Guides & primers
Original essays on how to use this archive, how we cite sources, and how to start reading Wisconsin LGBTQ history by city and decade.
- How to use this archive Queer Wisconsin is a searchable archive of people, places, bars, organizations, events, and media across LGBTQ+ Wisconsin. Here is how to get the most from it.
- What we cite and why History work is only as trustworthy as its sources. This page explains our citation practice, licensing, and how we write.
- Milwaukee LGBTQ history primer Milwaukee has been a center of Wisconsin LGBTQ life for generations — from early bars and gathering places to statewide activism, community media, and Pride.
- Madison LGBTQ history primer Madison’s queer history mixes campus life, long-running bars, hotel nightlife, and progressive politics that echoed statewide.
- Reading Wisconsin queer history by decade The timeline groups archive entries by decade so you can see waves of bars, organizations, and events — with important caveats about dates.
- How to contribute to Queer Wisconsin Queer Wisconsin grows through community knowledge — corrections, memories, photos, and missing entries — reviewed by people before anything publishes.
Looking for current news and events? Visit the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project.