Wisconsin has been something of a paradox when it comes to LGBT rights. A constitutional amendment passed in 2006 banning same-sex marriages, but it only passed by 59 percent, and every year following that, more and more people changed their stance on the subject. However, it wasn’t until the case of Wolf v. Walker that the ban was challenged. A district court judge declared the same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, a decision upheld by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. When the Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal, same-sex marriage became officially legal in the state on October 6, 2014.
Prior to this, Wisconsin did have a domestic partner registry. However, the rights given to same-sex couples who registered were very limited. They received only 43 different spousal rights as opposed to the 200 plus rights that different-sex married couples enjoyed. Since 2009, the state has also provided benefits to the same-sex partners of state employees. Unfortunately, the registry did nothing regarding parental rights, but joint adoptions by same-sex couples were granted in some jurisdictions. However, since same-sex marriage became legal, this has no longer been an issue, and LGBT parents have enjoyed the same adoption rights as opposite-sex parents.
When it comes to discrimination laws, you might be surprised to learn that Wisconsin was the first state to make it illegal to discriminate against anyone on the basis of sexual orientation when it came to housing, credit, education, employment, and public accommodations. The state passed these laws in 1982! However, as of March 2015, there are no laws that touch on gender identity. Some cities, including Milwaukee, Madison, and Appleton, have passed their own citywide laws preventing discrimination based on gender identity.
As you can see, Wisconsin is surprisingly open to LGBT rights in some ways, yet at the same time, the state did pass a constitutional amendment preventing same-sex marriage and only relented due to the court system. While gender identity is still not protected at the state level, Wisconsin did elect Tammy Baldwin as one of their two senators. Baldwin serves as the first out LGBT person to serve in the U.S. Senate.
It might seem like a gamble, then, to move to Wisconsin. However, most gay and lesbian realtors will tell you that the state has plenty of friendly, welcoming neighborhoods. The views of most people have become more and more open towards the LGBT community, especially in the larger cities like Milwaukee.