Minnesota Court of Appeals
25 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard. Saint Paul, MN (1991)
Acting as a gateway between local courts and the state’s Supreme Court, Minnesota’s Appellate court affects lasting changes on the state’s queer community. The court ruled in favor of Karen Thompson in 1991, ending the landmark Sharon Kowalski case. Kowalski, Thompson’s domestic partner for 4 years, became incapacitated after she was hit by a drunk driver in 1983.(1) Kowalski’s parents claimed custody, and refused to let Thompson visit her lover. The court ruling gave Thompson the right to “Bring Sharon Home;” the decision also established a precedent that legally validates same-sex relationships.(2)
 Dignity Logo, from the group's website: http://www.dignitytwincities.org/index.html. |
The court has not been as favorable in other cases. Dignity, the longstanding group for LGBT rights in the Catholic Community, had occupied space in the Newman Center near the University of Minnesota since the early 1970s—the archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul owned the center.(3) Together with other, non-catholic groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Wieght Watchers, and the Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, Dignity leaders incorrectly suspected that their use of the space befitted a “tenant-landlord” relationship.(4) |
In January of 1987, Archbishop John R. Roach (see: The Cathedral of St. Paul) received orders from the Vatican to eject Dignity from the space unless the group signed a statement of agreement with the church’s antigay policy. Dignity left the space, and promptly filed a grievance with the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission. In 1990, the commission ruled in favor of Dignity, and mandated the archdiocese to pay more than $34,000 in fines and damages.(5)
The Diocese appealed, and the Court ruled in its favor, stating that “for Dignity, there were no secular areas of the Newman Center. They utilized the facility for its religious identity.” (6) This ruling disappointed secular and religious queer people alike, as it seemingly justified the Church’s discrimination against GLBT people. Dignity survived the blow, and currently meets at the Prospect Park United Methodist Church in Minneapolis.
(1) Gianoulis, Tina. "Kowalski, Sharon (b. 1956) and Karen Thompson (b. 1947)" www.glbtq.com, 12/1/2005. Retrieved 3/25/10. http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/kowalski_thompson.html
(2) Ibid.
(3) Anger, David. "Appeals Court Rules Against Dignity." Equal Time news, issue 241: 7/5-7/19/1991. Front Page.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Ibid.
(6) Ibid.
Part of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: 100 Queer Places in Minnesota History, (1860-1969), (1969-2010)
