Milwaukee Proud
The LGBTQ+ community in Milwaukee is no stranger to showing their true colors. In fact, this fabulous community has been booming and growing since the Prohibition Era. The city has even received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Municipality Equality Index since 2018. Thanks to its people, Milwaukee is Wisconsin’s largest hub to celebrate, dance and show pride in your authentic self.
Community Support & Advocacy Organizations
Courage MKE
With their mission of helping find homes and providing imperative hygiene resources for displaced LGBTQ+ youth, Courage MKE is helping kids feel and be more themselves.
Cream City Foundation
The Cream City Foundation is a longtime grantmaking body in Milwaukee that directs funding, scholarships and fiscal support to local LGBTQ+ groups and initiatives. Over the decades it has helped catalyze projects from youth scholarships to sustaining Pride, HIV care and community organizations across southeastern Wisconsin.
Diverse & Resilient
Diverse & Resilient is a statewide nonprofit rooted in Milwaukee that uplifts LGBTQ+ communities through health services, peer support, and leadership programs. Its work centers queer resilience, especially for people of color, while advancing equity through education, advocacy, and community empowerment.
Equal Rights Commission
The mission of the Equal Rights Commission is to promote and protect equality, equity, and human rights through education, enforcement, and community engagement.
Hmong American Women’s Association
Hmong American Women’s Association fights for justice for Hmong & Southeast Asian LGBTQ gender rights. The group has programming that provides support for victims and survivors of assault, coming out and navigating gender identity, and LGBTQ+ Youth support.
Milwaukee LGBT Community Center
The mission of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center is to help enrich the lives of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and as a result, make life better for all of us. They provide programming and resources to help people feel more themselves.
Milwaukee Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
The Milwaukee chapter of PFLAG helps promote support and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. Through different educational programs and advocacy efforts, their mission is to work to enlighten the public and work toward a better tomorrow.
Representation, Intersectionality & Equity
Black Pride Milwaukee, Inc.
Black Pride Milwaukee celebrates and uplifts the voices of Milwaukee's Black LGBTQ+ community through advocacy, cultural events and support. Their mission fosters unity, empowerment and a sense of belonging for those navigating the intersection of Black and queer identities.
Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce
While helping support the economic growth of LGBTQ+-owned and allied businesses, the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce promotes equality and inclusivity for all.
Culture, Heritage & History
lbgt milWALKee
“History in your hands… fabulousness at your feet.” The lgbt milWALKee app tells the history of local LGBTQ+ people, organizations and events through physical sites mapped into virtual walking tours.
Milwaukee Pride
Milwaukee Pride helps the LGBTQ+ community live proud, always. Not only has Milwaukee Pride offered the largest celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in Wisconsin since 1987 with talented performances and bumpin’ music, but they also engage with the LGBTQ+ community all year round.
Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project
For over three decades, the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project has been meticulously documenting, preserving, and sharing the rich tapestry of LGBTQ life throughout Wisconsin. Founded in Milwaukee in the early 1990s, they've grown to become the state's largest digital repository of LGBTQ historical and educational resources.
LGBTQ+ Landmarks & Public History
Milwaukee’s Black Nite Uprising Marker
The 1961 Black Nite Uprising galvanized Milwaukee's LGBTQ community, uniting over 70 patrons to defend their safe space. In 2021, the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project secured official civic commemoration, leading to a Historical Marker's installation in 2023 at 406 N. Plankinton Ave.
Walker's Point Rainbow Crosswalks
Designed by artist Jeremy Novy and installed by the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, they symbolize inclusion, visibility and safety in a neighborhood long tied to Milwaukee’s queer history. The rainbow crosswalks honor local LGBTQ+ legacy and reinforce that in Walker’s Point, you are home.
Milwaukee in the Headlines
News stories and cultural spotlights continue to frame Milwaukee as a city where queer life is both visible and valued. From travel features to everyday community milestones, media coverage often captures the blend of pride, progress and Midwest charm that defines LGBTQ+ life here.
Support LGBTQ-Owned Businesses
Explore Where Unique Unites
Discover the many ways our different cultures, heritages and experiences, make Milwaukee such a Great Place on a Great Lake.
