Newsletter
Madison
Founded in 1973, PFLAG is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families.
Meeting Summary from May 17, 2026
Nemo and Andi, local young drag artists
(and phenomenal humans!)
Andy (Andi) Within and Bailey (Nemo) Mosling, drag performers were our guest speakers who energized us with their commitment to improving the lives of young LGBTQ+ youth through their artistry. At just 20 and 19 years old, they have been entertaining for six years. For almost four years they have had monthly shows at Five Nightclub, “Voices of the Next Generation”.
They both have been crowned as winners of the Miss Wisconsin Youth Entertainer in 2022 and 2023 respectively. As they continue as co-sponsors of that event, they are this year updating the title of the pageant to Wisconsin Youth Entertainment. They are committed to use their platform to advocate on behalf of LGBTQ+ youth and to create safe spaces for them to find community and the art of drag.
Andi, who grew up in Watertown, Wisconsin was part of the first-ever Unity Project, a Pride celebration, in 2022. The event will be at Riverside Park in Watertown this year on July 18, 2026.
PFLAG Madison is planning to participate in it, see you there!
Annual Meeting Recap from
Sunday, May 17, 2026
An election was held and changes were made to our Executive Board of Directors effective October 1: Deb Laurence and Sue Martinson, Co-Presidents and Shawn Tallard is our newest Board Member. Good things will happen with Sue and Deb taking the lead and we welcome Shawn to the board!
With thanks and appreciation to the following folks for their help and dedication over the last year: Paul Wertsch as Treasurer; Jackie Wealti, Secretary; and the remaining board members, Bill Gillespie, Amelia McConnell, Sandy Feria, Michael Rosenman, Sue Martinson and Deb Laurence; additionally, Bill Gillespie, website; Amelia McConnell, newsletter; Sandy Feria, handling our gmail account; Karen Baker, responding to our helpline and ribbon cutting; Deb Laurence, creating new artwork and ribbon cutting; and all volunteers for table sitting at the farmers market and various events during the year.
Thank you!
To our Amelia McConnell and Verona Area Schools for gifting us $500 resulting from their recent Always There Fair and Zumbathon! In addition to it benefitting us, the Verona GSA also received a similar donation.
Many slots for our upcoming Pride events are filled, but not all.
Please take a look at this list, or the link below, and join us if you can.
Sign up and fill those spots and show our Pride in action:
June 20 10-2PM Big Gay Market/Resource Fair, Alliant Energy Center
June 24 6-9PM Forward Madison Soccer, Breese Stevens Field, Madison
June 27 10-2PM Stoughton Pride, East Side Park, Stoughton
June 27 10-4PM Sun Prairie Pride, West High School, Sun Prairie
June 27 7-10PM Pride Prom, Madison
August 16 1-6PM Magic Pride Fest, Warner Park, Madison
Sept 5 10-1PM Third Ward Art Fest, Milwaukee
Click here for all volunteer opportunities
Please join us at the Trans Youth Healthcare Fair at the Big Gay Pride Market on June 20th 10am-2pm at Alliant Energy.
Please do not share this flyer on social media.
Interested in volunteering for PFLAG?
Introducing our new Sign Up Genius for Pride Events! Our volunteers have pitched in for many of the time slots so there are just a few left to fill, plus more opportunities may pop up before the end of June. If you have questions, please contact Deb Laurence, debgerling@hotmail.com.
Also, we’re up and running for another fun season at the Dane County Farmer’s Market. We will be at our usual spot on the corner of W. Main and S. Carroll Streets every Saturday beginning May 2 through September 26, 2026. Two volunteers are need each week from 8:45 – 11:15AM. We can help you work with a seasoned volunteer if you have not previously participated. More details will be provided as you need them.
Please click the link below or go to Sign-up Genius, https://www.signupgenius.com, to check out available dates that work for you. You will need a user ID and passcode, then search for PFLAG Madison Farmer’s Market Table 2026. If your schedule changes along the way, no problem!
It’s quick and easy to edit online or contact Deb Laurence, debgerling@hotmail.com for assistance.
Let’s also give a big shoutout to Canteen Taco, 111 S. Hamilton Street, who once again are providing storage space for us to use all season, thank you!
Click here to sign up for the Farmer’s Market this summer
Updates from our local partner, Sue Neeley from GSAFE:
Teens! Join us this Summer for GSAFE’s Leadership Training Institute (LTI) July 23-26 at UW Whitewater! This is a 4-day, 3-night camp for LGBTQ+ high school students to develop skills in leadership and activism. Registration is $450 and we also offer partial and full scholarships, no one is turned away due to the inability to pay. Click HERE to apply!
We will continue TransParent Advocacy Group meetings throughout the Summer on the 4th Tuesdays of the month. If you’re interested in joining, please email me at sue@gsafewi.org .
Join the Dad’s Group that will also meet throughout the Summer. They host meetings every 2nd Tuesday and a social every 4th weekend. Please contact jeremy.schlitz@gmail.com for more information.
Trans Northland is calling for us to speak up about recently denied care from providers in Northern WI and Duluth, MN. Please click HERE to take their survey if you have been affected and/or sign the petition in support of gender-affirming care in the Northland and demand that it be made available for pediatric patients.
Updates from our local partner, Cait Mallery from Fair Wisconsin:
Happy Pride! Cait from Fair Wisconsin here, reaching out with opportunities to volunteer over the next month for LGBTQ+ advocacy!
Join us in-person at Pride events across the state:
Do you like talking to people, making connections with LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites and allies, and connecting communities with opportunities to take action? Sign up for a two-hour tabling shift at a Pride near you! Fair Wisconsin’s team of four is small but scrappy, and we’re only able to do much of our work with the support of volunteers. No prior experience tabling is required, and you’ll be paired up with a Fair Wisconsin staff member for the whole time block. Learn more and sign up for one or more shifts!
Join us for a volunteer session in our Madison office:
There’s a lot of work that has to happen on the back end to get us ready for Pride events around the state–join us for an in-person volunteer session in our Madison office assembling materials, transcribing and entering Pride sign-ups, and more! These sessions are a flexible, low-pressure way to get involved with the work and connect with other volunteers. You can join for any part of the session, and there are always options for tasks to work on depending on what you’re interested in and what feels accessible to you. No prior expertise or experience is required, just your presence!
- Sunday June 21, 10am-noon (register here)
- Sunday June 28, 10am-noon (register here)
- Sunday July 5th, 10am-noon (register here)
We appreciate the generous donation received once again from the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company. Stop in to tell them “thanks”.
We appreciate all donations and use them within our community to spread the message of love and acceptance.
Membership and Other Donations
Our annual dues are $30 per person or $40 per couple and are due in October. We share some dues with the National level of PFLAG and our local dues help support our Farmer’s Market, educational and outreach opportunities. Donations are welcome at any time!
Submit payment online through our website donation button or send your check directly to PFLAG Madison, courtesy of our Treasurer, Paul Wertsch, 4221 Venetian Ln, Madison, WI 53718.
When you hit the Donation button at the top of our website, enter “other” and your total, and that will go to our PayPal account. You can write a memo, like “McConnell family dues” and that will help us know this is for renewing your membership.
When submitting payments using PayPal or credit cards, please provide the following information via email to Paul Wertsch, Treasurer, pwertsch@gmail.com:
Your complete name, mailing address for a tax receipt, and email address to receive the monthly newsletter.
The amount of money you submitted either as membership ($30 individual/$40 family) or as a donation.
Email pwertsch@gmail.com if you have not received a confirmation of past transactions.
Learn more about PFLAG Madison
Contact us: pflagmadison@gmail.com
Voice-Mail: 608-848-2333
Email: pflagmadison@gmail.com
Website: https://pflag-madison.org/
Meeting Place: Contact us for details on the location and parking
Meetings: 2:00 to 4:00 PM, 3rd Sunday of the month, Sept. to May
National PFLAG Website: http://www.pflag.org
President: Jeanne Williams
Treasurer: Paul Wertsch
Secretary: Jackie Wealti
Board Members: Sandy Feria, Bill Gillespie, Deb Laurence, Amelia McConnell, Michael Rosenman, Sue Martinson