Greetings from the Center for Campus History and happy Pride Month! June’s edition of the newsletter celebrates LGBTQ+ history at UW-Madison and includes links to center research, events, archival finds, new book recommendations, and more!

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Rebecca M. Blank Center For Campus History is an ongoing university effort to uncover and give voice to those who experienced, challenged, and overcame prejudice on campus.

As always, if you have a story to share, an event you think should be researched, or a person you think has been overlooked, please email us at centerforcampushistory@wisc.edu.

The Center is growing! We’re thrilled to announce that Daniel Berman has joined the team as our Curricular Program Manager.

Dan is a historian of education with a focus on history and social studies curriculum and earned his Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies and Curriculum & Instruction from UW-Madison in 2023. Dan previously helped design teaching guides for the Center, and also taught courses on the history of education, race and inequality, and schools in the US for the Educational Policy Studies Department.

Outside of work, Dan likes exploring new restaurants and hanging out with his one-year-old son.

In 1982, the Wisconsin Legislature and governor passed a landmark law banning discrimination against gay and lesbian people in areas like housing, employment, credit, or public accommodation,  making us the first state in the nation to enact such protections.

Four decades later, historians are working to preserve and share the historical records documenting the unprecedented story behind the so-called “Gay Rights Law.” Read more in Our Lives.

Through the 1980s and 90s, Rod’s was *the bar* for gay men in Madison. Decorated with hundreds of pairs of underwear unceremoniously cut off patrons and hung from the rafters, the basement space on West Washington became a mecca for the city’s gay community. 

This neon sign that hung at Rod’s is part of UW’s LGBTQ Archive. Check out the full collection (documents, oral histories, and more) here, and read a full history of Rod’s at the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. 

Join our friends at the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center for a Pride Picnic on the Mall! 

Everyone is welcome at this Pride community gathering on Library Mall  with an art project by Wheelhouse Studios. BYOBlanket!

Wednesday, June 26, 12:30-2:00 pm

RSVP here for accommodations and a provided lunch.

Do you have any burning questions about UW history? Stories or people you think we should look into? Let us know! Email us at centerforcampushistory@wisc.edu.

Each month, we like to share one of the many (many… many… ) books that have helped the Center’s research. This month we’re recommending Trans History in 99 Objects, co-edited by David Evans Frantz, Christina Linden, and Chris E. Vargas. 

A collage of art, history and commentary, the book spans 400 years, using a selection of artworks and artifacts that highlight the under-recognized histories of trans and gender-nonconforming communities, and reflects on the legacies of trans creative expression.

Each month Center Director Kacie Lucchini Butcher will share a book, podcast, movie, quote, or something else she thinks has been adding to the CCH. We're calling it "From The Desk of KLB".

This month From the Desk of KLB, queer pop superstar-in-the-making Chappell Roan.

Her synth-heavy bangers with campy, patriarchy-bending lyrics have seemingly been everywhere since her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, dropped last year. But if you’ve somehow missed it, Roan is certainly worth checking out!