OPPORTUNITY
In 2006, Project 515 set out with a specific, achievable goal: To ensure that same-sex couples and their families have equal rights and considerations under Minnesota law. At the time, the challenges ahead of us were immense. We learned from the legal team that at least 515 statutes in Minnesota discriminated against same-sex couples through research. With this knowledge, the newly formed organization set out on a mission to covert those laws from discriminatory to inclusive for same-sex couples and their families.
It was these 515 laws that allowed Project 515 to tell its brand story and gave the organization its name.
In 2007, IMAGEHAUS designed the first report that included all 515 of these laws for Project 515, Unequal Under the Law: 515 Ways Minnesota Laws Discriminate Against Couples and Families. By initially drawing attention to the challenges same-sex couples and their families had to navigate to manage day-to-day life, Project 515 succeeded in truly changing the conversation. Statutory definitions of marriage, family, and other terms too often discriminated against some of our state’s residents on issues as simple as obtaining a discounted family fishing license to those as complicated and essential as end-of-life health care decisions.
But Project 515’s genius came in recognizing that the real breakthrough would come only when the debate changed from the impact of discrimination on individuals to the cost imposed on all Minnesotans. Project 515 was among the leaders in demonstrating how important it was to the state’s economic vitality for Minnesota to be recognized as a welcoming community. The brand created for Project 515, along with a lot of hard work from many, drastically impacted and helped change the course of history in Minnesota.
