Organizations in the History of the LGBT Community in Wisconsin

Organizations in Milwaukee and Wisconsin

 

This page lists the known LGBTQ Organizations in the history of the state of Wisconsin. (Some dates are approximate based on limited information.)

Category Name Founded Disbanded YrsOpen Location note/link
Health ACT UP! (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) 1990 1996 Milwaukee
Health AIDS Information Milwaukee (AIM) 1988 1989 Milwaukee founded by Dan Gordon
Health ARCW/ AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin 1985 present statewide AIDS
Social Angels of Hope MCC/Metropolitan Community Church 1986 present NE Wis/ Kaukauna religious
Leather Argonauts of Wisconsin 1974 present Green Bay
Arts Bay City Chorus 1991 1997 Green Bay chorus
Leather Bear Club 4 Men 2004 present Green Bay view WebSite
Social Bi Definition 1996 2004
Social Bi+ Pride Milwaukee 2014 present
Social Black & White Men Together 1981 present
Health Brady East STD / BESTD Clinic 1974 present Milwaukee
Leather Brew City Bears present Milwaukee view WebSite
Business BAM/ Business Association of Milwaukee 1979c 1985c Milwaukee bar owner coalition
Leather Castaways M.C. 1979 present Milwaukee motorcylce
Activist Center Advocates, Inc. Milwaukee
Health Center Project 1985 1997 NE Wisconsin AIDS
Activist Central Wis. Pride Committee 2004 present Stevens Point Pride
Activist Charles Daniels Productions Inc. 1993 present Milwaukee African-American
Business CCBA/ Cream City Business Association 1981 1989 Milwaukee
Arts Cream City Chorus 1987 2012 Milwaukee chorus
Activist CCF/ Cream City Foundation 1982 present Milwaukee Charity
Arts Cream City Singers 1984 1985 Milwaukee chorus
Arts Cream City Squares 1991 present Milwaukee western dance
Arts Dairyland Cowboys and Cowgirls 1993 present Madison western dance
Social Dinettes 1992 2003 Green Bay dining
Health Diverse & Resilient 1995 present Milwaukee community building
Leather Dykes on Bikes- Madison present Madison motorcycle
Social Essence Social Club 1973 ? social
Arts Entertainers Against AIDS 1998 2005 Green Bay performance
Social Etcetera present Green Bay Youth
Arts Fest City Singers 1985 1995c Milwaukee chorus
Leather Four Lakes Bears present Madison view WebSite
Activist Fox Valley Gay Alliance 1972 1975 Appleton/ Neenah Activist
Social Fox Valley Transgender Group present Green Bay/ Appleton Transgender
Social Frontiers (Men's Group) 1981 unknown Madison (10th anniv Apr 1991)
Health Galano Club 1973 present Milwaukee substance abuse
Social GAMMA 1978 present Milwaukee
Activist Gay Liberation Front (GLF) 1970 1971 Milwaukee
Activist Gay Liberation Organization at UWM (GLO-UWM) 1970 1971 Milwaukee
Activist G/L Community Center Trust Fund 1995 present Milwaukee
Activist GPU/ Gay Peoples Union 1971 (inactive) basically inactive since 1990
Arts Great Lakes Film & Video 1991 c1997 at UWM?
Leather Great Lakes Harley Riders 1990 present Milwaukee motorcylce
Sports HIT/ Holiday Invitational Tournament 1979 2019 Milwaukee bowling
Activist Homosexual Freedom League (see GLO-UWM) 1970 1971 Milwaukee
Activist HRL/ Human Rights League 1991 1999
Social Imagine Dinner Club 1970s 1980s SE Wisc. Dining
Activist Lambda Political Caucus 1980 unknown
Activist LRN/ Lambda Rights Network 1987 1993
Arts Lavender Commitment 1983 1988 at UWM
Social Lavender Salon 1993 2008 Appleton/ Green Bay reading
Activist LAMM/ Lesbian Alliance of Metro Milwaukee 1989 present Milwaukee
Activist Madison Alliance for Homosexual Equality 1969 Madison (now known as Outreach)
Arts Men's Voices Milwaukee 2001 2017 Milwaukee chorus (Affinity Performing Arts)
Social Metro Milwaukee Friendship Group 1987 1992 Milwaukee Social
Health Milwaukee AIDS Project (MAP) 1985 present statewide see- ARCW: AIDS Resource Center of Wis
Sports Milwaukee Flippers (swim club) 1991 unknown see- WisLight v4-#12 pg 7
Arts Milwaukee Gay Arts Center 2004 2013 Milwaukee Performing Arts
Activist Milwaukee Gay/Lesbian Cable Network 1987 1994 Milwaukee
Arts Milwaukee Gay/Lesbian Film Festival 1983 2019 Milwaukee
Activist Milwaukee Gay/Lesbian Pride Committee (MGLPC) 1988 1993 Milwaukee Pride; succeeded by PrideFest
Social Milwaukee Guerrilla Gay Bar 2007 2011 Milwaukee 'straight' bar takeovers
Leather Milwaukee Knights 1990 2005 Milwaukee levi/leather
Activist Milw. LGBT Community Center 1998 present Milwaukee view WebSite
Arts Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival 1983 2019 Milwaukee
History Milwaukee LGBT History Project (this website) 1995 present Milwaukee now Wis. LGBTQ History Project
Religious Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Church 1971 present Milwaukee religious
Activist Milwaukee Pride, Inc. (parent organization of PrideFest) 2017 present Milwaukee Pride
Health National Coalition of Gay Sexually Transmitted Disease Services (NCGSTDS) 1979 1988 national
Religious New Hope MCC (now known as Milw Metropolitan Community Church) 1971 present Milwaukee religious
Activist NEW Pride, aka Pride Alive 2008 present Northeast/ Green Bay Pride
Leather Oberons 1987 2005 Milwaukee levi/leather
Arts Our Voice Milwaukee approx 2017 Milwaukee chorus
Activist Outreach 1969 Madison
Activist PFLAG/ Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays 1989 present Milwaukee
Activist PFLAG/ Door County 1997 present Sturgeon Bay
Activist PFLAG/ Lakeshore 1990 unknown Sheboygan
Activist Positive Voice 1992 present Green Bay/Appleton
Activist Pride Celebrations in Wisconsin present statewide Pride
Activist PrideFest (the event) 1988 present Milwaukee Pride
Activist PrideFest, Inc. (parent organization of PrideFest) 1994 2017 Milwaukee Pride
Activist Queer Nation Milwaukee Milwaukee
Activist Rainbow Over Wisconsin 1996 present Green Bay charity
Sports SSBL/ Saturday Softball Beer League 1977 present Milwaukee softball
Social Senior Action in a Gay Environment/ SAGE- Milwaukee 1994 present Milwaukee Seniors
Social Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA) at UW- Green Bay present Green Bay Student
Social Sherman Park Rainbow Association 1993 2002 Milwaukee
Arts Shoreline- Milwaukee 1993 present Milwaukee western dance
Leather Silver Star 1973 1982 Milwaukee motorcylce club
Social Spectrum 2007 present Green Bay social
Health STD Specialties 1984c present Milwaukee
Sports Sunday Mixed Handicap League 1974 1976 Milwaukee bowling
Sports Wednesday Goodtime Bowling League 1985 unknown Milwaukee bowling
Arts Wisconsin Cream City Chorus 1987 2012 Milwaukee chorus
History Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, Inc. (this website) 1995 present Milwaukee prev Milw LGBT History Project
Arts Wisconsin Outdoor Women 1983 unknown Milwaukee sports
Social Wisconsin Rainbow Families present Milwaukee Family
Misc. Wisconsin Womyn's Land Co-op 1976 present Madison/Milw.
Social Women Across Wisconsin present Madison Social
Social Women Who Want To Dance present Madison social
Arts Women's Voices Milwaukee 2006 present Milwaukee chorus
 

 

Credits: web site concept, contents and format by Don Schwamb.
Last updated: January-2023.

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