Newsletter
Madison
Founded in 1973, PFLAG is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families.
February 15 Meeting Recap:
Mitchell Johnson, IBEW Local 159 President & Business Agent
Mitchell Johnson, President and Business Agent of IBEW Local 159, was the speaker for our February 2026 meeting. Mitch gave us a brief history of the IBEW union, explained how he ended up there and what he’s doing to broaden diversity and inclusion within their new members. Before the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) was established in 1891, linemen had a 50% chance of dying on the line. The union was formed to improve working conditions, safety and pay. Since its members work in a wide variety of fields, the IBEW has grown to be one of North America’s largest labor unions.
During his youth, Mitch had thought that the trades were for those who couldn’t get into college. Though, when he graduated with a degree in Archeology, he soon realized that he couldn’t survive financially working in that field. After an exhausting year working at Epic, he found himself working in a scrapyard. That job allowed him access to many of the trades in action. His electrical experience began as a Construction Wireman. Later, he was accepted into the IBEW’s apprenticeship program. Drawn in by the free meals, Mitch began going to the union meetings as a first-year apprentice. He soon joined their RENEW committee, which works to create deeper union engagement within their younger members through various volunteer work and community events. He was also part of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus which advocates for greater minority representation within the IBEW.
Though he had been out as a bi-sexual, he kept his private life mostly to himself at work. That changed when he was interviewed on WORT’s radio show QUEERY about being LGBTQ+ in the trades. He had been nervous about what this might mean for his career but was determined to represent. Mitch received nothing but support from the IBEW. His courage allowed others to speak openly about their own connections to the LGBTQ+ community. Later he found out that he was the first openly queer member in the IBEW’s 125 year history. Local 159 actively seeks out ways to broaden the scope of who can see themselves as an electrician, from having a table at Outreach’s Magic Pride Festival each year to working for prison reform. When Mitchell became Local 159’s President, he created their first LGBTQ+ focused committee, the Sexuality And Gender Alliance (SAGA). In 2024, he was awarded Wisconsin’s AFL-CIO Organizer of the Year for all of his work advocating for union rights on the state and national level, his outreach to the LGBTQ+ community and his prison to work advocacy. His determination and dedication was impressive and inspiring.
Learn more about Local IBEW 159
Next meeting:
Sunday, March 15
2-4pm
Please email us at pflagmadison@gmail.com for the meeting location or
Join us on Zoom.
Representative Udell has been a Fitchburg resident since 1998, where he lives with his husband Brad and their rescue dog Cooper. As a State Representative, he serves District 47, which includes Fitchburg, Stoughton, portions of McFarland, and the surrounding towns. He is retired from a 30-year career in finance and planning as a telecommunications engineer. From 2020 to 2024, he served on the Fitchburg City Council as the first openly LGBTQ+ local elected official in Fitchburg. Since 2015, Randy has also served as the Treasurer of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
Senator Melissa Ratcliff has deep roots in the new 16th Senate District. The district includes Cottage Grove, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, Stoughton, Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Waterloo, an area on Madison’s far east side, two townships in Dodge County, and communities across eastern Dane County and western Jefferson County.
Senator Ratcliff brings a unique perspective to the legislature. She has served at multiple levels of government including on the Cottage Grove Village Board, the Dane County Board and in the State Assembly. Her commitment to her local communities is deep and extensive. She is an active volunteer for numerous civic groups…it is a long list! She was honored as Ally of the Year for 2024 by the Sun Prairie’s Colonial Club and is a founding member of the Miracle League of Dane County. Senator Ratcliff has focused on defending reproductive rights, advocating for the health and safety of our LGBTQ+ neighbors and more.
WI Trans Youth Health Care Access Fund
Fair Wisconsin and GSAFE are joining forces to establish the Wisconsin Trans Youth Health Care Access Fund. This fund will support Wisconsin’s trans youth and their families in accessing gender-affirming health care. The Wisconsin Trans Youth Health Care Access Fund, which is a partnership with the Trans Youth Emergency Project at the Campaign for Southern Equality, will be housed under Fair Wisconsin Education Fund. Donations to the Wisconsin Trans Youth Health Care Access Fund are tax-deductible.
Donate today! Thank you for supporting Wisconsin’s trans youth!
To access funding support, families or legal guardians should fill out the “Request Support” intake form at Trans Youth Emergency Project. Please be sure to fill out the form in full, including the attestation at its conclusion. Once a connection is established with TYEP, families will receive care navigation support from the TYEP team and can access travel grants to relocate their youth’s health care. Sustained financial support will be available through this process, facilitated through TYEP and financially supported by the Wisconsin Trans Youth Health Care Access Fund.
Interested in making a major donation to the Wisconsin Trans Youth Health Care Access Fund? Please reach out to Fair Wisconsin’s Executive Director Abigail Swetz at abigail.swetz@fairwisconsin.com or GSAFE’s Executive Director Tyrone Creech at tyrone@gsafewi.org. Thank you for your generosity!
Always There Fair
Welcome to the party! We’ll be helping host a resource fair and fitness fundraiser on Saturday, May 9th at Badger Ridge Middle School in Verona. You are all invited, and we hope you can make it and help spread the word. It is 100% free – the fitness fundraiser in the afternoon is free to students and seniors, $10 in advance and $20 at the door. Those funds will be split evenly at the end of the day between the Madison chapter of PFLAG and the Verona High School GSA.
If anyone has supplies for our big day, here’s the link for donations (they do not have to be new), and here is the link if you wish to volunteer. We’re hoping to have between 40-60 volunteers total to help everyone feel welcome, safe and have fun. This event is free and open to local middle and high school students and their families and ALL are welcome.
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, but especially in this season of giving and in honor of Giving Tuesday.
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