Minnesota Lynx to Celebrate Annual Pride Night Presented by Xcel Energy

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx will celebrate the team’s annual Pride Night presented by Xcel Energy, in association with Lavender Magazine and Twin Cities Pride, on Saturday, June 16 at Target Center. Tip-off against the New York Liberty is set for 7 p.m.

Throughout the game, individuals and organizations will be honored for their work on behalf of the LGBTQ community. As part of the Minnesota Lynx Inspiring Women platform, the team will honor Andrea Jenkins, the first African American openly transgender woman to be elected to office in the United States, currently serving on Minneapolis City Council representing Ward 8. Jenkins is also the curator of the Transgender Oral History Project at the University of Minnesota’s Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies.

Quorum, Minnesota’s LGBT and Allied chamber of Commerce, will be the community gift recipient of the night and be honored on court. They will receive a $2,500 donation from the Lynx FastBreak Foundation in association with U.S. Bank.

The team has partnered with Levy and AEG Merchandise to give fans in attendance the option to add a donation onto their concessions and merchandise purchases to benefit Outfront Minnesota, an organization that works towards LGBTQ equality in the Twin Cities.

Xcel Energy and U.S. Bank will have tables set up in the concourse outside of section 121. The first 100 fans to visit the Xcel Energy table will receive a voucher for a postgame autograph session with a Lynx player. Every fan that stops by the U.S. Bank table will receive a free pair of Pride inspired sunglasses, while supplies last. The Lynx Team Store will also feature Pride items for purchase, including a Pride t-shirt, hats, lanyard and keychain.

After the game, there will be a celebration presented by Lavender Magazine at Kieran’s Irish Pub featuring happy hour specials, live music, ticket giveaways and silent auctions by Twin Cities Pride. This event is open to the public.

Leading up to the night, the team has been sharing videos on Facebook of Lynx players and coaches talking about the importance of Pride. The team changed their social avatars to include a rainbow theme for the month of June and will also have a presence at Twin Cities Pride Festival later this month.