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For LGBT Wisconsinites 2014 was a very good year. In fact, it was a very historic year. Summer opened with an LGBT communal June wedding of sorts, with PrideFest its grand reception. A federal judge declared Wisconsin’s anti-gay marriage amendment unconstitutional. Five hundred same sex couples married in that first week after the announcement. But when the justice of the peace asked if anyone objected, Governor Walker did. And when that appeal failed, he objected again. At that point, the Supreme Court didn’t even want to hear about it. The wedding bells rang on. In November, the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce held the state’s first LGBT Wedding Expo. With more than 50 wedding industry vendors represented it was a smashing success. The nascent business group also garnered national attention when it received the Rising Star Chamber Award from the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Riding on that grand wedding train, PrideFest registered a record-setting attendance of more than 31,000. PrideFest’s army of hundreds of volunteers put on another incredible weekend celebration showcasing everything LGBT from top headline entertainment to interfaith religious services and from belly dance to heath resources. Meanwhile, Mayor Tom Barrett, for the first time, rode in the Pride Parade.
Other volunteer organizations also contributed to 2014’s amazing spectrum of LGBT successes. Brian Reinkober, Milwaukee’s Saturday Softball Beer League commissioner, was elevated into the North American Gay Amateur Athletes Alliance’s prestigious Hall of Fame. Under the hands-on leadership of Bim Florek, GAMMA, the area’s oldest LGBT social and recreational organization, expanded its membership by a third. The local Black & White Men Together affiliate hosted that organization’s national convention. Representatives from a dozen BWMT chapters converged on the city and enjoyed Milwaukee’s gay Gemuetlichkeit.
The LGBT Film/Video Festival returned to its former format, running eleven consecutive days of the latest in gay-relevant film. SAGE, Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders, became a program of the LGBT Community Center.
2014 was also a significant anniversary year for many of the region’s LGBT organizations. Brady Street East STD Clinic (BESTD) and the Green Bay-based Argonauts Motorcycle Club both celebrated 40th year anniversaries. FORGE, a Milwaukee-based organization that advocates and educates for transgender rights, marked its 20th anniversary, to just name a few.
For a good part of 2014, however, there was a leadership void among certain major organizations. Cream City Foundation’s (CCF) executive director resigned due to a landmark birthday and the LGBT Community Center’s executive director, after an eight-month tenure, resigned to pursue other professional directions. CCF now has since hired a new ED. The LGBT Community Center is still looking. FAIR Wisconsin as well as Diverse and Resilient announced upcoming retirements of their executive directors in 2015.
Trixie Mattel, of course, made Wisconsin history as the state’s first cast member on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Last, but certainly not least, the Shepherd Express launched its LGBT pages with Dear Ruthie and yours truly bringing you the Ying and Yang of Milwaukee’s LGBT life! Happy 2015!
