Local Wisconsin LGBTQ+ advocates react to Senate passing Respect for Marriage Act
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At the end of the day, Dr. Brice Smith and Carrie Wadman, a married couple of 11 years, are "pretty boring folks," Smith said. The parents of 3- and 7-year-old sons want nothing more than to continue to live their lives, he said, and after the U.S. Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday, they've been able to take a sigh of relief.
"Really, it's very simple," said Smith, a Wauwatosa resident. "We love each other, we're married, we are legally bound to each other. But as other folks see it ... it could be cause for concern."
Smith, a local historian, author and creator of the app LGBT milWALKee, an interactive map that showcases the city's LGBTQ+ history, is a transgender man. Now, even if a state ceased to legally recognize Smith as male, the Respect for Marriage Act offers "a level of protection," he said.
"For me, this legislation means that if something should happen to me, no one can take our children away from Brice," Wadman added.
The legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriage was spearheaded by Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, which has left some suburban Milwaukee LGBTQ+ advocates with a strong sense of pride. Still, it's clear that there's plenty more work to be done for LGBTQ+ equality, and some question whether the Respect for Marriage Act will be able to protect same-sex couples in the long run.
Activists express pride in U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Wisconsin
Jessica Katzenmeyer made history as the first openly transgender woman to run for Wisconsin State Senate when she campaigned for the state's 5th Senate District, and she currently serves on the West Allis Plan Commission.
"It makes me very proud that we have a senator like Tammy Baldwin who is willing to do that ... somebody who's also LGBTQ herself taking the lead on this, and I think that's what we need to do as leaders," Katzenmeyer said. "We need to set that example and show that, hey, I'm a member of this community, and I'm going to fight for these rights, as well."
Baldwin's lead accurately represents Wisconsin, Katzenmeyer said, and who the senator is as a person.
As a historian, Smith is "very proud" that a Wisconsin senator led the bill's passage, he said. This only adds to Wisconsin's history at the forefront of LGBTQ+ equality, he said. For example, in 1982, Wisconsin became the first state in the nation to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.
"I feel like people outside of our state, and even outside of the Midwest, don't necessarily always appreciate what a special place this is," Smith said. "And I see this legislation, too, as just being an example of how... our local community here ... that so much of the work we do is about helping people to understand that we are your neighbors."
The bill serves as a 'starting point' as married couple still questions its long-term protections
Four years ago, Erik Czech-Swanson started the group LGBT Waukesha to create a place for local LGBTQ+-identifying people to come together and realize that they're not alone. Today, the LGBT Waukesha Facebook page has 650 followers, and the group holds events like book clubs, hiking trips and monthly "meet-ups."
He's been married to his husband, Joe Czech-Swanson, also a member of LGBT Waukesha, for two years. After Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the Court reconsider its past same-sex marriage rulings, the couple became worried.
"As a gay couple living in a fairly conservative area, we weren't sure what the future would hold, and were looking into ways to preserve our legal rights if our marriage should suddenly become void," Erik said.
While Erik is thankful for the Senate's recent vote, the Respect for Marriage Act is just "a starting point," he said, because it does not require all states to allow same-sex marriage if Obergefell v. Hodges — a landmark 2015 Supreme Court case that held the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples — is overturned.
"It's a wonderful starting point, but Wisconsin itself needs to get it together," he said.
"With Wisconsin still not having it codified in our own laws, it's still uneasy, so we still reached out to an attorney about power of attorney and everything for each other in case we're no longer a married couple, but we still have the same legal protections," Joe added.
The legislation can offer some hope that same-sex marriage will become an agreed-upon issue across party lines, Joe said.
"Even if it wasn't a unanimous decision, it was very good to see that it wasn't just Democrats were for it and Republicans were against it," he said.
After Baldwin's success, Erik said he feels optimistic that she can influence Wisconsin to pass laws in protection of LGBTQ+ rights.
"I think with her leading the way, it will hopefully change some minds in Madison," Erik said.
Banning conversion therapy, passing federal antidiscrimination bills are among hopes for the future
When it comes to protecting same-sex couples, Katzenmeyer "hopes (the Respect for Marriage Act) is enough," but acknowledged that there's plenty of work to be done when it comes to LGBTQ+ equality.
For example, gay conversion therapy is still not banned across Wisconsin, she said, and the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in public accommodations such as housing and education, has yet to be passed into law.
To continue to propel LGBTQ+ rights forward, Katzenmeyer urged constituents to contact their lawmakers, at the federal and state level.
"Also, I think the biggest thing people can do is make sure that we're voting for the right people in every election who represent us the way that we want to be represented, and that every election at every level is so important," she added.
The way Smith's family is fully accepted in his Wauwatosa neighborhood gives him hope for the future of LGBTQ+ rights. However, statewide, he's less optimistic, he said.
"It's hard, just given how gerrymandered our state legislature is," Smith said.
There are ways people can help to advance equality at home, Wadman, Smith's wife, said.
"I would recommend that folks talk to their kids about different configurations of families, and that certainly should include LGBT families, but it should also include all configurations of families, just to normalize that there's different ways that a family can look and exist and that all of them are valid and special and important," Wadman said.
LGBT Waukesha hopes to continue to show others in the community that they are not alone, and to promote awareness for the community's fight for equality.
"People don't think that (LGBTQ+ equality) is an issue that they need to deal with because they don't see the issue at all, and being that visibility for people is important," Joe Czech-Swanson said.
Erik hopes people remember that although this is seen as a win for the LGBTQ+ community, there are still individuals within the community who are negatively impacted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
"Hopefully, we can also soon see the right to an abortion codified into law, as well," Erik said. "As scary as things are for us not knowing what the future holds, our friends who are able to get pregnant are facing these same concerns as a present reality."
Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin LGBTQ advocates react to passage of Respect for Marriage Act
