Daniel Cupertino Jr.

County Supervisor Daniel Cupertino Jr. was for 24 years a visible and vocal politician known as "Coop" to his south side constituents. While not gay, Cupertino is remembered in the gay and lesbian community as an honest man of great integrity who stood up against bigotry and homophobia prior to the 1989 Pride Celebration.

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors had issued a Gay Pride Proclamation. Right Wing religious extremists, radio station WVCY's Vic Eliason among them, moved to have the proclamation rescinded by the Board. There were hearings, and the decision was due to be made by a vote of the full Board.

The morning of the vote, one half of the Board room was filled with members of the Right Wing, who made no secret of their detestation of what the Board had done. Many of than hissed and booed.

As Cupertino said, when he heard this noise, what he described as "bigotry' he changed his vote. He had been going to vote to rescind the proclamation, but now voted against the motion to rescind. The Proclamation was retained.

'Memoriam'
(Wis Light vol 9-24, Dec. 1996)