Our Lives Media, in partnership with historians, archivists, and community members, recently released Wisconsin First, a digital archive of Wisconsin’s first gay rights legislation in 1982 (AB70), which was the first of its kind in the nation. For the Our Lives board, spending time reading through the materials that led to that groundbreaking bill served as a solid reminder of just how intersectional that legislative effort truly was.

In many ways, gay rights in Wisconsin evolved out of similar fights for women’s and BIPOC rights. In fact, David Clarenbach, who championed AB70 during his tenure as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, noted that among the diverse array of accomplices and mentors that were key to his success were Lloyd Barbee, known for desegregating Milwaukee’s public schools, and Kathryn Clarenbach, David’s mother, who was the first Chairperson for NOW, the National Organization for Women. After AB70 passed, Clarenbach also shifted his own efforts to do important work on privacy, prison reform, and indigenous reconciliation.

We are in the midst of threatening political times ourselves, and now more than ever, we want to emphasize the importance of the collective. In an effort to recognize the intersectional work of so many of our community members, we reached out to some of our beloved partners and asked them to share their insights and actions relevant to political issues outside of the specific queer experience.

RACE & IMMIGRATION

Greg Wright, Our Lives Board

When asked about race and immigration, Mahnker Dahnweih and Zon Moua of Freedom, Inc. said this:

What do you want the community aware of right now?

Legislative policies have long targeted and harmed Black and Southeast Asian communities, exacerbating existing inequities. These communities are not surprised by the actions of the current administration, as many elected officials continue to advance and support racist, cis-hetero-patriarchal ideologies.

Already we are witnessing significant cuts to victim services, family support programs, and childcare—measures that disproportionately impact low-income Black and SEA communities. These cuts push these communities further into the margins and contribute to the increased policing of people’s bodies. The push to restrict access to abortion and gender-affirming healthcare, and to increase funding for law enforcement and expand jails and prisons, underscores a dangerous and systemic rise in violence against Black and SEA communities. This is not just a matter of isolated hate crimes; it is a manifestation of deep-rooted, systemic inequality that needs to be addressed through meaningful change.

What support are you looking for? How can the LGBTQ+ community show up as an ally/accomplice to people navigating these issues?

One of the best things you can do is donate to Freedom, Inc. and other organizations like ours. We are all being hit with budget cuts due to loss of federal and foundation funding. We need individual donors to retain staff and keep programs running. If you have connections to friends, family, neighbors, or professional networks with means, encourage them to adopt community-based organizations to support.

You can also volunteer to speak with your neighbors about the changes being made by this administration and how they are impacting us all. Freedom, Inc. does phone banks and community canvasses, especially around election time. We also organize large-group visits to our legislatures to inform them of our legislative priorities. Sign up to join our mailing list to learn about volunteer opportunities.

Finally, find ways to help amplify voices from highly impacted communities. Freedom, Inc. shares a lot of statements, livestream videos, graphics on current events, and calls to action. Follow us and other orgs like us, and share our content. Being a visible ally on your social media platforms can lead to discussions with friends and family that shift hearts and minds, and lead to greater social change.

What should we know about the intersections between race, immigration, and the LGBTQIA+ community?

There are LGBTQ+ people of color, refugees, and immigrants. We cannot fight for queer justice without also fighting for racial justice, and we cannot fight for queer justice without fighting for immigrant rights. To be queer and trans is to exist beyond binaries and boxes. If we allow one segment of people to be hunted, locked in cages, uprooted from their families, and then expelled from our country all-together, what do we think they will do when they are done with their heinous work? Do we think they will give back the guns and the gear and turn the detention centers into community centers? No, they will look for the next group to target. All of us who value LGBTQ+ people must also be concerned with Black lives, people of color, immigrants, and refugees.

Ideas about who is “good” and allowed to live in this country shift continuously, and the same tools used to target immigrants and refugees today, can be turned against us tomorrow. All of the actions of this administration can be classified as state repression. Their goal is to ensure that we are too frozen with fear to fight back. They want us to freeze while they codify our place in this country as third class citizens, whose only rights are to be abused and exploited. We must resist, and we must resist now before all avenues to fight are completely taken away.

REPRODUCTIVE & GENDER JUSTICE

Emily Mills, Our Lives Board

When asked about reproductive and gender justice, Dana Pellebon, Executive Director of the Rape Crisis Center said this:

What are you bracing for? What do you want to make sure the community is aware of?

We are bracing for more cuts in funding. In 2024, victim service agencies like RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center/Rape Crisis Center received a devastating cut in funding through the Victims of Crimes Act. Since the new presidential administration, we have had potential funding opportunities removed, so grants to help fund the services we already provide have been terminated. In addition, specialized funding to bolster services for historically excluded/ignored communities like people of color and LGBTQIA+ folks are on the chopping block.

Right now, we are looking at ways to increase our revenue-based services. We want to expand our CCS Service Facilitation program through Dane County, if Medicaid is not affected by funding cuts, and ensure that our survivor services like therapy remain free for all. The goal is to continue providing 24/7/365 crisis intervention services to the county, even with less funding overall, and to avoid having to implement waiting lists to access services.

In addition, the enormous amount of work that Black, queer executive directors like me have done to educate and institute DEI initiatives into survivor services could be permanently put on hold or taken away, which directly affects service provisions to our communities. If we lose funding, we will have to rely more on donations and increase our outreach to private foundations to prevent layoffs. The loss of funding would change how we support our most vulnerable survivors with services like emergency housing, food, clothing, bedding replacement, rent help, and legal resources.

When asked the same questions, Tanya Atkinson, President of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said this:

What are you bracing for?

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin remains steadfast in our partnership with the LGBTQ+ community and our commitment to the health and wellbeing of all patients, including our trans patients, regardless of the onslaught of unconstitutional political power grabs at the federal level we continue to witness.

The lawmakers who want the government to eliminate access to abortion want to do the same to gender-affirming hormone therapy. And it doesn’t stop there. We anticipate further restrictions on sexual and reproductive health care ranging from birth control and hormone therapy, to abortion and the elimination of critical resources people need to access that care.

Simply put, we are allied in a fight for Americans’ critical bodily agency and autonomy—to advance a vision where everyone is safe, supported, and affirmed in their healthcare decisions.

What do you want the community aware of right now?

The vast majority of Wisconsinites, and Americans, believe that politicians should have no say in people’s personal medical decisions, and that people should be able to access the sexual and reproductive health care and education they need to live safe, healthy, and fulfilling lives. This includes access to supportive, gender-affirming care.

We know that far too many people struggle to access the essential sexual and reproductive health care they need. That’s especially true for LGBTQ+ people. LGBTQ+ people, and especially transgender and nonbinary people, often face overt discrimination in healthcare settings.

PPWI filed an original action in February 2024 asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to find that our state constitution protects the right to bodily autonomy, including the right to have and provide abortion care. The case is awaiting scheduling of oral arguments. If successful, it could serve as a building block to recognition and protection of other bodily autonomy rights, including gender-affirming care.

How can the LGBTQIA+ community show up as an ally/accomplice to people navigating these issues?

In Wisconsin the LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights communities have a tradition of allyship to advance rights and freedoms. As the federal power grabs continue to unfold, we must stay vigilant and take collective action. Our local and state governments become more important. We must vote in every race in every election. Organize and mobilize your networks. Make our voices heard—be unrelenting in holding elected officials accountable. All the restrictions on reproductive freedoms are meant to harm, divide, and silence our communities. We can’t—and won’t—let that happen. No Matter What.

PPWI health centers remain open across Wisconsin and appointments can be made at ppwi.org or 1-800-230-PLAN.

Housing

Emily Mills, Our Lives Board

When asked about housing, Amy Lindley, Development and Communications Manager for the Tenant Resource Center said this:

What are you/your org bracing for?

We are bracing for a cut in federal funding, which would impact all of our programs and the people we serve. We are working on advancing safety measures in our office for populations being targeted by the current administration.

What do you want the community aware of right now?

Housing is non-negotiable. Housing is a human right, and our community thrives when everyone has a safe place to live. Stable housing is not a zero sum game. Kids do better in school, and adults earn a higher income when they have stable housing which, in turn, supports our economy. The fact is, housing is health care. Stable housing means healthier individuals, families, and communities.

Understanding your rights is essential—including how to protect yourself and support your neighbors.

What support are you looking for?

We need support on both individual and systemic levels. Share our resources to help people access housing support. Advocate for increased housing funding and stronger renter protections by contacting local and state officials. Donations are invaluable when funding is uncertain.

How can the LGBTQIA+ community show up as an ally/accomplice to people navigating these issues?

Decenter white cis queerness and challenge racism, transphobia, fatphobia, ableism, and carceral logic within LGBTQIA+ spaces. Center the voices and leadership of BIPOC, trans, gender-nonconforming, disabled, and criminalized people in our community. Advocate for policies that protect trans people, particularly Black trans women.

When possible, redistribute resources through mutual aid and donations, and spend time helping each other. Our community faces disparities in housing, but trans and undocumented people are going to face increased scrutiny finding housing. Go with your friends on their housing searches. Offer to sit in on conversations with landlords. Make sure everyone gets everything in writing.

What intersections does your work have with the LGBTQIA+ community, and what should we know about those intersections?

Ultimately, housing justice cannot be separated from economic or social justice, and LGBTQIA+ rights are inextricable from the fight for racial, economic, and disability justice. LGBTQIA+ individuals—especially BIPOC transgender and gender-nonconforming people—face disproportionately high rates of housing instability and homelessness. Queer and trans youth, in particular, make up a significant portion of the unhoused population.

LGBTQIA+ communities are also profoundly impacted by HIV/AIDS. We partner with UW Health and UW Medicine to provide housing case management services for people living with HIV which, in turn, supports a stable healthcare plan. Additionally, our community as a whole is overrepresented in the criminal justice system, but especially Black LGBTQIA+ people. Having a conviction on your record is a barrier to housing. We work with the Public Defender’s office to ensure people can still attend eviction hearings from the jail.

Education

Michail Takach, Our Lives Board

When asked about education, Tyrone Creech, GSAFE Executive Director, and Abigail Swetz, Fair Wisconsin Executive Director, said this:

What are you bracing for?

Creech: Wisconsin non-profits won’t be swayed from mission-critical work. This will not be like 2016. This feels like it’s going to be different—and I believe it’s going to be worse. I have a lot of concerns: Title IX violations, anti-trans bills, curriculum bans, book bans, faith-based learning enforced in public schools. All of these will impact the student experience for the worse, at a time when queer and trans youth suicide is already a deep concern.

Swetz: The health, well-being and safety of our children in schools is at stake. I’m very concerned about not only funding cuts, but the privatization of public dollars for private (often religious) schools who offer no safeguards for LGBTQ students.

My immediate thought when I read the president’s education executive order was this: When a teacher uses the name and pronouns a child asks for, that teacher shows respect for that student and also models inclusion and kindness for their peers. That makes the classroom a safer, more empathetic place, and in turn, those children grow up and make our world a more understanding place. That is a beautiful lesson that our current federal administration desperately needs to be taught. Empathy is at stake.

What do you want the community aware of right now?

Creech: People need to know that representation matters. People have to show up. Let me say that again: You have to SHOW UP. We have to be seen in large numbers. We need to be seen in those spaces where and when things are happening. We have to be seen at the school board meetings, the town hall meetings, and the State Capitol hearings.

Swetz: You can also tell Fair Wisconsin when you see discriminatory action taking place. If you, your children, your family, or your school are being negatively impacted by any of the executive orders, we need to hear from you. So please, if you are already seeing anti-trans action being taken in advance by school officials or health care providers or sports organizations, please contact [email protected] immediately. We need to know what is happening in order to stop it.

What support are you looking for?

Creech: We will overcome these four years with a lot of support, community understanding, compassion, empathy, and action. There is a difference between allyship and active allyship. People have to be active allies. They have to actually be on the front lines with us, not safe at home commenting and liking our work on social media. Because we’re fighting for you, us, and everybody else, and we all have to fight for each other.

Swetz: There is so much a federal administration cannot do to public education, but let’s be real here: Because this administration is using their platform in a calculated, chaotic, and hateful way, the executive orders, while largely not actionable, will undoubtedly create a chilling effect of pre-compliance. We cannot and will not allow that.