🏳️‍🌈 How queer friendly is Madison, really?

🏢 City Orders Paint Removal on Downtown Building

• Last week, the city's Urban Design Commission directed the owners of new downtown fusion restaurant Haven to remove the gray paint they had applied to the building's exterior, in order to prevent damage to the century-old structure.
• The owners had painted the building six months ago in an attempt to cover graffiti, believing that a permit wasn't necessary for them to do this. However, city permission is required when it comes to making significant changes to building exteriors.
• Dig Deeper: A similar incident happened with a State Street building in 2019, where paint had to be removed from a building's exterior after a misunderstanding about city zoning codes. [ 🔒 Wisconsin State Journal]

♻️ Dane County Launches Food Scrap Stop Program

• Dane County residents can now compost food scraps for free, at four 24/7 drop-off sites. Two of these kiosks are in Madison, at Warner Park and the Henry Vilas Zoo, while the others are in Middleton and McFarland.
• Plus, starting tomorrow, free food scraps recycling is back at the South Madison Farmers Market. You can drop off your scraps on Tuesday and Saturday afternoons between 2 and 6 p.m. The Eastside and Westside markets are also accepting scraps.
• Not sure how to start composting? Check out our guide! [Dane County, City of Madison, Channel 3000, Madison Minutes]

🌊 Public Health Department Begins Testing Beach Water

• It's beach-monitoring season in Dane County! In order to make sure that the water quality is safe for swimmers, Public Health Madison & Dane County will be testing the water at least weekly at nearly two dozen beaches between now and Labor Day. If blue-green algae blooms or high levels of E. coli bacteria are detected, the beaches will be closed until the water is safe.
• Sign up for water quality alerts and see which beaches are being monitored this summer.
• Just what is blue-green algae? Learn how to spot the blooms, which can be harmful to humans and animals. [PHMDC, Madison Minutes]

It's Pride month, y'all! 🏳️‍🌈 Madison has a long history of Pride celebrations, with the earliest parades and community efforts starting in the 1970s. And just last week, Wisconsin lawmakers introduced a package of bills designed to improve safety for LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites. The Wisconsin Legislative LGBTQ Caucus also released a resolution to formally recognize June as Pride Month. But just how queer friendly is Madison?

On today's episode of City Cast Madison, host Bianca Martin tackles this question with producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and program coordinator with the Gender and Sexuality Center at UW–Madison Sanders Weinberg.

Let's dive into local Pride celebrations! While the Magic Pride Festival isn't until August, there's a lot going on this month that should be on your radar.

🪕 T4T4T4: Benefit Acoustic Show for Wilma's Fund | June 5

Come celebrate A Room Of One's Own's 50th anniversary with a queer music showcase — and raise money for a good cause! Wilma's Fund provides housing assistance to local LGBTQ+ adults.

😆 Make America Gay Again Comedy Show | June 5

Best of Madison winner Cheshire Cat Comedy is bringing back its hit comedy and drag show! Check out this top tier lineup of queer standup and drag performers at Crucible Madison.

🎪 Circus Pride Show | June 6-7

Don't miss Madison Circus Space's first-ever Pride Show, which features acrobatics, dance, clowning, and other circus arts celebrating queer identities and experiences.

📸 Pride Family Portraits | June 8

Get your photo taken professionally in front of the Rainbow Wall at the Hilldale Shopping Center. All proceeds go to support OutReach Madison.

🛍️ Big Gay Market | June 13-15

This LGBTQ-organized market has quickly become a Madison staple! With more than 200 vendors, comedy and drag shows, adults-only and kids activities, and a speaker series, there's something for everyone here.

June isn't the only time to celebrate Madison's queer community! There are more than 30 LGBTQ-owned businesses in the city, from Dyke Dive pop-ups and WOOF's bar to the Fromagination cheese shop, Fair Trade Coffee House, and Earthwise Pet. Check out this full list from Visit Madison, and our recs from last year.