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First Governor to
Sign Statewide Gay Rights Law Dies
Former Wisconsin governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus, who in 1982 signed the first statewide gay rights law in the U.S., has died. He was 81.
Former Wisconsin governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus, who in 1982 signed the first statewide gay rights law in the U.S., has died. He was 81.
Dreyfus died Wednesday at his home near Milwaukee, said Lee S. Dreyfus Jr. on Thursday. He had suffered from heart and breathing problems.
The gay rights measure Dreyfus signed made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, employment, and public accommodations. Activists gathered in Madison last year to mark the 25th anniversary of the law.
Dreyfus, a Republican who Wisconsin's 40th governor, was also a vocal opponent of the state's ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions, which was approved by voters in 2006.
Serving through 1982, Dreyfus earned respect for his businesslike approach to politics.
''He wasn't interested in the political maneuvering,'' said Tom Loftus, who served as the Democratic majority leader in the assembly during Dreyfus's term. ''He would propose something, and whatever the legislature came up with, he would work with that.'' (AP)
