Audio File of Radio Address

Hey there! Governor Tony Evers here, and I am jazzed as hell to join in celebrating Pride Month across Wisconsin.

This annual celebration is a culmination of decades of advocacy, activism, dedication, and understanding for folks and neighbors across the state and country.

>From the Black Nite Brawl in Milwaukee to passing the first law in the nation banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation to electing the first openly LGBTQ woman to Congress, in Wisconsin, we have a proud history of LGBTQ advocacy and trailblazers.

And we cannot, and we will not let that progress falter. Folks, we celebrate Pride today and this month—and every day, frankly—because we know what’s at stake.

There are those who want to revise and rewrite this important history so that they can create a new story for our state and our country.

Here in Wisconsin, we only know one direction, folks, and that’s ‘Forward.’ We’ve always led the way in the fight for LGBTQ liberty and equality—and we sure as heck aren’t going to turn back the clock now.

I’ve been darn proud to veto every piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation that Republicans have sent to my desk and to use my executive powers to protect our trans and nonbinary kids.

And each year, I am proud to raise the Progress Flag over the Wisconsin State Capitol as a reminder of not only how far we’ve come, but how far we have to go.

I declared 2026 the Year of the Neighbor in Wisconsin because I want to spend the next year celebrating the neighbors who make Wisconsin the great place it is to call home.

I want to celebrate the folks who love freely, live in their most authentic self, and welcome everyone to be who they were born to be.

So, no matter who you are, who you love, and how you express your truest self, you are family here. You belong here. You are welcome home here.

Happy Pride Month, Wisconsin!