Northeast Wisconsin Lawmakers introduce 2025 Equality Agenda

MADISON, Wis (WGBW) – The legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus introduced the 2025 Equality Agenda bill package in Madison on Thursday.  

The 2025 Equality Agenda package includes four bills that provide equity and protections for the LGBTQ+ community in Wisconsin. It also includes two joint resolutions that designate June 2025 as Pride Month and remove marriage restrictions from Wisconsin’s constitution. 

“I’m proud to have co-authored this legislation,” said Senator Kristin Dassler-Alfheim. “But I find it frustrating that the LGBTQ+ community continues to have to fight for the same rights that everyone else takes for granted. This country is founded on the principle that we are all created equal. This package ensures that Wisconsin’s constitution and statutes reflect that.” 

Representative Ryan Spaude (D-Ashwaubenon) is also a member of the LGBTQ+ Caucus and co-authored a bill to remove the “Gay and Trans Panic Defense” from Wisconsin Courts.

“Claiming that somebody panicked because another person was gay or trans, it treats our community as inherently dangerous, which is profoundly discriminatory. And it’s baseless,” said Spaude during the press conference on the bills.

Senate Democratic Leader, Senator Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) also commented on the bills. 

“Standing up for equal rights and protections for our LGBTQIA+ neighbors is critically important, especially at a time when the Trump Administration is targeting LGBTQIA+ communities with hateful, bigoted policies,” Hesslebein said.

The legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus has twelve members this session, double the number from previous sessions. The caucus’s goal is to draft and advance legislation that addresses the unique barriers that the LGBTQ+ community continues to confront on a daily basis.