Jim Yeadon (born 1949) is an American activist and politician who served on the Madison, Wisconsin, Common Council. First elected in 1977, [1] Yeadon was the sixth openly gay or lesbian elected official in the United States, and the first male candidate who was openly gay at the time he was elected. [2] [3] [4]
Yeadon was born and raised in Ontonagon, Michigan. His father was an inventor, and the family moved frequently throughout his childhood. Yeadon's family moved to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, when he was in the ninth grade. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1967. [5] Yeadon earned an undergraduate degree in Indian Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Yeadon became a gay activist in the 1960s as a member of Wisconsin's first LGBTQ organization, the Madison Alliance for Homosexual Equality (MAHE). [6] While a university student, he was also active in the Gay Law Student Association. During this time, Yeadon was appointed to the city's Equal Opportunities Commission. [7]
After his initial appointment and subsequent election to the Madison Common Council at the age of 26, Yeadon was instrumental in framing the revised Equal Opportunities Ordinance which extended protections against discrimination in housing and employment to gays. [8] It was a landmark achievement for LGBT rights in Wisconsin and across the nation. Yeadon was considered an authority on municipal gay rights ordinances in the mid-1970s. [9]
Yeadon was the force behind the May 1977 "anti-Anita Bryant Bash" which attracted over 600 people to the Great Hall of the UW-Madison Memorial Union. As a City Council member, he worked on issues such as reforming the city Health Department, completing the State Street mall, legalizing marijuana, and extending bar hours until 2 a.m. A fellow alderman nicknamed him "the alderfaggot". Death threats and letters of encouragement came from across the United States during his time on the Council. [10] [11]
Yeadon began practicing law in 1975, and after completing his City Council term in 1980 he began specializing in real estate law. In addition to his law practice, he has served as the director of the client rights office in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. [12]
During his early years in public life and activism, Yeadon was in a private relationship [13] with David Clarenbach, a member of the Wisconsin Legislature and advocate for LGBT rights in Wisconsin.
This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 1978.
This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 1974.
This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 1977.
Madison Pride and MAGIC Picnic was the yearly celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) residents of Madison, Wisconsin. The 2009 version of this event, was "Wisconsin Capitol Pride". In 2014, OutReach LGBT Community Center took over the major Pride celebration in Madison, WI. It remains the main Pride Parade planning organization today.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) in the Philippines face some legal challenges not faced by non-LGBT people, with numerous anti-discrimination legislations, bills and laws that are struggling to be passed on a national level to protect LGBT rights nationwide, with some parts of the country only existing on a local government level. LGBT individuals in the Philippines are often faced with disadvantages and difficulties in acquiring equal rights within the country. They also have a higher rate of suicide and suicide ideation compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the 1970s.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Minnesota have the same rights and responsibilities as non-LGBT people. Minnesota became the first U.S. state to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in 1993, protecting LGBT people from discrimination in the fields of employment, housing, and public accommodations. In 2013, the state legalized same-sex marriage, after a bill allowing such marriages was passed by the Minnesota Legislature and subsequently signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton. This followed a 2012 ballot measure in which voters rejected constitutionally banning same-sex marriage.
David E. Clarenbach is a Wisconsin Democratic politician and gay activist who served nine terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly and as Speaker pro tempore for ten years.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) people in the U.S. state of Wisconsin have many of the same rights and responsibilities as heterosexuals; however, the transgender community may face some legal issues not experienced by cisgender residents, due in part to discrimination based on gender identity not being included in Wisconsin's anti-discrimination laws, nor is it covered in the state's hate crime law. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Wisconsin since October 6, 2014, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal in the case of Wolf v. Walker. Discrimination based on sexual orientation is banned statewide in Wisconsin, and sexual orientation is a protected class in the state's hate crime laws. It approved such protections in 1982, making it the first state in the United States to do so.
LGBT history in the United States spans the contributions and struggles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, as well as the LGBT social movements they have built.
The first English-language use of the word "bisexual" to refer to sexual orientation occurred in 1892.
Throughout Dallas–Fort Worth, there is a large lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Since 2005, DFW has constituted one of the largest LGBT communities in Texas.
This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the United States.
Renee C. Hanover was an American lawyer and civil rights advocate who practiced in Chicago. As a lawyer, she defended groups and individuals involved in civil rights cases dealing with gender, LGBT issues and race. She was part of the Women's Law Center and fought for intersectional equality. Hanover was one of the first openly gay lawyers to practice in the United States.
The following is a timeline of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history in the 20th century.
The National LGBTQ Wall of Honor is an American memorial wall in Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, New York City, dedicated to LGBTQ "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes". The wall is located inside of the Stonewall Inn and is a part of the Stonewall National Monument, the first U.S. National Monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history. The first fifty nominees were announced in June 2019, and the wall was unveiled on June 27, 2019, as a part of the Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019 events. Each year five additional names will be added.
Roland Richard Wagner was an American historian, activist, and politician, most noted for his work in Wisconsin LGBT history, the creation of organizations to elect gays and lesbians to public office, and public service to Madison, Wisconsin and Dane County.