MADISON, Wis. — After media reports on his outrageous homophobic sentiments, Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brian Hagedorn is standing by what he wrote in a series of articles he posted on a weblog he maintained. Hagedorn has asked voters to trust that he would not act on his strongly held homophobia, but new evidence uncovered by One Wisconsin Now shows he has and continues to act on his discriminatory beliefs, even while serving as an officer of the court.
In 2016, after being appointed to a court seat by former Gov. Scott Walker, Hagedorn helped found the Augustine Academy, a private school whose official policy bans members of the LGBTQ community from working there, would result in their termination if they were discovered to be LGBTQ and would expel students if they, or their parents, are gay. According to school records, Hagedorn continues to serve on the school’s board of directors.
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“On the campaign trail, Brian Hagedorn has asked voters to trust he will set aside his strongly held homophobic beliefs,” said One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Analiese Eicher. “His actions tell a different story. While a judge he founded and to this day remains intimately associated with an organization that actively discriminates against the LGBTQ community.”
As stated in the policy, “Failure on the part of faculty, staff or Board member to maintain the standards of conduct expressed in this document is grounds for dismissal.” Among the policies that must be observed is a prohibition on any sexual relations, “ … apart from the context of marriage between one man and one woman…”
Also covered are students whose violations “… may result in disciplinary action with the possibility of the student being required to withdraw from the school” and parents who, “… may be required to withdraw his/her student from The Augustine Academy.”
FAIR Wisconsin Executive Director Megin McDonell noted Hagedorn also put his homophobia into action when, as Scott Walker’s lawyer, he tried to use the courts to undermine a Wisconsin law providing basic rights for LGBTQ couples like hospital visitation and inheritance.
She commented, “Brian Hagedorn has used his position to actively try to discriminate against the LGBTQ community and undermine basic rights like allowing a partner to visitation rights to a hospitalized loved one. There is no reason to trust he won’t do it again given the opportunity on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.”
Wendy Strout, Wisconsin State Director for the Human Rights Campaign concluded, “Judges are tasked with a sacred duty to uphold equal treatment for all people under the law. As someone who has publicly and unabashedly voiced contempt for LGBTQ equality, Brian Hagedorn’s record is disqualifying.”
