February 28, 1978 - St. Paul City Council considers the petition for the repeal of gay rights to appear on ballot in city election. City Council president Rober Sylvester and Councilman Dave Hosa oppose the petition. The council rules to accept the petition, thus the question will appear on the city election ballot on April 25th. The St. Paul gay rights repeal attempt will be the first since the controversial Dade County, Florida repeal last year.
February 28, 1978 - MPR’s Pat Kessler reports on St. Paul City Council as it considered petition on the repeal of gay rights ordinance to appear on ballot in city election. A debate over viewing as ‘referendum’ or ‘initiative’ ensued. City Council president Robert Sylvester and Councilman Dave Hosa oppose the petition.
March 30, 1978 - Bob Kunst, national gay activist and co-author of the Dade County, Florida gay rights amendment (which was repealed), urges St. Paul voters not to repeal the gay rights ordinance. In his comments, he also criticizes gay rights opponents.
April 20, 1978 - Report on three different St. Paul rallies, pro and con, regarding the vote to repeal the gay rights ordinance. MPR's Pat Kessler, Kate Williams, and Dan Olson were at the events and provide excerpts from the activity, including speeches and interviews of attendees.
April 25, 1978 - MPR’s Pat Kessler reports on vote results on repeal of St. Paul’s 1974 gay rights ordinance. St. Paul voters chose to repeal of the city's provisions protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination by a two-to-one margin.
April 27, 1978 - MPR’s Pat Kessler presents various local viewpoints and theories on why voters chose to repeal St. Paul’s 1974 gay rights ordinance.
May 26, 1978 - MPR’s Pat Kessler reports that 30 days after St. Paul gay rights ordinance repeal, there is a general attitude that the repeal has had no real effect on the lifestyles of homosexuals. Kessler talks with two individuals who fought on opposing sides of the rights issue.
April 3, 1979 - Almost a year has passed since one of the most divisive election campaigns in St. Paul’s history. The attempt to repeal gay rights in St. Paul at first became a part of, and then completely overshadowed, the city’s mayoral and city council elections. The repeal effort brought theologians, civil rights experts, lawyers, entertainment personalities and media from all over the country. When the ballots were counted the citizens of St. Paul had voted overwhelmingly against the right to affectional or sexual preference. The question of initiative or referendum status has come before the Minnesota Supreme Court.
April 3, 1981 - MPR’s Bob Potter reports on Minnesota State Capital commitee discussion of gay rights bill in effort to add sexual orientation to the list of protected statuses in the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
April 3, 1981 - The Minnesota human rights law currently forbids discrimination on the basis of faces, sex, age, marital status among other things. Repeal of the gay rights in the city of St. Paul left Minneapolis as the only community in the state that protects homosexuals. DFL Representative Karen Clark of Minneapolis led a parade of witnesses before the House Law Reform Subcommittee. She stated that 10 percent of the population is homosexual and that the biggest single area of discrimination is employment. Clark is satisfied with the hearing results for the time being.