Lambda Rights Network (LRN)

Founded in 1987, the Lambda Rights Network (LRN) was a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advocated for lesbian and gay rights with government officials and the broader public. LRN formed in response to proposed Wisconsin legislation that would have weakened protections for lesbians and gay men under the state’s Fair Employment Law.

The legislation, known as the “Rawhide Amendment,” was backed by the Rawhide Boys Ranch and sought to exempt religious nonprofit organizations from Wisconsin’s Fair Employment Law. Despite opposition from LRN and other individuals and organizations, the Legislature ultimately adopted the religious exemption in February 1988 as Assembly Bill 916.

LRN continued its advocacy after the legislation passed, focusing on equality under the law in areas including alternative families, criminal justice, health care, housing, political participation, and public accommodations. The organization sponsored “Community Speak Outs” that brought public officials together with members of Milwaukee’s lesbian and gay community, organized candidate forums for federal, state, and local elections, met directly with public officials, and monitored legislation and public policy.

LRN also gathered information about hate crimes and established a hotline for reporting violence against gay men and lesbians. It conducted surveys to identify the needs and concerns of its members and the broader community and worked closely with other Milwaukee-area lesbian and gay organizations.

The organization incorporated as a nonprofit in 1989 and remained active until 1993. Its work reflected a growing emphasis on organized political advocacy and public-policy engagement within Milwaukee’s lesbian and gay community during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The UWM Archives holds the Lambda Rights Network Collection, documenting the organization’s advocacy, programs, and activities. UWM’s archival collections include extensive documentation of Milwaukee’s LGBTQ history, including records of community organizations and the local gay and lesbian rights movement.