Over the weekend, the feminist movement lost a lion. Melissa Hortman, former speaker of the Minnesota House and longtime champion of reproductive justice, climate action and racial equity, was senselessly gunned down in a targeted attack at her home. Her husband, Mark, was also killed.
Hortman made history as the third woman to lead the Minnesota House, forging a rare power-sharing agreement in a politically split chamber—and never backing down from a fight.
Kelly Dittmar, a political science professor at Rutgers University-Camden and the director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics, shared on social media a powerful speech Hortman gave eight years ago, when she was the minority leader, on the House floor about the power of women’s voices. In it, she interrupted and called out white male legislators during a key debate—and when asked to apologize for her candor, she didn’t flinch. Here is the exchange:
Horton: Call the House, Mr. Speaker. I hate to break up the 100 percent white male card game in the retiring room but I think this is an important debate.
Rep. Bob Dettmer: I’m a white male. I respect everybody, but I really believe the comments that were made by the Minority Leader were really not appropriate. Minority Leader, would you apologize to the body?
House Speaker Kurt Daudt: She will yield. Representative Hortman.
Hortman: Representative Dettmer, I’m glad you asked me to yield. I have no intention of apologizing.
I am so tired of watching representative Susan Allen give an amazing speech, Representative Peggy Flanagan give an amazing speech, watching Representative Jamie Becker-Finn give an amazing speech, Representative Rena Moran give the most heartfelt incredible speech I’ve heard on this House floor as long as you can remember. Watching Representative Ilhan Omar give an amazing speech, and looking around to see, Where are my colleagues? And I went in the retiring room and I saw where a bunch of my colleagues were. And I’m really tired of watching women of color in particular being ignored. So I’m not sorry.
This moment—unapologetic, unflinching, unwilling to look away—was emblematic of Hortman’s leadership. She knew who she stood with: working families, climate activists, survivors, mothers and especially women of color. And she knew exactly what she was up against. As Dittmar put it, this exchange “[demonstrates] what difference it makes to have women in our legislative institutions. … This is just one (seemingly minor to many) example of someone who fought for positive change and embodied the role of public servant.”
Hortman’s murder is not just a tragedy—it is a warning. It targeted a woman who dared to lead, dared to speak out, dared to change things. Melissa Hortman was the kind of leader patriarchy fears. She made space for others. She passed laws that changed lives. She showed up. She spoke up. She refused to apologize.
We mourn her. We honor her. And in her name, we keep going.
Rest in power, Madam Speaker.
