Fair Wisconsin

Thank you to the sponsors of our annual Garden Party, and to everyone who showed up to support our work and put this event together–stay tuned for more pictures through the rest of the week!

Learn a new advocacy strategy this week, and help us build a movement for LGBTQ+ rights through Wisconsin! RSVP for our upcoming training at fairwisconsin.com/events.

It’s not too late to register for our upcoming Garden Party this Sunday–we’ll have a silent auction with a variety of options, bartending courtesy of Fair Wisconsin’s own Executive Director, and some great company! Register at fairwisconsin.com/events, hope to see you there 💖✨

We had a great time at Washington County and Outreach Magic Pride this weekend, and talked to a lot of cool folks about the importance of civic engagement! Thanks to everyone who stopped by our table this weekend, and helped us keep the fun going past pride month ❤️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Want to learn more about fighting for LGBTQ+ equality, practice sharing your story, and gain skills around advocacy in your community? Join us later this month on the 28th for a training on how to share your story with your community! Learn more and register at fairwisconsin.com/events. We hope to see you there ❤️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

News Alert! Fair Wisconsin was interviewed for the "Talk it OUT: LGBTQ voices in a q***r election year" podcast to talk about why Wisconsin - and Wisconsin's pro-equality voters - are so important in this upcoming election... and all the elections to follow! Check out the interview here:

Wisconsin: the biggest nail-biter among swing states – Gay City News In the 10th episode of “Talk It OUT: LGBTQ Voices In A Q***r Election Year,” we visit the swing state of Wisconsin, an Upper Midwest battleground that casts

Don’t forget–you have until 8pm tonight to vote! Not sure if you’re registered to vote, or need to register? Check your registration status and find out more about your ballot at myvote.wi.gov.

Today’s the day! Show up for your community and make your voice heard by casting your vote–every vote matters, and when it comes to LGBTQ+ equality, our rights are on the ballot. Use the links in our bio to find pro-equality candidates and polling places near you.

Tomorrow is Wisconsin’s August primary–do you know what’s on your ballot? Fair Wisconsin has endorsed pro-equality candidates across Wisconsin! Learn more at fairwisconsin.com/vote, and check out myvote.wi.gov to learn where to vote near you.

Don’t forget to RSVP to our 2024 Garden Party in Madison, and join us to reflect on the past and look to our future in LGBTQ+ advocacy! We hope to see you there, and look forward to connecting with our community ❤️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

“According to Wisconsin’s recent State Youth Risk Behavior Survey, “79 percent of LGBTQ+ students surveyed reported experiencing anxiety, 63 percent reported experiencing depression and 40 percent reported considering su***de.
The survey also gave students a chance to answer open-ended questions anonymously.

One student wrote: ‘It’s a really hard thing to be transgender and gay in this state. I will always feels uncomfortable and unsafe here. No matter whether in school, in the store, or on the streets, I feel I’m always going to get judged or worst hurt.’”

Fair Wisconsin recognizes the harmful impacts of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in the political sphere, and we want to make sure LGBTQ+ youth know that you are loved, you are supported, and we stand with you. Let’s keep fighting for a better Wisconsin for our youth, together ❤️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Wisconsin youth continue to struggle with mental health Wisconsin teens continue to face significant mental health challenges, with girls and LGBTQ+ youth at the highest risk of depression, anxiety and self-harm, according to the newly-released state Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Today we recognize the 63rd anniversary of the Black Nite Brawl, a historic uprising of LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites a full eight years before New York's Stonewall Riots. We especially remember the role of activists like Josie Carter, who led her community in fighting off homophobic and transphobic violence. Learn more about the Black Nite Brawl by checking out resources like the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project to learn more about the history of LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites.

Fair Wisconsin PAC is excited to announce our first round of endorsements for the upcoming primary election! Each of these candidates will be champions of LGBTQ+ rights in their district, and we look forward to working with them to further equality for LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites statewide. We are proud to endorse:

David Marstellar - AD 21
Ryan Spaude – AD 89
Christian Phelps – AD 93
Ryan Clancy – AD 19
Jodi Habush Sinykin – SD 8
Kris Alfheim – SD 18
Yee Leng Xiong– AD 85
Dana Glasstein – AD 22
Allison Page – AD 30
Andi Rich – SD 12
Karen Kirsch - AD 7
Joan Fitzgerald – AD 46
Deb Andraca – AD 23
Jenna Jacobson – AD 50
Angelina Cruz – AD 62
Greta Neubauer – AD 66
Vinnie Miresse - AD 71
Alex Joers – AD 81
Jodi Emerson – AD 91
Steve Doyle – AD 94
Clint Anderson – AD 45
Paul Hambleton - SD 10
Collin McNamara – SD 24

Check out our website at fairwisconsin.com/vote for a full list of endorsed candidates.

Fair Wisconsin PAC, Wisconsin’s only statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights and political advocacy organization, announced their endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States today.

Abigail Swetz, Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin, issued the following statement:

“Vice President Kamala Harris is the leader for this moment. At every level of her career, she has been a staunch advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and protector of our rights as individuals to live our lives safely and authentically.

On issue after issue, Vice President Harris stands with the LGBTQ+ community. As District Attorney in San Francisco, Harris fought against hate crimes, and as California’s Attorney General, she worked to end the so-called “panic defense” and refused to defend the ban on marriage equality in California. In fact, Harris gave the order to begin reissuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples in California after the Supreme Court ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

Harris championed the Equality Act as a Senator, and the Respect for Marriage Act as Vice President. The Biden Harris administration has strengthened LGBTQ+ students’ rights under Title IX and ended the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the military.

Harris’ record shows her commitment to rights and protections that are specific to LGBTQ+ individuals, like the right to marriage equality and protections for federal employees who are LGBTQ+, and also her commitment to policies that address issues disproportionately impacting the LGBTQ+ community.

Reproductive rights are an LGBTQ+ issue. Harris is the first sitting Vice President to visit a reproductive health and abortion clinic, and has promised to sign legislation codifying access to abortion into law. Our community needs access to safe and legal abortion; this also speaks to the issue of bodily autonomy, something that is under threat for our trans and nonbinary siblings. Harris is the leader we need for reproductive rights.

Gun law reform is an LGBTQ+ issue. Harris leads the Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the Biden Harris Administration, the first-ever office of its kind, and the administration succeeded in passing the most substantive gun reform law in three decades. Harris has committed to expanding this work to include red flag laws. Our community has been attacked in tragedies like the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub, and also beset with individual tragedies because members of our community struggle with suicidal ideation; in a country where the majority of gun deaths are by su***de, gun law reform will save lives, including LGBTQ+ lives. Harris is the leader we need for gun law reform.

Health care is an LGBTQ+ issue. As Senator, Harris introduced the Maternal CARES Act and the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act; she also led the Biden Harris administration’s policy on removing medical debt from credit reports. The bipartisan Infrastructure Act capped the cost of insulin, and the Biden Harris administration continues to work on lowering other drug prices. Our community is underinsured and faces unique challenges in access to equitable and high-quality comprehensive health care. Harris is the leader we need for health care.

Immigration is an LGBTQ+ issue. Workers’ rights are an LGBTQ+ issue. Environmental justice is an LGBTQ+ issue. Racial justice is an LGBTQ+ issue, and democracy is an LGBTQ+ imperative. On every one of these issues, Harris is the leader we need.

At a time when our politics is so often ugly and dark, Vice President Harris brings a joy and a hope to her campaign, along with an inspiring passion and conviction for her work. We proudly endorse Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States.”

Fair Wisconsin PAC endorses Kamala Harris for President, and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that she is elected in November 2024.

We at Fair Wisconsin want to express our gratitude for all President Biden has done for the LGBTQ+ community. His pro-equality work has always been based in deeply felt empathy and a keen sense of justice for his fellow American. As he announces his intention to focus on the remainder of his term in office and not run for reelection, we thank him for his service.

Funding for federal HIV programs is under attack. A proposed 2025 spending bill would cut $524 million in spending on federal HIV programs, and leave millions of people living with HIV nationally at risk of losing crucial support. Fair Wisconsin is committed to fighting against HIV discrimination and stigma, and we believe that our communities deserve the resources and support needed to thrive. Take action today, and stand with the members of our community living with HIV!

🚨 Action Alert: Some of our most essential federal HIV programs are in grave danger. Again

House Republicans just put forward a 2025 spending bill that would eliminate any chance we have of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030, dismantling our federal HIV response and placing millions of people living with and vulnerable to HIV at significant risk.

If passed, this spending bill would slash at least $524 million in spending on federal HIV programs

We cannot end the HIV epidemic in the United States without this funding. We can make a difference, but Congress needs to hear from you.

Take Action: Tell Congress to reject the cuts to HIV funding proposed by House Republicans and support a bipartisan funding package in the Senate that increases federal HIV funding and allows us to continue our work supporting people living with and vulnerable to HIV!

🔗 https://aidsunited.org/action/policy-action-center/the-hiv-safety-net-is-under-attack/

In a recent interview with Truthout, Fair Wisconsin's Executive Director calls out the direct harm caused by anti-LGBTQ+ politicians, and the impact of these policies and ideals on our democracy. Check out the full article here: https://truthout.org/articles/gop-speakers-at-first-night-of-rnc-attack-transgender-youth/

Our new Executive Director Abby Swetz has a long history with Fair Wisconsin, dating back to her first encounter with our work in 2006. Read on to hear her reflect on this history in her own words:

“I was born here in Wisconsin, but family and jobs took me elsewhere. As a newly-out adult, I shopped around for a place to move… and found myself back in Wisconsin thanks to the “A Fair Wisconsin Votes No” campaign in 2006.

I knew the “no” was a rejection of the ballot measure banning marriage equality. I knew I wanted to get married (equally) one day. I soon learned that we had lost the ballot initiative, but even just the visual presence of such support gave me so much hope that I knew I had found my new home. I’ve been Executive Director of this organization for about two weeks now, and yet Fair Wisconsin has been a defining part of my life for almost two decades.”

On the second day of the RNC, we’re thinking about this quote by Cody Keenan, a former speechwriter for President Obama. It can be difficult to stay hopeful when discrimination and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment comes to town, but Fair Wisconsin knows that this sentiment is not who we are. The majority of Wisconsinites support the rights of LGBTQ+ people to live free from discrimination, and with fair maps for the first time in over a decade, we’re hopeful about the opportunity to shift the tide on anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and legislation. Let’s keep fighting together, and continue building our collective “We”.

During a week when a lot of negativity and disinformation will be flooding our feeds out of the RNC, all of us here at Fair Wisconsin would like to uplift some hope and q***r joy--for example, did you know that yesterday was Nonbinary People's Day? We want to take the time to recognize our community--Wisconsin is more vibrant, more unique, and more beautiful because of the diversity of gender identity and expression in our communities 🖤💜🤍💛

Many Wisconsin voucher schools are hostile to their LGBTQ students—and don’t seem to care Religious schools that get taxpayer funds officially can’t discriminate when it comes to admissions, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make life miserable for young people finding their way.

With a strong track record of supporting LGBTQ+ rights, fighting for clean energy and reproductive rights, and passing the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022, we’re proud to have Senator Baldwin on our side, and look forward to her re-election in November!

In response to the Biden administration's recent position statement opposing the full continuum of care for transgender youth, Fair Wisconsin reaffirms that trans youth, the people who love them, and the people who care for them are the only people who should make decisions about health care for trans youth.

Welcome our new Executive Director, Abigail Swetz! We are so excited to have Abigail joining our Fair Wisconsin family and look forward to the next chapter under her leadership! 👏❤️

In the 55 years since the Stonewall riots at New York’s Stonewall Inn, we’ve come a long way. Yet we recognize that many in our community, especially people of color and transgender/gender non-conforming people, still face disproportionate levels of violence and discrimination. Today, we honor the legacy of trans women of color in the Stonewall riots, the role they continue to play in the fight for equality, and commit to continual action alongside those most marginalized in our community.

We were thrilled to join the fourth annual Pride celebration at the White House this week, and to run into a number of other Wisconsin locals! As Jill Biden shared with the group, ”Pride is a celebration. But it’s also a declaration: That we will not be silenced. That we will show up – for our ourselves, for each other, and for the country we deserve. Our victories testify to that strength.”

Today, we recognize the ninth anniversary of the Obergefell v Hodges case, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Marriage represents so much to so many, and the right to marry who you love is an important part of what it means for our community to have equal rights. We also recognize that marriage equality is the floor, not the ceiling, and we still have a while to go before LGBTQ+ families and community members are truly equal under the law. Let’s keep fighting together 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️❤️

Looking for a place to get your coffee fix and support LGBTQ+ advocacy at the same time? Swing by Colectivo Coffee for a pride cookie or to grab a bag of their pride blend all month long, one dollar from every bag goes directly to fund the work Fair Wisconsin does statewide ❤️🏳️‍🌈

Supreme Court to decide whether states can restrict gender-affirming care for minors | CNN Politics The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide a case challenging a transgender care ban in Tennessee, delving into the complicated and politically fraught issue of gender-affirming care in a substantive way for the first time.

Free HIV Testing Event! National HIV Testing Day - Free Testing Event Date Thursday, June 27, 2024 10:00am – 5:00pm Location Public Health Madison & Dane County - South Madison Office 2230 S. Park Street Madison, WI 53713 Directions Event Description Join us for a free, walk-in testing event on National HIV Testing Day!....