About Us

Fair Wisconsin is one of the state’s most respected advocacy groups and has a proud history in political action, education, grassroots organizing, and outreach in the cause of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality.

Founded in 1994, Fair Wisconsin, Inc. is a 501 (c) (4) organization with a mission to protect and advance the civil rights of LGBT people through electoral involvement and direct legislative advocacy.  In 2007, Fair Wisconsin PAC, a political action committee, was launched with the purpose of electing pro-fairness individuals at the state and local level.

In 2006, Fair Wisconsin organized a massive effort and diverse coalition to fight Wisconsin’s constitutional amendment banning marriage equality and civil unions. We educated hundreds of thousands of citizens about the dangerous effects of the amendment, built a statewide sustainable grassroots infrastructure and developed relationships with key elected officials around the state.  Unfortunately the amendment passed, but the foundation we built during the campaign in every community in the state left us in a strong position to accomplish our ultimate goal of equality for LGBT Wisconsinites.

In 2009, we built another coalition with our national and regional allies to protect domestic partners.  Wisconsin became the first state in the Midwest to protect same-sex couples via legislation and made us the first state with an existing constitutional amendment banning both marriage equality and civil unions to enact domestic partnerships.

Building coalitions with both progressive allies and LGBT partner organizations is the cornerstone of Fair Wisconsin’s success.  This approach demonstrate the depth and breadth of support that LGBT issues and equality now have in Wisconsin.  All of our entities are active partners in multiple coalitions, making Fair Wisconsin uniquely positioned to represent the LGBT interests in the larger progressive community.

With a statewide board of directors and a full-time staff, Fair Wisconsin is also the only organization to represent the Badger state in the Equality Federation, the national alliance of state-based LGBT advocacy organizations.

Click here to learn about Fair Wisconsin Education Fund, a 501 (c) (3) organization with a mission to educate the general public about the negative impact of discrimination towards LGBT individuals and build more inclusive communities and workplaces for LGBT Wisconsinites.