Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance events!

Show your support for the transgender community by attending an event to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance (Friday, November 20) or Transgender Awareness Week (November 15 - 21) in your area!

EAU CLAIRE

• Friday, November 20: The LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley will be displaying stories and photos from 7pm - 10pm. (510 S Farwell Street)
• Saturday, November 21: The LGBT Community Center of the Chippewa Valley will be showing the film "Kinky Boots," about a business man who teams up with a drag queen cabaret singer to save his family business. Discussion to follow the movie for those interested. Admission and popcorn are always free! (510 S Farwell Street)

LA CROSSE

• Saturday, November 21: 7 Rivers LGBT Resource Center's youth group, GALAXY, will be watching a video and having a discussion about current transgender issues from 2pm - 4pm. (303 Pearl Street)

MADISON

• Friday, November 20: Trans Monologues and Vigil, cosponsored by UW-Madison's LGBT Campus Center and the Ten Percent Society, beginning at 6pm. The Trans Monologues are a night of theater, poems, songs, monologues, and all other creative expressions of transgender identities. Following the Monologues, we will be holding a vigil to remember and honor members of the community who have lost their lives. Ryka Aoki de la Cruz will be speaking at the monologues and the vigil. (A Room of One's Own, 307 W Johnson Street)
• Saturday, November 21: Trans People of Color Film Festival, cosponsored by UW-Madison's LGBT Campus Center and Queer People of Color (QPOC), beginning at 4pm. Back to back showings of "Cruel and Unusual," "Still Black," and "Paris is Burning." (Memorial Union)

MILWAUKEE

• Friday, November 20: The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center will be showing "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" beginning at 5pm. (315 W Court Street)

Don't miss these exciting events to honor and celebrate our transgender friends!

Giving Thanks

In one week, families and friends will gather across our state and across our nation to celebrate each other and give thanks for the good things that we all share.

Here at Fair Wisconsin, we know there is much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, but also much that still needs to be done on the long road toward equality. As our staff prepares to visit family and friends around the country this holiday season, we thought we’d share some of the things we’re most grateful for this year:

- The many state legislators who voted to enact domestic partnerships, an important step on the road to equality that makes sure same-sex couples have the most basic protections they need to be able to take care of each other.
- Governor Jim Doyle, who has been a lifelong leader on LGBT issues and the driving force behind domestic partnerships and granting state employees access to domestic partner health care coverage.
- Our State Supreme Court, who recently rejected a legal challenge to the domestic partnership law.
- The hundreds of volunteers from across our state worked tirelessly to help enact domestic partnerships by educating their legislators about the harms of discrimination.
- The over 1,200 couples who have registered as domestic partners and now enjoy basic protections like inheritance, hospital visitation, and the ability to take leave from work to care for a sick or injured partner. CONGRATULATIONS!
- Our fantastic Fair Wisconsin Action Network Chairs and Students for a Fair Wisconsin Captains, who ensure that Fair Wisconsin truly represents all areas of our state.
- Our Boards of Directors, lead by Glenn Carlson and Robert Starshak, M.D., whose leadership and dedication are truly inspirational.
- Coalition partners from across the state & our nation, including the Wisconsin LGBT social service agencies and our allies in labor and the progressive community.

- But most importantly, we are thankful for YOU!!

Fair Wisconsin and our victories this year would not be possible without committed and passionate people like you, so from all of us, THANK YOU!!

As we look forward to 2010, we know there’s still much work to be done to continue advancing LGBT equality. So, please take a moment today and make a special contribution to Fair Wisconsin to ensure we’re able to add more amazing achievements to our list of things to be thankful for next year!

https://secure.ga4.org/01/FWdonate


Happy Thanksgiving!

Katie, Christine, Tim, Mary, Chris, Carolyn, and Brad
The Staff of Fair Wisconsin

Fair Wisconsin in Washington, DC November 17!

Please Join Fair Wisconsin and special guests Senator Russ Feingold and Congresswomen Tammy Baldwin and Gwen Moore to celebrate an important LGBT victory in Wisconsin
and look to the future of equality in the Midwest!

Tuesday, November 17
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Home of John Weinfurter
209 C Street NE
Washington, DC
$100 Suggested Contribution
Sponsorship levels are $250, $500 and $1,000

As Wisconsin’s statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender education and advocacy organization, Fair Wisconsin recently helped enact important domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples, making us the first state with an existing constitutional amendment banning both marriage equality and civil unions to enact domestic partnerships, and the first state in the Midwest to legislatively enact protections for same-sex couples.

Please join us as we continue building a FAIR WISCONSIN!

Please select a link below to contribute or to RSVP!


Fair Wisconsin, Inc.

https://secure.ga4.org/01/dcfw
Non-tax-deductible gift for influencing public policy debates, mobilizing citizen activists, and working toward securing basic LGBT protections through lobbying and the legislature.

Fair Wisconsin Education Fund

https://secure.ga4.org/01/dcfwef
Tax-deductible gift for educating the Wisconsin public about the consequences of anti-LGBT prejudice and the need for fairness for all citizens

Fair Wisconsin PAC

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/19357
Non-tax-deductible gift to support our political endorsements through Fair Wisconsin's State Political Action Committee.

AMA Says Gay Marriage Bans Contribute to Health Disparities

A press release from our friends at the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA). Contact: James Beaudreau, 415-269-3607, jbeaudreau@glma.org.

The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) today praised the American Medical Association's (AMA's) adoption of policy declaring that gay marriage bans contribute to health disparities for gay couples and their children.

"We hope the newly adopted policy will inform future debates about expanding the right to marriage to gay and lesbian couples," said GLMA Education and Policy Director James Beaudreau. "The science on this issue is clear: the health and well-being of gay couples and their families is directly affected by the right to marry, and denial of that right has many serious health related consequences."

As part of the newly adopted policy, the AMA "supports measures providing same-sex households with the same rights and privileges to health care, health insurance, and survivor benefits, as afforded opposite-sex households."

A 2008 report published by GLMA, Same Sex Marriage and Health, documented evidence about the effects of same-sex marriage bans on the LGBT community. The report noted that:

• Access to health insurance through a spouse is an important component of obtaining quality health care;


• Research indicates that being married can contribute to overall health and longevity;


• Hospital visitation and decision making rights conferred by marriage are important to the quality of care; and


• Children of LGBT parents benefit when their families are respected and accorded legal protections.

"As members of the medical community, we must bring our knowledge and understanding to the conversation about marriage equality and its positive effects upon health and wellness," said GLMA President Rebecca Allison, MD. "We know that denying lesbians and gay men the opportunity to marry denies them multiple benefits of marriage that support relationships and promote health. As an act of discrimination, it compounds stigma against LGBT people in our society that has been linked to psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression."

The AMA also adopted policies requesting a repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" law. The AMA said "don't ask, don't tell" creates an ethical dilemma for LGBT service members and the health care providers who treat them by putting service members in the position of having to choose between forgoing appropriate medical care by lying to their physicians, or risking discharge, as well as health care providers in the position of having to choose between documenting the care they are providing incompletely or inaccurately or risking the service member's discharge.

GLMA's 2008 report, Same Sex Marriage and Health, is available at www.glma.org/MarriageEquality.

GLMA is the world's largest association of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) health care professionals. Since 1981, GLMA has been working to ensure equality in health care for LGBT individuals and health care professionals through advocacy, education, research and referrals. Please visit our website at www.glma.org.

Fair Wisconsin Celebrates in NE Wisconsin!

Last night, special guest former Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager joined Fair Wisconsin Executive Director Katie Belanger for an event in De Pere.

Hosted by Fair Wisconsin board members Nancy Nusbaum, Aaron Sherer, Mike Fitzpatrick, and Peter Smaby, supporters gathered to enjoy some food and beverages and support Fair WIsconsin's ambitious agenda for 2010!

Thanks to all who made this event a great success. Want to host a Fair Wisconsin get-together in your area? Email Christopher Schmidt at

christopher.schmidt@fairwisconsin.com!

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects Case Seeking to Strip Away Domestic Partnership Protections

Decision Ensures Domestic Partnership Protections for Over 15,000 Wisconsin Same-Sex Couples 


(Madison, Wisconsin November 4, 2009) —Today, Lambda Legal and Fair Wisconsin applaud the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision to reject a lawsuit brought by Wisconsin Family Action, an antigay group attempting to strip away newly enacted domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples and their families.

“We are pleased that the Court has rejected this challenge to an important law that was validly enacted to protect Wisconsin families,” said Christopher Clark, Senior Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal’s Midwest Regional Office based in Chicago. “Because of today’s ruling, Wisconsin’s same-sex couples and their families who depend on domestic partnership protections can take care of each other in times of illness and crisis. Even with the discriminatory amendment excluding same-sex couples from marriage, the Wisconsin Constitution does not prevent enactment of laws that offer basic decency and security for couples.”

Fair Wisconsin, the statewide LGBT advocacy group, along with national and regional allies, recently helped enact these important domestic partnership protections for same-sex couples. Fair Wisconsin, vigorous opponents of the 2006 amendment banning marriage equality and civil unions, is defending the new domestic partnership law. Lambda Legal filed to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of Fair Wisconsin and its members to protect the few but fundamental protections granted to same-sex couples through the domestic partnership law. After reviewing the case, Wisconsin Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.

“We are elated with this decision from the State Supreme Court,” says Executive Director Katie Belanger. “Over 15,000 same-sex couples in our state need the basic protections domestic partnerships provide.”

McConkey Oral Arguments

The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the McConkey v. Van Hollen court case yesterday. This is the case that challenges the validity of the 2006 constitutional amendment banning marriage equality. McConkey asserts that by including two separate subjects in the ban (marriage and anything "identical or substantially similar") the structure of the amendment violates our state's single subject requirements for constitutional amendments and should therefore be struck down.

You can watch the full Supreme Court session online here.

The court is expected to make a decision in the case by summer.

Matthew Shepard Act Signed into Law!

Yesterday marked the historic passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This groundbreaking piece of legislation that has been the work of so many, including our own Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. An excerpt of President Obama's remarks at the bill signing is below. The full speech can be found here.

"...You know, as a nation we've come far on the journey towards a more perfect union. And today, we've taken another step forward. This afternoon, I signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. (Applause.)

This is the culmination of a struggle that has lasted more than a decade. Time and again, we faced opposition. Time and again, the measure was defeated or delayed. Time and again we've been reminded of the difficulty of building a nation in which we're all free to live and love as we see fit. But the cause endured and the struggle continued, waged by the family of Matthew Shepard, by the family of James Byrd, by folks who held vigils and led marches, by those who rallied and organized and refused to give up, by the late Senator Ted Kennedy who fought so hard for this legislation -- (applause) -- and all who toiled for years to reach this day.

You understood that we must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits -- not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear. You understand that the rights afforded every citizen under our Constitution mean nothing if we do not protect those rights -- both from unjust laws and violent acts. And you understand how necessary this law continues to be.

In the most recent year for which we have data, the FBI reported roughly 7,600 hate crimes in this country. Over the past 10 years, there were more than 12,000 reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation alone. And we will never know how many incidents were never reported at all.

And that's why, through this law, we will strengthen the protections against crimes based on the color of your skin, the faith in your heart, or the place of your birth. We will finally add federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. (Applause.) And prosecutors will have new tools to work with states in order to prosecute to the fullest those who would perpetrate such crimes. Because no one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love. No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability.

At root, this isn't just about our laws; this is about who we are as a people. This is about whether we value one another
-- whether we embrace our differences, rather than allowing them to become a source of animus. It's hard for any of us to imagine the mind-set of someone who would kidnap a young man and beat him to within an inch of his life, tie him to a fence, and leave him for dead. It's hard for any of us to imagine the twisted mentality of those who'd offer a neighbor a ride home, attack him, chain him to the back of a truck, and drag him for miles until he finally died.

But we sense where such cruelty begins: the moment we fail to see in another our common humanity -- the very moment when we fail to recognize in a person the same fears and hopes, the same passions and imperfections, the same dreams that we all share.

We have for centuries strived to live up to our founding ideal, of a nation where all are free and equal and able to pursue their own version of happiness. Through conflict and tumult, through the morass of hatred and prejudice, through periods of division and discord we have endured and grown stronger and fairer and freer. And at every turn, we've made progress not only by changing laws but by changing hearts, by our willingness to walk in another's shoes, by our capacity to love and accept even in the face of rage and bigotry.

In April of 1968, just one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, as our nation mourned in grief and shuddered in anger, President Lyndon Johnson signed landmark civil rights legislation. This was the first time we enshrined into law federal protections against crimes motivated by religious or racial hatred -- the law on which we build today.

As he signed his name, at a difficult moment for our country, President Johnson said that through this law "the bells of freedom ring out a little louder." That is the promise of America. Over the sounds of hatred and chaos, over the din of grief and anger, we can still hear those ideals -- even when they are faint, even when some would try to drown them out. At our best we seek to make sure those ideals can be heard and felt by Americans everywhere. And that work did not end in 1968. It certainly does not end today. But because of the efforts of the folks in this room -- particularly those family members who are standing behind me -- we can be proud that that bell rings even louder now and each day grows louder still."

Inaugural Global Equality Leadership Award Honors Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin

WASHINGTON, D.C. - October 21, 2009 - The Council for Global Equality joined Fair Wisconsin and Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights in awarding Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin the first-ever Global Equality Leadership Award. The Council's first award is being presented jointly by all three organizations on October 20, 2009 in recognition of the Congresswoman's work to promote human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities at the local, national and international levels.

Mark Bromley, the Council's Chair, noted that "through this award, we seek to recognize the human rights contributions of public officials who are standing with us to promote a strong U.S. foreign policy that is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity."

Katie Belanger, Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin, emphasized that "Congresswoman Baldwin's leadership has inspired us in Wisconsin. We are proud to have her represent the Badger State in Congress. Her vision for tolerance, dignity, and her support for international human rights has truly advanced our shared vision of tolerance and dignity, both for the citizens of Wisconsin and for the larger world."

Sid Mohn, President of Heartland Alliance, a Midwest-based human rights organization, noted that "Congresswoman Baldwin's decision to create an LGBT Equality Caucus in Congress has provided an essential venue to help educate Congressional staff in other offices about the human rights abuses that continue to deny basic rights and freedoms to so many LGBT individuals abroad."

In accepting the award, the Congresswoman noted that "in this year's annual human rights report, the State Department once again identified serious human rights concerns impacting LGBT people worldwide. With your help, and with the support of the LGBT Equality Caucus, we are beginning to ensure that the State Department has the tools, the personnel and the funding it needs to respond to this global human rights crisis. And we are accomplishing this while still fighting to secure full rights for LGBT Americans here at home."

The three organizations presenting the award share a commitment to basic rights for all LGBT individuals. The Council is a new coalition of fourteen leading advocacy organizations that are working together to promote human rights for LGBT communities in the United States and abroad. Fair Wisconsin fights for LGBT equality in Baldwin's home state of Wisconsin. And Heartland Alliance is a human rights service provider that offers direct service to vulnerable LGBT populations within the U.S. and in more than 12 countries of danger around the world.

Photos of the award presentation may be downloaded from the Council's website at www.globalequality.org.

Fair Wisconsin in Stevens Point!

Last Thursday, Fair Wisconsin hosted yet another event celebrating the passage of domestic partnership protections in the state budget, this time in the heart of the Badger State. We were amazed at the strong outpouring of support, with almost 60 attendees!

The event, held at "The Garage" at Emy J's, was cosponsored by PFLAG Point and the UW-Stevens Point Faculty/Staff Gay-Straight Alliance. We were thrilled to see so many couples, individuals, allies and families (including little Astrid, who insisted on sharing the stage with Katie as she addressed the attendees). A notable guest was pro-fairness Representative Louis Molepske. For more reading, check out Nicole Strittmater's Stevens Point Journal article about the event.

We look forward to working more closely with all the wonderful couples and supporters we met with Thursday night! Thanks, everyone, for making it such a fantastic occasion!