Representative Leigh Finke Contact information

Leigh Finke is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Finke represents District 66A in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Roseville and Saint Paul, and parts of Ramsey County in Minnesota.

Early Life, Education, and Career: Finke was born in Minnesota and grew up in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, graduating from Maple Grove Senior High School in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Finke earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature in 2003 from Bethel College and a Master of Arts in Shakespeare from DePaul University. While at Bethel, she became active in politics protesting the Iraq War.

Career: From 2018 to 2021, Finke was the senior producer at 1517 Media. There, she wrote and produced two documentary films: Ending the Silence: Confronting Sexual Shame in the Church and White Savior: Racism in the American Church. She also edited two nonfiction books for Beaming Books: Queerfully and Wonderfully Made and Welcoming and Affirming. In 2021 and 2022, Finke worked as Multimedia Storyteller for the ACLU of Minnesota. In late 2022, she was publicly critical of Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen for spreading the transphobic litter boxes in schools hoax. In March 2023, Finke started the Queer Equity Institute, a nonprofit that supports and encourages queer politicians.

Minnesota House of Representatives: Finke was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. She first ran after legislative redistricting and the retirement of 17-term DFL incumbent Alice Hausman. Finke is the first openly transgender legislator elected to the Minnesota Legislature. She said she was motivated to run because of anti-trans bills state Republicans introduced in 2021 that would make it a petty misdemeanor for transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports. Finke was a founding member of and chairs the Queer Caucus, a group of LGBTQ+ legislators that formed before the 2023 legislative session. Finke serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy, Human Services Policy, Judiciary Finance and Civil Law, and Legacy Finance Committees.

LGBTQ+ Rights: Finke supported legislation to ban the use of the discredited practice of conversion therapy in the state for minors and vulnerable adults.

Personal Life: Finke is a mother of two and resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In her personal time, Leigh enjoys writing, painting, traveling, skateboarding, and organizing community events, and exploring Minnesota’s parks with her kids.