Mill City Museum's "Going Out, Coming In" tour tells the Twin Cities' LGBTQ+ history
MINNEAPOLIS — The 2024 Twin Cities Pride Festival kicks off Friday night. There will be a lot to see, do and learn all weekend long.
Over at the Mill City Museum, there's an opportunity to learn more about the rich LBGTQ+ history in the Twin Cities. It's called the "Going Out, Coming In" tour, and it's the second year the museum is hosting the event.
"So much of queer history has been in the shadows, on the fringes. People had pseudonyms, hiding who they were, didn't want to get caught and a lot of this is really personal stories, really personal connections to places people went to and the friends that they had and community they created," lead tour guide Rhys Becker said.
It's a new gig for Becker, but one he's passionate about. Becker will lead the two mile trek through Minneapolis sharing stories of queer resistance, love and identity through LGBTQ+ spaces. Some spaces that once were – and still are. Specifically, these spaces are bars—and there's a reason for that.
"A lot of queer people had to find dark places. Places tucked away from unwanted eyes and a lot of this manifested as bars," Becker said.
It's part of the reason why he believes these stories are so important to tell.
"I hope just that you kind of remember that a lot of these stories are invisible and that they shouldn't be taken for granted," he said. "It's really important to talk about experiences, to find community, to share what we have with other people. And to sort of remember that we've always been here and we always will be here."
Saturday will be the first "Going Out, Coming In" tour, but there are more tours throughout the summer on July 13 at and July 28 at 10 a.m. For more information, click here.
