LGBT
VANESSA TORTOLANO
New life for troubled club
After stories of discrimination and harassment surfaced at Plan B, the club has closed down. Now founder Rico Sabatini is back in, and the club is reopening as Prism on March 1. Read more
Shaysa Sidebottom
The next frontier
Legal protections for transgender people is the next step in the fight for LGBTQ rights. Wisconsin’s antidiscrimination law still doesn’t cover gender identity. Advocates are optimistic about progress, but the Trump administration is an obstacle. Read more
Ross Zentner
Worth the wait
Forward Theater Company chose the best show for its first musical: “Fun Home” is an eloquent and poignant story based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir about family dysfunction, homosexuality, suicide and growing up in a funeral home. Read more
Judith Davidoff
Attention LGBTQ voters!
As part of a multi-state effort to elect pro-equality candidates, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights groups, has established a presence in Madison. Read more
Wren Logan
Advocates, activists urge coverage for transgender health care
Updated: On Wednesday, the state Group Insurance Board voted to end a blanket ban on providing coverage for gender-affirming health care for transgender state employees. Read more
Neal Izumi
Unusual autobiography
“Imperfect Gentlemen,” a one-man show by Ben Moffat and Bradley Wayne Smith, explores a family’s experience after a father decides to transition to female. The show plays twice at Trinity United Methodist Church. Read more
John Riggs
History of a hangout
“The 602 Club in the Sixties” captures rare images of a hangout for artists, intellectuals, draft dodgers and protesters. Photographer John Riggs also captured rare photos of gay men out in public from the pre-Stonewall era. Read more
Michael Sullivan
The end of the rainbow
Eight months ago, a group of LGBTQ creatives came together and created a collaborative art and event space on the city’s east side. Now the members are dispersing, but a new generation hopes to keep the spirit of the space alive. Read more
Patrick Farabaugh
LGBT magazine victim of “targeted violence,” says publisher
Our Lives Magazine was the target of vandalism. “There are still people out there who pull this kind of shit,” says editor Emily Mills. Read more
Ava Rodriguez
Queer is the new punk
An overheard conversation and a serendipitous meeting brought together two longtime members of Madison’s music scene for a new project aimed at spreading queer joy and breaking gender binaries. Read more
Phil Stopher
Rage for rugby
Madtown Scrumdown is the first major tournament hosted by the Madison Minotaurs. The city’s International Gay Rugby team coudn’t travel to the coast, so they created their own. Read more
Transitions
Wauwatosa author Brice D. Smith’s own transition from female to male was spurred by a longtime research project about trans pioneer Lou Sullivan. His biography of Sullivan was released recently by Transgress Press. Read more
Beau Meyer
Remembering Matthew Shepard
University Theater’s production of “The Laramie Project” features a strong cast and kinetic staging. But the script from Tectonic Theater Project makes a misstep by demonizing the press and casting the theater artists as heroes. Read more
AMY STOCKLEIN
Here’s looking at you
The TransLiberation Art Coalition, which started two years ago, creates space for transgender artists. Read more
Gary Tipler
Preserving LGBT history
An effort is underway to landmark a house connected to a historic piece of legislation. Former lawmaker David Clarenbach lived there while pushing through the Wisconsin Legislature what would become the nation’s first gay rights bill. Read more
Female voices amplified
Local comedian Dina Nina Martinez is building on the success of last year’s Lady Laughs Comedy Festival, bringing the event back Nov. 2-5 with more than triple the acts. Read more
Thomas Yonash
Transitioning in Greek life
Ace Hillard never quite fit in at UW-Madison. But joining a sorority changed all that. A transgender man, Hillard says his closest support system on campus has always come from his sorority sisters. Read more
Pride and prejudice
With scant support from Republicans, Wisconsin Democrats push a slate of bills expanding LGBT rights. Read more
Trumpism and the betrayal of trans America
One campaign promise Donald Trump doesn’t seem interested in keeping: protecting the rights of transgender people. Read more
