, much of their early life was defined by a lot of hardship and disconnect. College was their first major opportunity to interact with people with beliefs different from those of the people they grew up with. In 2019, they wrote a book, “Queering the Tarot,” which discusses the intersection between queerness and tarot and explores non-white, non-heterosexual interpretations of the traditional tarot practices.
Unlike Snow, Plouff was not raised evangelical, but still felt a disconnect with Christianity when their family went to church, which pushed them towards seeking other spiritual practices. They were trained by what they referred to as a “cunningperson,” someone who practices witchcraft on behalf of others for payment. They have continued this work themself, as well as teaching others.
Early on in their process, Plouff believed they had to follow very specific rituals in order to practice witchcraft correctly, including a full Wiccan circle under the full moon and a complex tarot spread known as a Celtic Cross. However, they say, thanks to talking to others on social media and reading through blogs, they realized that their rituals could be adapted to their own personal needs in their daily life. As someone dealing with developing fibromyalgia, this revelation was a major catalyst in improving their practice.
The two met in 2015 while working for the same online blog, “The Little Red Tarot.” Snow reached out to Plouff after reading their column called “The Heathen’s Journey,” which would be turned into a podcast in its own right, and invited them to get lunch. Though it would take them some time to begin doing spellcraft together, the two clicked as friends almost instantly.
For both Plouff and Snow, sharing their experiences via their podcast allowed them to pass on the knowledge they’ve gained over the years to others. Through their Patreon and Discord, many of their listeners say that they discovered parts of witchcraft that they didn’t know were possible.
“I watched the first episode, and realized chaos magic was way more up my alley than I thought,” one listener wrote on their Patreon.
For both witches, being queer has played a strong role in their spellcraft and how they have navigated the magic community.
“Who we are is woven into everything that we do,” Snow says.
The intersection of their identities, as well as their experiences being “othered,” are stories that many of their listeners might relate to. Witches, queer people and people with disabilities have had a long history of persecution in patriarchal Western society. Many victims of witch accusations during the 17th century were queer or had disabilities. Though the hosts of “Chaos and Cunning” were fortunate enough to have people in their lives who accepted them, feelings of “otherness” toward all three groups persist to this day.
Spellcraft itself is not without its own hurdles to overcome as well, as some spells have their roots in very conservative ideologies. Snow and Plouff say that they both struggled to find resources for prayers and spells that were not misogynistic or heteronormative in nature. Other rituals, for instance, are heavily whitewashed or appropriated from nonwhite cultures without properly explaining or citing them. For new witches, according to Plouff, one of the most important things a person can do is to ensure that the resources one uses are vetted and that one has a clear understanding of which cultures their practices originate from.
The final episode of the first season of “Chaos and Cunning” airs at the end of May. All of the episodes are available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.
Cassandra Snow (left), Siri Vincent Plouff (right). Photos courtesy of Cassandra Snow and Siri Vincent Plouff
Transgender Goalkeeper
Isaac Ranson is Finally Unbound with Minnesota Aurora FC
Isaac Ranson has had a big 2026. In the past six months alone, the 22-year-old goalkeeper received his bachelor’s degree, recovered from top surgery and made history as Minnesota Aurora FC’s first openly transgender player.
Minnesota Aurora FC is a community-owned soccer club based in Eagan. Its top team competes in the USL W League, a national pre-professional league, in the Heartland division. The United Soccer League, which operates professional and pre-professional leagues in men’s and women’s soccer, requires that players register with a team that matches their sex assigned at birth, regardless of their present gender identity. As a transgender man, Ranson’s only opportunity to continue his soccer career at present is to play in women’s leagues.
“First and foremost, we believe that trans people belong in sport — period, full-stop,” says Aurora head coach Jen Larrick. “Ideally, there would be freedom to play in the league that aligns with their gender identity, but at this time, this is the league that Isaac can play in. He wants to play, and so we support him fully in playing on our team.”
Larrick first noticed Ranson while watching the West Coast Conference soccer games last fall. Ranson had an incredible season leading the Cal State Fullerton Titans’ defense, which allowed just eight goals all season, the lowest for Division 1 women’s soccer in the country. He ranked second in the nation with 13 individual shutouts and maintained the third-best goals against average nationally while playing significantly more games than the two goalkeepers ahead of him.
Throughout his college career, he racked up 374 career saves and 31 individual shutouts, the most in program history. One thing that caught Larrick’s eye in particular about Ranson’s game is his ability to play with his feet.
“The evolution in goalkeeping right now is you’re not just a shot stopper. When we have the ball, you’re part of the 11 players looking to play, so we look for goalkeepers who are able to play with the feet,” Larrick says. “That’s the number one thing I look for in a goalkeeper, and that characteristic stood out in Isaac’s game right away.”
Larrick reached out to Ranson about joining the Aurora following the conclusion of the NCAA soccer season. At the time, he was also in talks with a professional team, but decided to move forward with getting top surgery instead.
“I struggled with my chest every day … I was in binders every day, and it was very uncomfortable,” Ranson says. “My confidence since surgery has grown a lot. I feel more like myself, and I look more like how I feel. Even though it delays my professional career, it was worth it to me in every sense.”
Ranson wasn’t sure how his recovery would go, but he knew he wanted to continue to play soccer. When he told Larrick about his plans to get top surgery, she told him to take his time with recovery, and she would check in on him in a couple of months.
Ranson got top surgery at the beginning of January, and recovery kept him away from soccer for about three months. For the first month after top surgery, post-op patients are advised to avoid even raising their arms above their heads. Going from such limited mobility to practicing as a high-level goalkeeper is no easy feat, but Ranson says he felt supported by Larrick the whole time.
“She showed support through my entire surgery process and timing, which definitely made me feel cared for,” Ranson says. “I appreciate her waiting and seeing how I would feel after surgery instead of just saying, ‘Okay, we don’t need you.’ That really means a lot.”
Ranson made a full return to training in April, just over a month before his debut with the Aurora. At first, he struggled to find his old rhythm on the field.
“The first week of training, I was really struggling because every time I raised my arm, my scar would feel like it was pulling apart,” Ranson says. “As a goalkeeper, you need your full range of motion, and you need to be free of any type of pain or restraint. I had a pretty big mental block with extending my arms and really committing to diving and catching balls above my head.”
He had remembered to give himself grace, and that recovery wasn’t an instant process, and eventually the pain went away. He also struggled with a mental block regarding collecting balls with his chest, but was able to overcome that as well with the help of the Aurora coaches. He recalled with a chuckle that one of the coaches just kept hitting balls towards him until he felt comfortable taking them with his chest. It’s been a relief for him to leave these obstacles behind before starting with the Aurora, and he hopes that he is coming back stronger than ever before.
Ranson came out publicly as a trans man back in 2024 while playing with the Titans. Everyone on his team and in his conference made him feel supported, and he felt he really blossomed both personally and on the field once he came out.
“I’d say my best years were definitely when I was out as a trans man,” Ranson says. “On the field, I felt a lot more confident in who I was, and I felt a lot more free. Before, I was hiding, and it translated to the field. It’s really amazing [how much] my development as a player grew once I came out.”
Of course, being a trans man in women’s sports comes with its challenges. Ranson has dealt with people speculating whether he is detransitioning or if he is on hormones and questioning why he would want to play in a women’s league. He wants to make it clear that he is following all of the rules governing women’s soccer and that, at the moment, playing in the women’s league is the best option for him.
“Women’s sports are developing into being open to everyone for the most part. Trans women still aren’t being allowed in women’s sports, which is definitely something we still need to work on,” Ranson says. “I feel safer to play women’s sports … I feel more included. It’s just a more welcoming and inclusive space for queer people.”
“I’m just so glad he’s here and that he feels comfortable in this space,” Larrick says. “He’s been very mature, vulnerable, honest and exactly the kind of human you want in your team environment.”
Ranson says he has received a lot of support from fellow queer people these past few weeks, which has made him feel like he is doing something right. His hopes for this season include not only improving as a goalkeeper — he does still have professional aspirations after all — but also to be a role model to other trans and queer people in sports.
“I would like to be someone that people can look up to if they are having a hard time being themselves,” Ranson says. “I look different than the majority of people in women’s sports, and I just want people to know that we can look like anything and identify as anything and we can still thrive in any place we are at.”
Isaac Ranson, 00, protects the goal during warmups before Aurora’s home opener as head coach Jen Larrick (left) directs the team. Photo by Allie Skarda
This Map reflects the information provided by Twin Cities Pride and is accurate as of deadline day when they submitted it. Locations and Schedule subject to change.
PRIDE BOOTH VENDORS
LEGEND
394, 395 2D Con
590 5th Congressional District Green Party
658 abcbykarla
658B AbstractbyRabrams
Agate Housing and Services
Ain Dah Yung Center
584 AiriAviAnna 631 Aj's Creative Space
Alcoholics Anonymous
AlexBah 463 Aliveness Project 591 All Energy Solar
ALL IN Therapy Clinic
Alliance Coven
Allianz Life
496 Table 1 Amanda Meuwissen Books
American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Minnesota
Animal Humane Society
Animal Rights Coalition Ethique Nouveau
Anime Detour
Table 5 Anthony Scott Author
Anti-War Committee
AR Studios
Art of Gigi, LLC
Awesome Industries
Bad Tabby Designs
Ballet Co.Laboratory
Beacon Martial Arts
Beauty Through Chaos
496 Table 6 Bifrost Tales
528 Table 12 Big Bee Energy Honey
96 Bisexual Organizing Project
Table 8 Black Garnet Books
Black Visions
42 blacksheepmosaics 583 Bondesque
Boom Island Woodworking
Boop the Void 641, 642 Brenna M & Co 662 Brooke Jessica Morgan 637 Burton Art Studios 669 Cailin Hayes Ceramics 459 Canvas Health
Carmel Dor
466 Catalyst Mental Health
528 Table 3 CBDelicacy 490 CCRM Fertility of Minneapolis
CenterPoint Energy 644 Chanhassen Dinner Theatres 79B Charis Ecumenical Catholic Community
245 Cherished Vows Weddings 255, 256 CherriTree Designs
63, 64 Christopher Straub
528 Table 15 Chunky Stuff Clay Co.
68 Churches of the Downtown Area
619 Claire Doolittle Illustration
528 Table 5 Classi Lassi Crafts
165, 166 CloverPuff
535 Colibri Guatemalan Jewelry 100, 100B Colorebel
29 Community of Christ
410 Compassionate Action for Animals
209 Cornerstone Day One
496 Table 4 Cozy DuBois
618 Craftpilled
496 Table 9 Cream & Amber
217, 363 Crystal Visions
260 Curlworks
288 Cut It Out Salon
598 DEI Network of Coldwell Banker Realty MN/WI
528 Table 4 Diecaster Games
79C Dignity Twin Cities
528 Table 10 Doggie Dazzle
557 Dragons, Dungeons, & Drinks
50 Dreamscape Jungle
645 Duck Duck Clay Duck LLC
98 Dungarvin, MN
361 Dunwoody College of Technology GSA
94 Ecumen
549, 550 Eleven After Seven
640 Emma Skala Pottery
82 ERAMN / MN NOW 620, 621 Fair Anita
627 Fair Trade Minneapolis
70 FairVote Minnesota
556 Find My Fidget
58 First Christian Church Minneapolis
86, 87 First Congregational Church of Minnesota
15 For Goodness Socks
515, 516 Fragmented Nostalgia
609 Francesca Miguieles Art
Fraser 453, 454 Free Hugs!
546, 546B Free Mom Hugs
675 Fresh & Alive Fine Art
155 Friends of Loring Park/Citizens for a Loring Park Community
FunzieCo
414 Fuzzbutt Boutique
Gamer's Rhapsody
Gay & Bi Dads Support Group
524 Geek Partnership Society
484 Geek Punk Store
Gender Inclusive Schools LLC
Gender Justice 528 Table 1 Ghost Host Hollows
Ghost Tabby Creations
Glitter Division
Grainy Brain Wood Creations
Gray Duck Syrup Co
Guelaguetza Designs
Guthrie Theater
Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
Health Care for All Minnesota
HealthPartners
Heatherly Studios
Hennepin County
Hennepin County Attorney's Office 338 Hennepin County Child Foster Care Licensing
Hennepin County Library
298 Hmong Specialty Plants & Herbs
Honeycomb Market Co
Hopkins Public Schools
HOURCAR
Humanists of Minnesota (HumanistsMN)
73 Ilhan For Congress
Indie Pours
Indigo Sun Jewelry
inkray
J-Pride (JFCS)
J. Francis Soap Co.
Jandjresincreations
JCI Shakopee
Jessica in Stitches
245C Jessimports
245C Jessimports
622B Jewelry by Samy
223 Junque In thy Trunk
JustADink
Juventina photography and beauty
Table 13 JWP Travel Consultants LLC
Kabouter Creative
KaleidoKelly
435 Karrie Art
528 Table 6 KatiaDower
37 Keener Creations
528 Table 9 Kindred Piano Method
528 Table 7 Kirstobot and Friends
496 Table 2 Kit Barrie Creations
249 Kitchen Club LLC
610 Ladies of the Lakes
656 Lake Superior Drift Co
615 Lavendart Design
362 LeafFilter Gutter Protection
35 Leo Fortune Art
43 Lily Wenndt Illustration
245B LINC Permanent Jewelry
625 LINH T VO
233 Little Roos MN
91 Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
108 LynLake Centers for WellBeing
336 M&H Brick Creations
329 M&M Sparkle Bar
244 Mada Mehndi Natural Henna Art 36 Maddie Stumbaugh Art
55 Magnetic Originals
639 Maji Designs Jewelry
599 Maple Hickory Woodworking LLC
528 Table 14 Mary Kay Cosmetics
265, 266 Matthew Eberle Photography
418 McFloofypants Creations
607 MeirKat
212 MELSA: Twin Cities Metro Public Libraries
81 Mental Health Minnesota
316 Mess Hall Arts
492 MHS
628, 629 MidCentury
680 Mikhamik House of Arts 625B Mind of Plenty
179 Minneapolis Mayhem Rugby Football Club 339 Minneapolis Public SchoolOut4Good - Equity and School Climate
608 Minnemags/ Kalani's Crystals 90 Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans 67 Minnesota Atheists 214, 215 MINNESOTA AWESOME 157C Minnesota Conference UCC 76, 77 Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party
221 Minnesota Department of Health
Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs 247 Minnesota Housing 572, 573 Minnesota Leather Pride 585, 586 Minnesota Legit Cannabis
Minnesota Minx Football 83 Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance
481 Minnesota Paid Leave
643 Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra
388 Minnesota Renaissance Festival
65 Minnesota Satanists
103 Minnesota State 30 Minnesota United Methodist Reconciling Congregations
177B Minnesota Vixen Football
533 Mitchell Hamline School of Law
226, 227 MN Council on Disability
433 MN Pocket Pet Rescue
308, 308B MN PokéCon
482 MNclusive Employee Resources Group
239 MNeurodivergent 99 MNSA AFG 553 Modern Vixen Vintage 40 Morgue Design 272 Morris Park Singers
341 Mounds View Public Schools
79D Move Minnesota
431 Must be Ruff
224, 225 Mystique Tiaras by Long Dog Apparel
576, 576B Naked Minnesota
359 Narcotics Anonymous
464 Natalis Counseling and Psychology Solutions
670E Nature's Syrup Beauty 569 Nauti Daddy Sailing Company 49 NewArtCode
211 Next Adventure Counseling and Consulting 670D Nicholas Holman Art
47 No Moon Art + Stickers 387 Noodle and Bean 28 North Central Reconciling in Christ Churches 164 North Star Roller Derby 465 Northstar Behavioral Health Network
252, 253 O My Gosh, Nails! 510, 511 One of a Kind
250 One Voice Mixed Chorus 273, 274 One World Boutique 89 Open Arms of Minnesota
677 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
246 OSMOFOLIA
310, 311 OutFront Minnesota
528 Table 2 Outside Safe Space
671 PaChia Blooms
268 panyiacrochets
420 Paw & Order - Twin Cities
611B, 612 Pawstar
527 People Incorporated Mental Health Services
343 PiM Arts High School
299 Planned Parenthood North Central States
172 Play Catch With A Dad
650, 651 Pluto's Authentic Witching Service
397 Powerfully Green Solar
657, 657B Prettys N Paws
652, 653 Pride Majic
555 Prime Therapeutics
251 Prime Timers - Minneapolis/St. Paul
59 PSL Twin Cities 613, 614 PT Rocks and Gems
496 Table 3 Queen of Swords Press
541, 655 Queen On The SceneInappropriately Awesome Pins
541, 655 Queen On The SceneInappropriately Awesome Pins
496 Queer Writes Tent
312 QUEERSPACE collective
41 Rainbow Built Art
398, 399 Rainbow Love
210 Ramsey County
216 Re-Bath Minneapolis
218, 219 Red Door Clinic
57 Resin Melody
262 ReSound 663, 664 Resurrected Journals
340 Richfield Public Schools
415, 416 Riverrun Acreage LLC
676 RJ Collection
498 RMIA
538 RS EDEN 623, 624 Rustic Metalz
476 Sagent Behavioral Health
673 Saintly Sisters 646, 647 Sand - Rose Crystal Co
499, 500, 501 SaveTheBottoms!!! Foundation
208 Science Museum of Minnesota
275 Set Adrift Art
157 Shadow Works Art Collective 26, 522 Shangri-La Crafts and Gifts
26, 522 Shangri-La Crafts and Gifts
44 Shawn Lohse Art
581 Shellucinations Art 577, 578 Shibe Ink
93 Shiro's African Boutique, LLC
421 Simple-Trends
582 Sins and Skins
22, 23 Sneaky Link Permanent Jewelry 617 SoulFox Creations
386 SP Handmade
579 spacecase.cafe
496 Table 7 Spencer Spears
528 Table 11 Spineless
369 St. Cloud State University
24 St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church
667, 667B Starshine Tie Dye
534 Steve Rummler HOPE Network
16 Stitched By Peg
264 Stonefruit Illustration
184 Stonewall Sports Twin Cities
258 StuckOnU Art
75 Students for Socialist Revolution
18 Summer Lakes Beverage
412 Sweetie-Pie Collars LLC
162, 163 Tabletop Shop
426 Tails of Persia Pet Spa
84, 85
Teamsters Local 638
528 Table 8 Teashop0
518 The Baking Biker
231, 232 The BirdHive
195 The Blue Topaz
330 The Bridge for Youth
626 The Evil Nae
331 The Link
525, 526 The Maker Den
547 The Merges Group
254 The Minnesota Freedom Band
62 The Table MPLS
261 The Vintage Storyteller
38 The Workshop Mpls
574, 575 The Yogurt Kingdom 69 ThinkCutie
334 TIGERRS
649 Tracy Herlache
314 Transforming Families
597 Trellis Management
632 Trixi's Twisted Wonders
396 Twin Cities Con
65B Twin Cities CPUSA
245D Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus
603 Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
183 Twin Cities in Motion
191 Twin Cities Queer Hockey Association
494 Twin Cities Wellness Center & Recovery Gym
548 Twin Rituals Crystals and Carvings
670 Ultima Artifacts
197 United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities
354, 355 University of Minnesota 568 USTA Northern
54 VajLoog Collective LLC
194 Valwell Treasures
458 Vibrant Life Therapy Clinic
366 Vivabu Spanish Immersion Child Care Center
654 Wenonah 17 Westfield Crochet
27 Whimsy and Spice
678 Wingingit Studio
51, 52 WyntersEnd Workshop
635, 636 Xaviea’s
660, 661 Yarnival
587 Yinglong Kung Fu
428 Zoomies Pet Co
FOOD VENDORS
BLUE FOOD COURT
B-H Dodopop
B-G Fair Faves
B-L Jerry's Cherry Lemonade and Shaved Ice
B-E LC Foodtruck Vietnamese Food
B-J Porky's
B-F Reds Savoy Pizza
B-C
SCHRODER CONCESSIONS
B-D SCHRODER CONCESSIONS CHEESE CURDS
B-I Unbakeable
B-A VOODOO COOLERS
PURPLE FOOD COURT
P-K 1TOU3 PHO (STUFFED WINGS)
P-D Best Way
P-J Bubble Tea House
P-C Cheese Curds and Corndogs
P-I CORN DOGS--CHEESE CURDS
P-L El Burrito Mercado
P-G Grandma's Cookies
P-H Infuzn Foods
P-A Jerry's Cherry Lemonade and Shaved Ice
P-B Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine
P-M Made it Myself Shaved Ice
P-O Pharaohs Gyros
P-N Philicious Phillys
P-F Quality Food Internationalseafood market
P-P The American Dream Machine
P-Q Ting Tea
P-E Tom Thumb Donuts
ROSE FOOD COURT
R-H Amish Annie Donuts
R-D Baja Smoothies
R-E El Burrito Mercado
R-G Gino's South Philly LLC
R-F Korean Corn Dog
R-B Niko Niko Boba
R-C Something Sweet by Maddie Lu
YELLOW FOOD COURT
Y-E Baja smoothies
Y-L Best Way
Y-F Boki Food Service
Y-K Boki Food Service
Y-H Corndogs and Lemonade
Y-J El Burrito Mercado
Y-I Fresh Cut French Fries and Lemonade
Y-B Jerry's Cherry Lemonade and Shaved Ice
Y-D Made it Myself Shaved Ice
Y-G ONeil Amusements Cheese Curds
Y-C Quality Food Internationalseafood market 25
Y-A Tom Thumb Donuts
Twin Cities LGBTQ+ History Tours
The Twin Cities LGBTQ+ History Tours are an ongoing collaboration between Twin Cities Pride and the Minnesota Historical Society.
The tours comprise fifty-eight sites across the Twin Cities (thirty-eight in Minneapolis, including Loring Park, and twenty in St. Paul). The sites can be explored from anywhere, via tablet, desktop computer, or smartphone. Users can enable location services on their smart devices to understand their current location in proximity to any given site listed on the map. Users can explore beyond the maps by following the external links to MNopedia, online essays, and newspaper articles.
TC Pride and MNHS welcome suggestions for future sites and have included a suggestion form with the maps for community members to make their voices heard.
Estimates 7:30am-4:30pm Here to Help:
Locally Owned and Operated Since
‘Under Your Skin’
A New Symbol Proves That Minnesota’s Pride Runs Deep
Around this time of year, the word “pride” is bandied about loosely, then re-bandied and re-re-bandied. Because of this ubiquity, it’s easy for the word’s meaning to ebb, to fade, to lose itself.
Here in the Metro area, that word is kept vital and vibrant by the folks who run Twin Cities Pride, which, on its website, describes itself this way: “Twin Cities Pride is one of the largest LGBTQIA+ Pride organizations in the United States, rooted in the vibrant and diverse communities of the Twin Cities and beyond. We are proud to host the annual Twin Cities Pride Festival and Parade, along with a variety of events throughout the year that bring people together, promote awareness, and celebrate the richness of LGBTQIA+ identities and experiences.”
Twin Cities Pride’s most flamboyant functions often outshine its pithier ones. “We are typically known for the festival and the parade in June,” notes Rina Heisel, executive assistant to the executive director of Twin Cities Pride … but the people who run that group manage to keep out of the pool hall even after June’s confetti has been swept up and its sequins have been put in mothballs.
Those pithier functions have recently been broadened enormously, thanks to local efforts that would make Hercules weep. Reveals Heisel: “We’ve been working hard the last four years to change the perception of Twin Cities Pride as an organization, that we aren’t just a party in June, but an organization that supports the community all year long.”
These efforts, meritorious on their own, set the stage for a recent development that would cross a fortune teller’s eyes. Heisel recounts the startling start: “It struck a chord with the community that had been feeling beaten down, misunderstood and isolated.”
She refers, naturally, to the creation of a symbol that has caught the zeitgeist like a flying predator scooping an unwary bullhead into its razorlike beak — Heisel refers to the genesis of the Pride Rebel Loon.
The Pride Rebel Loon is a design that blends unapologetic North Star State vibes with the Rebel Alliance insignia from “Star Wars,” then sprinkles in copious rainbow plumage for good measure. It flew into existence during this past winter’s immigration enforcement crisis, symbolizing for countless citizens and non-citizens resistance to oppression, protection of the vulnerable, or community unity … or all of these.
Heisel remembers that, just before the Loon’s creation, Twin Cities Pride bore witness to some all-too-familiar needs and swooped in to slake them.
“We knew how to create a space that could serve as an emergency food source,” she says. “When our community was too afraid to leave their houses, we knew we could help, and that is what we did.”
A wave of nuts-and-bolts relief followed. Recalls Heisel, “From the moment we made the decision and started asking for food to stock the shelves, it just grew into what the community needed — a safe, welcoming space to get basic human needs.”
Meanwhile, Crystal Towne a.k.a. Starry Sky Tattoo, a local tattoo artist and soon-to-be creator of the Pride Rebel Loon, was addressing the same problem in a less direct way.
“My wife, Jennifer Towne, and I were working on designs to make buttons and pins,” she remembers. “It was one of many.”
That one would end up rallying many … many fellow Minnesotans, that is. Says Crystal Towne: “Looking for inspiration, I saw a lot of different
Twin Cities Pride volunteer Alexei Dickinson in his Pride Loon t-shirt at the Pride Cultural Arts Center. Volunteers stocking
loon designs being put out there, and was inspired to create one a little more colorful and inclusive for everyone.”
Of course, in order to include everyone, inclusive efforts must be accessible to everyone. “Jen shared the design on a few Facebook groups she’s a part of,” Crystal Towne elaborates.
And someone with an ambitious imagination was paying attention.
“After seeing the design, our Executive Director, Andi Otto, reached out to Crystal to see if they would allow us to sell the design on merchandise to help raise funding to fill our shelves,” Heisel corroborates. “We offered to split the proceeds with her and make sure she got the credit she deserved.”
Towne had other priorities. “I declined and requested that my cut go towards their same efforts,” the creator says. “100% of all sales went to helping. From there, it blew up in such a positive way.”
That might be the understatement of the century.
“The response to our Pride Loon merch was incredible,” Heisel confirms. “We knew Crystal’s design was epic, but it really hit a nerve. We’ve never had a merch item take off like that before. We sold over 2,500 items the first week it launched.”
A particular kind of Loon-acy had taken hold of the public.
“Suddenly, the Rebel Loon was everywhere, and people realized they were not alone,” Heisel enthuses. “I think the com-
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munity also truly loved that all the proceeds from our Pride Loon merch — sweatshirts, t-shirts, stickers, patches, etc. — all went right back into serving the community.”
Even as Twin Cities Pride (and the community surrounding it) benefitted from the Pride Rebel Loon’s revenue-generating prowess, the mascot’s mom was visited by the best sort of karma.
“Many people have reached out asking to use my Minnesota Pride Rebel Loon Design for fans, hats, baking goods, patches, tattoos, etc.,” Towne asserts. “It’s gotten so much positive attention, and I really love how it’s brought so many people together.”
The reaction to the Pride Rebel Loon generated a reaction of its own.
“We served over 10,000 families in seven weeks,” Heisel reveals. “While it was our space and platform who put out the call, all of us would tell you it was the community who truly made it what it was.”
Twin Cities Pride decided to honor those efforts by naming “Our Community” the Grand Marshal of its 2026 parade. The graphic announcing this award, of course, featured the Pride Rebel Loon. But, not content with taking only one community under her wing, the Loon spread her vast rainbow feathers across the country.
“We have shipped items all over the U.S.,” Heisel reports. “I think it is a true show of how people were watching all of us here in Minnesota and wanted to show solidarity.”
For Heisel, though, her efforts begin and end in the Twin Cities.
“I grew up in South Minneapolis and Bloomington,” she testifies. “While I also lived a few years in South Dakota and Florida before returning to the Twin Cities, it’s always been home to me.”
That Twin Cities allegiance has served as fuel for Heisel’s work.
“Our Executive Director Andi Otto had a vision,” Heisel says. “By listening to the community and working with his team, we developed year-round programming to create events that would address community needs.”
Those community needs proved as variegated as a rainbow … so the solutions had to follow suit.
“Some of those programs are job fairs, book fairs, Trunk-or-Treat, Rainbow Feast and what we feel is the most important one: our Rainbow Wardrobe, which is designed to provide gender affirming clothing and undergarments for those wanting a safe and affirming space,” catalogues Twin Cities Pride’s executive assistant. “Because of the community response, we also added personal care products, make-up, and other basic necessities.”
In other words, the funds generated by the Pride Rebel Loon will probably address whatever needs are neediest in the future. Vows Heisel, “Twin Cities Pride will always do what we can to care for our community, and when things are happening in our community, we have a duty to help in any way that we can.”
Like a waterfowl’s aquatic landing, such dutiful help can cause ripples. “We also know that when you help one marginalized community, it ends up helping so much more,” Heisel insists.
Invoking a Twin Cities Pride event that’s part costume ball, part convention, and part tailgate party, Heisel continues, “Back in October, when SNAP benefits were cut for so many, we put a call out for quick and easy meals to have on hand at our Trunk-or-Treat event.”
Where Halloween is traditionally a holiday that celebrates fear, last year’s Trunk-or-Treat was intended to alleviate it. “If someone had food insecurities, they could pick up some extra food to help ease the burden,” Heisel says.
That same insecurity cast its stomach-grumbling shadow over November, but Twin Cities Pride, according to Heisel, had an answer: “The need was definitely there as we went through thousands of pounds of food at that event and also at our Rainbow Feast event.”
So yeah, the word “pride” might be overused around this time of year … but the addition of the Pride Rebel Loon will ensure that the word, as it’s employed in year-long service to the Twin Cities, will never ebb, fade or lose itself. This only makes sense as the Pride Rebel Loon’s creator and her benefactor share the same selfless values: proffering social aid that’s as permanent as a tattoo.
“Once you get to know Crystal, you will soon learn that her heart is huge and she wanted nothing in return [for the use of her design] but to ensure we helped the community in any way that we could,” Heisel concludes. “Andi was so moved by the design and the spirit in which it was created, he was the first to get it as a tattoo by Crystal herself.”
Executive Director Andi Otto stocking tables with donations
Dr. Madeline Stead
Dr. Megan Mulligan
Twin Cities Pride Festival to Feature More than 150 Minnesota Performers across its Stages
Music, drag, dance and spoken word performances will fill Loring Park as thousands gather for this year’s Twin Cities Pride Festival, featuring more than 150 performers across four entertainment spaces celebrating LGBTQ+ artistry, culture and community.
Taylor Pacyna, the entertainment coordinator at Twin Cities Pride, gave a preview of the Minnesota performers taking the stage during this year’s festival.
Of the 150 performers, 93% identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community and 63% identify as BIPOC.
“We really try to have a diverse set of local performers,” Pacyna says. “We’ve got something for everybody, from drag to hip-hop to punk. Anything you want, we probably have it on one of our stages.”
Pacyna shares that she is excited that the festival is able to highlight a wide range of performers. She credits the stage managers Rox Anderson, Jorge Sanchez, Darcie Baumann and Sarah Hempel with curating the talented group of artists.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Power to the People Stage is a celebration of BIPOC LGBTQ+ artistry, culture and expression. Curated by and for the community, this stage uplifts the voices and talents of queer, trans, Black and Indigenous people and people of color.
“We’re honoring Nick Metcalf, a two-spirit leader who originally had the idea to start this Power to the People stage,” Pacyna says.
She explained that Metcalf wanted to ensure there was a space to uplift the voices of Black, Indigenous, trans and queer people. She added that Metcalf will be honored during the Sunday portion of the festival with culturally specific music.
The festival’s Stonewall Stage is dedicated to all things drag. Attendees can snag a spot in the grass, the ADA viewing platform or watch from the Stonewall Beer Garden as some of the best drag performers in Minnesota perform.
“This year, we’re excited to have a performer from Season 18 of RuPaul’s Drag Race who grew up in Minnesota, Ciara Myst,” Pacyna says. “She will perform Sunday at 4 p.m.”
“From music and spoken word to drag and dance, each performance is a powerful reminder that representation matters and that Pride must center the voices of those who have always been at the heart of the movement,” Pacyna concludes.
Local Lineup
This year’s lineup on the Power to the People stage includes electric dance and pop singer Jeff Gavin, local hip-hop artist Kevin Kaoz and a spoken word performance by Athena Persephoni.
Club Loring offers a lively dance atmosphere with DJs, music and a nightlife-inspired experience. The space will highlight local queer DJs like Shannon Blowtorch, DJ Shiek and DJ Sci-Fi, to name a few.
On the other hand, the Rainbow Stage provides family and youth-focused programming, performances and activities in a more relaxed setting. This year’s performers include School of Rock, Barbara Bow, Sadie Maguire, Not Your Baby and many more.
Together, the four stages create a wide variety of entertainment and experiences for festival attendees.
Pacyna also revealed the event will feature a surprise entertainer who grew up in Minnesota and is gaining national recognition, but said she could not yet reveal the performer’s name.
Much of the funding used to pay local Minnesota performers comes from the Minnesota State Arts Board Experiences Grant.
“We get really excited about putting money back into the community and highlighting all the amazing performers we have in the Twin Cities,” Pacyna says.
The festival is designed to create spaces where attendees can feel represented, celebrated, and connected through music, performance and community. From drag and spoken word to dance and live music, the festival’s four stages aim to showcase the diversity of LGBTQ+ voices across Minnesota while giving local artists an opportunity to perform in front of large audiences.
Twin Cities Pride Festival will take place June 27 and 28 in Loring Park and along Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. Festivalgoers can enjoy live entertainment, food vendors, community resources and activities throughout the weekend. Additional information, including the full entertainment lineup and schedule, is available through Twin Cities Pride.
Jaz Steele performing on the Power to the People stage in 2025. Photo courtesy of Taylor Pacyna
Pet Central Expands its Pawprint at Twin Cities Pride
Each year, in the expansive green space of Loring Park near downtown Minneapolis, Twin Cities Pride celebrates the LGBTQ+ community both within and outside the Twin Cities. Over the course of the two-day festival, attendees can enjoy the annual parade, live entertainment, over 650 vendors and access to numerous resources. And, to the excitement of many pet owners, another one of Pride’s offerings is Pet Central.
Pet Central, as described by Taylor Pacyna, a Twin Cities resident and Twin Cities Pride program coordinator, is one of the many “zones” at Twin Cities Pride. In this zone, pet lovers can bring their furry friends or observe the beloved pets of others.
“Pet Central is one of our zones, and in that space, we have a little stage and a little area with some grass, a little grassy area. So, along with the vendors and rescue organizations that are there, we also do some programming just to bring people into the space and have a little fun,” Pacyna says.
For the last two years, Pacyna has worked with Twin Cities Pride to coordinate unique ideas and events that strengthen the community throughout the year.
“We plan everything from career fairs to book fairs, to our Rainbow Feast, trunk-or-treat, all sorts of fun things,” Pacyna says. “So we really work to make sure that Twin Cities Pride isn’t just a festival, but also something that gives back to the community all year round.”
The conception of Pet Central was one of these many ideas. Pacyna explains that Loring Park is already a great place for people to bring their pets, so it was not a hard decision at all to decide to add a specific zone to Twin Cities Pride for pets and pet lovers to come and enjoy.
“Loring Park is a great place to be with your pet, and it already has a closed-in little pet dog park. And so, we thought we might as well use that space and go with what was already there. And, people love bringing their pets to Pride already, so let’s make some space just for them,” Pacyna says.
Without the need for deliberation, Pet Central became an added zone to Twin Cities Pride. This space is a great place for people who love pets to bring their companions and spend time with other pet lovers. Additionally, Pet Central hosts vendors, pet resources, multiple rescue organizations and programming that enhance the overall experience of the zone.
This year, Pet Central is expanding to include more of the things that have been loved in years before. Attendees can expect to see organizations such as Upper Midwest Great Dane Rescue, Feline Rescue Incorporated, the Humane Society, Pocket Pet Rescue and Canine Inspired Change.
Vendors that sell pet collars and other cute pet accessories are also going to be at Pet Central. Further, Pet Central offers information regarding what hotels are pet-friendly and different places one can go to get their pet trained. Pacyna sums it up well in a single sentence: “If you’re looking for something for your pets, you’re pretty set in that space.”
For attendees looking for more interactive pet fun, the programming options offer the perfect opportunities. Throughout the day on Saturday, a variety of pet-themed events will be held at Pet Central, including training, crafts, trivia, styling and, at the end of the day, a pet costume contest.
“I would definitely suggest just coming out, getting to see what everything is,” Pacyna says. “If you have a pet that you are excited about and wanna bring, you’re welcome to bring them to the pet costume contest, which is at 4 o’clock. At 3:45, I’ll call for folks to start dressing their pet up … We’re gonna have QR codes so everyone in the space can vote for the winners. There’ll be some really fun prizes, some merch for your pets and for the humans as well.”
Twin Cities Pride has always been a welcoming and unifying event, and Pet Central works to further that experience. Not only can people bring their favorite animal friends, but they can also meet other pet lovers within the community. With all the exciting happenings at Pet Central, it is one of the best spaces for animal lovers to spend time at Pride.
Pacyna shares this belief, as she says, “It’s so fun … to say, you know, ‘Not only am I part of the LGBTQ community or an ally, but I also love pets.’ And so, to have a place for the two things, that really makes Pet Central a fun space to be.”
Vendors interested in working at next year’s Pet Central can anticipate openings around the middle of January. For more information about Pet Central, how to sign up to be a vendor or Twin Cities Pride as a whole, consider visiting Twin Cities Pride’s website, tcpride.org.
Photo by Lauren Cutshall
Twin Cities Pride’s Pride Cultural Arts Center: A Year in Review and in Anticipation
Last year, Twin Cities Pride made a huge stride in their mission to empower every LGBTQ+ person to live as their true self by opening the Pride Cultural Arts Center (PCAC). It is not only a physical place where the community can gather to connect, learn, grow and thrive, but it’s also something more intangible: a dynamic platform for queer expression and joy.
Dobbs DeCorsey, the Director of the Pride Cultural Arts Center, is especially proud of the fantastic year that PCAC has had. From hosting tons of events to standing as a constant local resource, PCAC has been busy with the best kind of work.
“Within the first year of the PCAC, we have hosted so many stellar events and collaborated with so many partners across the great state of Minnesota — and beyond!” DeCorsey says. “Some of my standout events have been our Rainbow Wardrobe Open Houses, Clips & Dips (in collaboration with Vogue Down Minneapolis) and our Artist in Residence gallery openings.”
Each of these projects holds a special place within the queer community, from artistic expression to basic gender-affirming care.
For gender-affirming care, Rainbow Wardrobe is one of the most impactful resources at PCAC. Trans and gender-expansive community members can come to Rainbow Wardrobe to “shop” for clothes that make them feel comfortable, confident and like themselves.
And the best part? Rainbow Wardrobe is completely free. In fact, the majority of Rainbow Wardrobe’s collection, which ranges from hats to makeup to hygiene products to stylish clothes and beyond, is donation-based. The only exceptions are the closet’s gender-affirming undergarments (binders, packing boxers, tucking panties and period boxers), which are all purchased new. In PCAC’s first year of operation, Rainbow Wardrobe bought
$40,000 worth of gender-affirming undergarments, helping so many in the community feel seen and comfortable.
The Rainbow Wardrobe is only one part of what the Pride Cultural Arts Center has to offer, however. PCAC also offers an Artist in Residence program, which seeks a mutually beneficial partnership with artists to represent their work and represent Twin Cities Pride to the community and youth.
Photos courtesy of Dobbs DeCorsey
One of the main goals of their Artist in Residence program, besides uplifting and platforming queer artists, is to show young queer kids that they can be anything they want to be, as long as they live as their authentic selves.
In this past year, PCAC has also focused a lot of its efforts on cultural education — and not just through discussions in the Artist in Residence galleries!
“We educate both formally in classroomstyle settings in our event space, but also informally in everyday conversation with people who come through our front door,” DeCorsey says. “We have all walks of life entering the PCAC at any given moment, and we are always willing to have chats with folks, no matter what they may be curious about … and people always come curious!”
PCAC’s first year in operation has been filled with triumphs, including their community aid Pride Pantry, which, according to DeCorsey, “positively supported over 10,000 families over the course of seven weeks.”
But the PCAC team is not resting on their laurels after their successful first year. This upcoming year is set to be even more expansive.
“In the coming year, be on the lookout for new galleries, more events and continued community collaborations with some genuinely queer and colorful folks!” DeCorsey says.
They couldn’t be prouder of the work PCAC has already done, nor more excited for the future projects, exhibitions and events that the team is planning for this year.
“It means everything to me (pageant, I know), but it’s true. I have the most rewarding career in the world,” DeCorsey says. “Every day I get to see the full continuum of humanity and existence … Spaces like the PCAC are so valuable to the community at large because they encourage joy, curiosity and togetherness — even in times of great tumult.”
If you want to check out Twin Cities Pride’s Pride Cultural Arts Center, you can visit in person at 1201 Harmon Pl., Minneapolis, or head to its website, tcpride.org/ pride-cultural-arts-center/, to learn more (or donate!)
DeCorsey ends with a final thank you to his community: “I want to give a huge shout out to the rest of the Twin Cities Pride staff and to all our incredible volunteers for always supporting and being the best queer family a gay man could ask for!”
Especially in anxiety-inducing times like these, community and chosen family really are so important. PCAC offers LGBTQ+ people of Minnesota just that.
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Everything is Smooth for Backdoor Botanics
The South Africa-based intimate wellness brand has had a serendipitous start to its mission of delivering an anal lube of the highest quality
As soon-to-be Backdoor Botanics co-founder Duncan Stevens was enjoying his dinner at a weekly social supper club, one of his dining companions regaled the group with the story of a recent sexual encounter with a wellendowed pilot. While not everyone would consider the story to be polite dinner conversation, the relentlessly sex-positive Stevens decided this is who he would be sitting next to at dinner going forward.
Stevens and his new partner in gastronomy, Grace Maree, became fast friends despite having very different backgrounds. Maree is a biomedical scientist from Texas who moved to Stevens’ native South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stevens’ previous work included 10 years of running his own jewelry brand, including design and manufacturing, and working for an EU firm as a consultant on consumer studies for major corporations.
Besides enjoying fine food and good conversation, Stevens’ and Maree’s backgrounds found another way to align: being the perfect combination to start a lube company. If that sounds like a joke, it might be because it initially was, according to Stevens.
“This all started as a joke, I was joking, literally, it was a joke,” Stevens emphasizes.
“I said to Grace, ‘So, Grace, what the f— are you going to be doing with your life? Like, you can’t just sit around in Cape Town, and you’re gonna run out of money at some point.’ And she’s like, ‘I have no f—ing idea,’” he recalls.
“And of course, I knew her background at that particular point, and I said to her, ‘Well, what we should be doing is, we should basically make a regenerating butthole balm for gay men because we need it because we get f—ed up the ass so often,’” he continues.
Maree burst out laughing, Stevens says, but not because the idea was ridiculous — rather, a biochemist she had previously worked with, Karl Lintner, had suggested the exact same product. That joke and subsequent conversation are what brought Stevens and Maree from dinner partners to co-founders.
Backdoor Botanics wasn’t their first stab at a regenerating intimate wellness brand, though. Their original vision was OANA Regeneraceuticals, a broader line offering a range of high-end products for all genders.
They still plan to make a full OANA line a reality, but first, after consulting market research, they decided they should pick one product and do it well. They chose an anal lube (rather than the “butthole balm” that had initially inspired them) and created their Backdoor Botanics brand, which Stevens calls “the gay brother that is fun, quirky, a little bit outrageous and does whatever the f— they want.”
While “whatever the f— they want” may seem aspirational for a brand that very recently was nothing but a glimmer in its co-founders’ eyes, product development went about as smoothly as Stevens and Maree could’ve
Duncan Stevens and Grace Maree. Photos courtesy of Duncan Stevens
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ANIMAL RESCUE
Second Chance Animal Rescue
Dedicated to rescuing, fostering, caring for, and adopting out dogs and cats into forever homes.
P.O. Box 10533
White Bear Lake, MN 55110 (651) 771-5662 www.secondchancerescue.org
BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS
Quorum
Minnesota's LGBTQ+ and Allied Chamber of Commerce working to build, connect, and strengthen for a diverse business community.
2446 University Ave. W., Ste 112 St. Paul, MN 55114 (612) 460-8153 www.twincitiesquorum.com
ENVIRONMENT
The Nature Conservancy
TNC is an environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature thrive. 1101 W. River Pkwy., Ste. 200 Minneapolis, MN 55415-1291 (612) 331-0700 minnesota@tnc.org www.nature.org/minnesota
EVENT VENUES
Landmark Center
A classic venue, with a grand cortile and beautiful courtrooms, accommodates celebrations of all sizes.
75 W. 5th St. St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 292-3228 www.landmarkcenter.org
FOUNDATIONS
University of Minnesota Foundation
Connecting passion with possibility to transform the future through philanthropy.
200 Oak St. SE, Ste. 500 Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612) 624-3333 giving@umn.edu www.give.umn.edu
GRANTMAKERS/FUNDERS
PFund Foundation
PFund is the LGBTQ+ community foundation that provides grants to students and grants to non-profits. PO Box 3640 Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 870-1806 www.pfundfoundation.org
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Aliveness Project
Community Center for individuals living with HIV/AIDS – on-site meals, food shelf, and supportive service.
3808 Nicollet Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55102 (612) 824-LIFE (5433) www.aliveness.org
MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
Radio K
Radio K is the award-winning studentrun radio station of the University of Minnesota.
330 21st. Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612) 625-3500 www.radiok.org
MUSEUM
Minnesota Historical Society
Create your own adventure at MNHS historic sites and museums around Minnesota. www.mnhs.org
Minneapolis Institute of Art Home to masterpieces from around the world and through the ages. Always free. Everyone welcome.
2400 3rd Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 870-3000 www.artsmia.org
Science Museum of Minnesota
Mississippi Riverfront Museum featuring dinosaurs, hands-on exhibits, Omnitheater films, and interactive science performances. Café onsite. 120 W. Kellogg Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 221-9444 www.smm.org
PERFORMING ARTS
ARENA DANCES
ARENA DANCES presents innovative contemporary dance, fostering community, dialogue, and inclusion through performance and education 711 W. Lake St., Studio 308 Minneapolis, MN 55408 (612) 804-0238 www.arenadances.org
Children’s Theatre Company
Children’s Theatre Company excites the imagination with world-class family-friendly theatre for kids, teens, and adults.
2400 3rd Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 874-0400 www.childrenstheatre.org
Guthrie Theater
Open to the public year-round, the Guthrie produces classic and contemporary plays on three stages. 818 S. 2nd St. Minneapolis, MN 55415 (612) 377-2224 www.guthrietheater.org
Minnesota Opera
World-class opera draws you into a synthesis of beauty; breathtaking music, stunning costumes & extraordinary sets. Performances at the Ordway Music Theater - 345 Washington St. St. Paul, MN 55102 (612) 333-6669 www.mnopera.org
Minnesota Orchestra
Led by Music Director Thomas Søndergård, the Minnesota Orchestra, one of America’s leading symphony orchestras.
1111 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 371-5656, (800) 292-4141 www.minnesotaorchestra.org
Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus
An award-winning chorus building community through music and offers entertainment worth coming out for! 1430 W. 28th St., Ste. B Minneapolis, MN 55408 (612) 339-SONG (7664) chorus@tcgmc.org www.tcgmc.org
PETS
MACC Pack
Nonprofit partner of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control. Adopt animals at the address below: 212 17th Ave N. Minneapolis, MN 55411 www.maccpack.org
RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL
All God's Children Metropolitan Community Church
A welcoming, inclusive, safe place to explore and discover God's love for ALL God's children. 3100 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407 (612) 824-2673 www.agcmcc.org
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church
Everyone is welcome at Hennepin Church! Vibrant Worship. Authentic Community. Bold Outreach. 511 Groveland Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 871-5303 www.hennepinchurch.org
Spirit Garage
A Christian community of creative, quirky, curious folx where All Means ALL. Sundays, 10:30am.
100 W. 46th St. Minneapolis, MN 55419 bigdoor@spiritgarage.org www.spiritgarage.org
St. Luke Presbyterian Church
An inclusive faith community in the western suburbs grounded in justice, compassion and courageous love.
3121 Groveland School Rd. Minnetonka, MN 55391 (952) 473-7378 www.stluke.mn
Westminster Presbyterian Church
An open and affirming congregation, welcoming persons of all sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities.
1200 Marquette Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 332-3421 www.westminstermpls.org
SENIOR LIVING
Lyngblomsten
Offering caregiver education, resources, support groups, and The Gathering (daytime respite, memory-loss enrichment program).
1415 Almond Ave. St. Paul, MN 55108 (651) 632-5320 caregiving@lyngblomsten.org www.lyngblomsten.org/CServices
SOCIAL GROUPS
Let’s Do Coffee & Let’s Do Lunch hosted by Friends & Co. Free, drop-in gatherings. LGBTQ+ adults 62+. Various locations. Coffee, pastries, or lunch—no RSVP needed.
2550 University Ave. W., Ste. 260-S St. Paul, MN 55114 (612) 721-1400 www.FriendsCo.org
SPORTS & RECREATION
The Loppet
Minneapolis nonprofit connecting people to the outdoors through experiences that grow community.
1301 Theodore Wirth Pkwy. Minneapolis, MN 55422 (612) 604-5330 www.loppet.org
TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
Westopolis
Minnesota’s Sweet Spot! St. Louis Park & Golden Valley offer exceptional dining, attractions, shopping, hotels and event space.
1660 Hwy 100 S., Ste. 501 St. Louis Park, MN 55416 (952) 426-4047 www.westopolis.org
possibly hoped. Their first test batch had almost all of the characteristics they were looking for, and only required minor tweaks to become a market-ready product.
Those characteristics are deep hydration, anti-inflammatory properties and pH balance, as well as peptides that have been linked with increasing collagen production. All together, they combine to create a product similar to high-end facial serums.
In fact, despite Stevens telling testers, “Don’t rub it all over your face,” one of them did exactly that. The tester reported that Backdoor Botanics cleared up some stubborn seborrheic dermatitis.
That wasn’t the only positive review Stevens received from early users, though. He says he received strong feedback across the board, including from those with sensitive skin that gets irritated by other products. Many testers had the same question: “How can we get it now?”
Luckily for Stevens and his testers alike, the Backdoor Botanics team got exactly what they wanted again when it came time to produce the first retail batch. As they struggled to find places to produce both product and packaging, a lab that had previously been booked had something else fall through and was able to take on Backdoor Botanics on short notice.
This serendipity allowed Stevens and Maree to have Backdoor Botanics ready for hard launch in December 2025. This gave them a window they wouldn’t have otherwise had to start building their audience and brand ahead of Cape Town Pride at the end of February.
The product they delivered brings significant benefits to its users, according to Stevens. The deep hydration it promotes leads to healthier skin, smoother sex and stronger stimulation. The anti-inflammatory qualities are self-explanatory, and the formula is balanced to the pH of the anus specifically, unlike vaginal or general mechanical lubes, preventing discomfort that can come from pH imbalance. The collagen production that the included Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 peptides have been linked with can help regenerate damaged skin. All in all, Stevens says it’s a great example of his goal to create “better products that people deserve.”
While Backdoor Botanics is still “building the plane as we’re flying it,” as Stevens says, he says their next destinations are a vaginal lube, similar to Backdoor Botanics but balanced to the pH of the vagina, and a return to the product that initially inspired them, a regenerative anal balm. Wherever Stevens and Maree go next, based on their journey so far, it’s safe to say their travels will continue to be exceptionally smooth.
Bill’s Gun Shop & Range
Helping You Buy/Sell With Ease. Clear Communication. Steady Guidance. Peace of Mind.
Dolls to Watch Out For:
‘Again,
Harder’ by Alice Stoehr
The Minneapolis author and bookseller transforms the taboo into the banal while depicting the joy, despair and messiness of the contemporary midwestern transfeminine experience.
“‘I feel like every trans person has a secret power … And if we can bring that out, it’s amazing, as long as we have people to encourage us.’”
This line of dialogue appears on the 10th page of Minneapolis author Alice Stoehr’s debut title, “Again, Harder,” setting the tone for a short fiction anthology that reads as “Dykes to Watch Out For” for the 21st-century transfemme.
Stoehr, 36, and I meet on the patio of Reverie Cafe + Bar in Powderhorn Park on a sunny but blustery spring day. Seeds from overhanging trees land on our grated metal table, and she pushes them through the holes as she voices her thoughts.
Stoehr has been writing and publishing these stories online since 2021. In sardonic prose and shifting POVs, a diverse ensemble cast of trans women and transfemme nonbinary people navigate 21st-century life in a Midwestern city, navigating poverty, careers, family tension, dysphoria, mental health and other postmodern woes. And they have a lot of sex with each other in the meantime.
“I do very intentionally write a lot about sex, and I have a lot of fun doing it,” Stoehr says. “A handful of people over the years have told me that what I’m doing is a little different, especially when it comes to T4T sexuality in literature. There’s different kinds of physical contact happening — how can we be as honest and realistic as possible about what those kinds of contact are?”
The book’s title and cover art by artist Phobia Solana could be telling on its erotic content, but they also lend themselves to deeper meaning. Sex achieves a sort of banality over the course of each story that it can be seen for what it does for the characters involved in it rather than its mere occurrence.
“For me, as an artist, because art about sex is so consistently, thoroughly stigmatized, that does make it more interesting,” Stoehr explains. “I find it gratifying to try to describe it so much that at a certain point it gets rendered banal.”
In “Again, Harder,” sex serves as an escape from responsibility, an expression of love and an icebreaking exercise. It isolates and confuses characters as much as it connects and affirms them.
As for the title, its origin is much more dire. A trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) beats the trans woman she’s been stalking, Iris, with a baseball bat. Iris, however, foresaw this showdown and, in fact, handed the bat to her stalker in the first place. Instead of begging her for mercy, Iris barks, “‘C’mon, f—ing b—-. Again, harder.’”
Stoehr asks me for my take on this moment. It made me think of how the reality of violence is hidden behind a veil for a lot of people, and that they’ll never truly know what it means until they enact or experience it themselves.
“That’s true,” she replies. “That story is drawing on a lot of real-life phenomena, but it’s also very exaggerated in some ways. To my knowledge, I don’t know if anyone is like ‘I’m a TERF, and I’m going to do this film noir style stalking and devoting my life to this.’ But that kind of harassment manifests in a lot of different forms. Public transphobic violence is real, and there have been a number of way too close and scary instances within the past few years, just in the Twin Cities.”
As for the moment itself, Stoehr describes it as Iris achieving Marina Abramović-esque agency via self-victimhood.
“I was trying to give her this almost prophetic, messianic sense of herself as this total victim,” she says of the character. “I really like these kinds of ideas of what you can do with your own victimhood in the way of agency. How can this be flipped around in this kind of masochistic way?”
Among the exploits other characters get up to, a struggling writer visits a transfemme liberation commune that quickly becomes culty, a social butterfly visits her standoffish relatives in her hometown with her girlfriend, one woman chases an orchiectomy as if on a hamster wheel and throuples bloom and wilt. The connections between characters slowly reveal themselves with
each story, adding a satisfying groundedness to Stoehr’s world and both familiarity and complexity to her characters.
Bookending the anthology is a second-person prologue and epilogue. In the prologue, you’re a trans woman visiting her hometown for a high school reunion. In the epilogue, you’re the same character at 12, walking on the precipice of puberty. These sections immerse the reader in the perspective of the characters, regardless if they’re transfemme themself, making Stoehr’s writing all the more engaging.
Stoehr also says that while bits and pieces of her life appear throughout the collection, these passages draw the most directly from it.
“It creates a different tone, this kind of uncomfortable complicity,” she says. If every trans person has a secret power, then Stoehr’s is making the stigmatized and forbidden feel typical and comfortable. By the epilogue, you’ve seen characters do so much that the most intimate details no longer stand out, instead fully integrating into the narrative. In other words, Stoehr’s perspective is that of a midwestern transwoman — outsider and taboo to some, but quotidian to her.
“Just the fact that you can change your sex is so fascinating and powerful and bizarre, and despite writing about it and being immersed in it, I still think that’s true. But I also think that it’s cool that you can make transition feel boring,” she says.
Still, she prescribes no approach readers should bring to “Again, Harder.” If they approach it like a peep show, she explains, they’re more than welcome to.
“Some people have been reacting to this like, ‘I’m getting gossip I shouldn’t be getting.’ If somebody wants to read it on that level, great, take it as that,” she says. “That’s part of the reason that we have art to start with. It’s not an inherently noble neutral thing, of, ‘I am sitting down and reading about an experience for entirely good reasons, not at all because this excites or fascinates me.’”
Overall, as a self-described “Twin Cities partisan,” Stoehr eschews coastal centricity and big media coverage, but still thinks the Twin Cities and the lives that play out in it, especially boring old trans ones, are worth paying attention to.
“My investment is in people in messy apartments and what they’re doing because I think that’s where the world happens,” she says.
“Again, Harder” is out now. Grab a copy from The Feminist Press online or a bookstore near you.
Photo by Hannah Stein
THE EXPERTS MINNESOTA MOVES WITH.
At Summit Orthopedics, we’re proud to be Minnesota’s only top-ranked orthopedic and spine outpatient surgery center as recognized by U.S. News & World Report. And while our expertise sets us apart, it’s how we care for people that defines us. Even after thousands of procedures, we treat each patient like the only one.
