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The recent conservative report accusing Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and Governor Tim Walz of steering roughly $8 million in state money to a street-level harm-reduction group that publishes “booty bumping” instructions hit like a splashy headline — and it deserves close, plain-speaking scrutiny. The claim is the new development here: media outlets pointed to state grants to Southside Harm Reduction Services and to the group’s own materials that describe rectal drug use and list supplies. Minnesotans have a right to know exactly how their tax dollars were spent and whether state programs crossed a line into promoting dangerous behavior.
Peggy Flanagan, Tim Walz, and the $8 million claim
The charge being circulated is simple: the Walz-Flanagan administration steered millions to Southside Harm Reduction Services, and Southside distributes “booty bumping” kits that include lube, syringe barrels, sterile water and cookers. That report came from conservative outlets that dug through the administration’s grant announcements and Southside’s public materials. The story is news because it alleges state dollars supported an organization that openly explains rectal administration of drugs — a practice many find shocking and unacceptable when taxpayer money is mentioned.
What the public records actually document
Here’s the part people should read closely: Minnesota contract PDFs do show multiple grants to Southside. Public SWIFT contract entries include SWIFT/277967 ($2,500,000), SWIFT/262381 ($620,400), SWIFT/264750 ($473,500) and SWIFT/245860 ($432,000). Those named awards total roughly $4.03 million. There are other smaller state spending lines that reference Southside as a distribution partner, so the tab could rise. But the clear, line-by-line proof of a full $7.9–$8 million tally or an invoice that screams “we bought booty-bumping kits with state cash” is not visible in the PDFs I reviewed. That gap matters. Numbers should not be slung around without a full accounting.
Southside’s materials — proof they talk about “boofing”
What is incontrovertible: Southside Harm Reduction Services publishes a “Booty Bumping 101” mini-zine. The zine defines rectal administration, offers step-by-step guidance and lists supplies (for example, “Try to poop before. This is so your drugs are absorbed better,” along with lube, 1 mL syringe barrels, sterile water and cookers). That is the organization’s own material. It’s blunt and it will make many citizens queasy. But blunt instruction from a nonprofit is not the same legal thing as an itemized state purchase order that names those kit contents.
Why this matters — transparency, safety, and political fallout
There are three lessons here. One: taxpayers deserve a full, itemized accounting — from the Governor’s office, the Department of Human Services and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan — showing what dollars went where and for what items. Two: we should debate harm-reduction policy honestly. Some harm-reduction work can save lives (naloxone distribution, for example); other practices raise real safety concerns. Three: political accountability exists. If state funds indirectly supported materials that instruct people how to use drugs in ways that increase overdose risk, voters will want answers — and candidates will pay a price. The simplest demand is transparency: release the reconciled payment totals and say whether any state dollar was used to purchase specific kit contents. No spin, no weasel words. That’s what Minnesotans deserve.
