LoginDid a Wisconsin Republican governor sign the nationβs first LGBTQ rights law?
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Yes.
Wisconsin Republican Gov. Lee Dreyfus signed a law that banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, the first of its kind in the country.
David Clarenbach, an LGBTQ activist and Democrat in the state Assembly, spearheaded the bill. Despite conservativesβ last-minute efforts pushing Dreyfus to veto the bill, he approved it in February 1982.
Dreyfus, described as a fiscal conservative and social moderate in a 2008 obituary, cited a right to privacy and support from βa wide-ranging group of religious leadersβ when signing the bill.
The law made it illegal for the state or private businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation in employment, housing and public accommodations.
No other states adopted a similar law until nine years later, according to a Milwaukee Public Library post.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Wisconsin State Legislature: 1981 Wisconsin Act 112
- Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project: David E. Clarenbach
- Milwaukee Public Library: First in the Nation β Wisconsinβs Gay Rights Law
- Pioneer Press: Wisconsinβs red-vested former governor, Lee Dreyfus, dies.
Did a Wisconsin Republican governor sign the nationβs first LGBTQ rights law? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
