ABOUT THE WISCONSIN LGBTQ HISTORY PROJECT

Independent. Inspired. Relentless. 

Founded by Don Schwamb, the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project seeks to reconnect Wisconsin with its lost history and heritage. Since 1994, the Project has partnered with the University of Wisconsin Archives to create the state’s largest digital collection of historical LGBTQ media.

The project provides inclusive education, guided tours, outreach events, curated exhibits, presentations, articles, publications, podcasts, media support, research services, and consulting services. Our collection continues to grow every day through ongoing crowdsourcing, conversations, and collaborations.

We honor Louis Stimac (1941-1994,) gay rights activist and founding member of Gay People's Union, who is considered to be Wisconsin's first true LGBTQ historian. From 1975 to 1980, Stimac taught "gay history" at the Milwaukee Free University -- a full generation before any Wisconsin university acknowledged or accredited this discipline.

Since day one, the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project has been powered entirely by volunteers. We are led by a Board of Directors and a statewide network of 20+ Community Advisors. We are a founding member of the Queer Museum & Library Network, an associate of the LGBTQ History Association, a member of the LGBTQ+ Heritage Alliance, and a partner of History UnErased.

Our mission is to reconnect Wisconsin with its long-hidden history and heritage to inspire a more colorful and inclusive future.  We are committed to researching, documenting, preserving, celebrating and elevating our local LGBTQ history.

The project provides inclusive education, guided tours, presentations, articles, publications, podcasts, media support, research services, and consulting services.

We are an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization organized and operated exclusively for the purposes of education, charitable giving, and public good, as defined by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and by section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. 

We gratefully accept tax-deductible donations online via PayPal, Venmo, credit card, or debit card -- or by check at our mailing address below.

Our world has changed tremendously since 1994, when Jim Kepner of the ONE Institute of Los Angeles toured America to seed local LGBTQ history projects in the wake of Stonewall's 25th anniversary, including ours. What will never change is our purpose: to document and make widely available the historical record of LGBTQ people, places, organizations and events throughout the state of Wisconsin.

Contact Information

E-mail:   info@wislgbthistory.com

Phone:   414.377.3792

Business Mail:      

Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project

161 S 1st Street

Suite 100

Milwaukee WI 53204

Charitable Organization Certificate

IRS Determination Letter

Form 990

Bylaws