A museum of our own

Does Madison’s history need its own space?

In the late winter of 1973, Judy Greenspan ran for the Madison school board and narrowly lost in the primary. That would be less than a footnote in Madison history if it were not for the fact that Greenspan was the first openly gay woman to run for public office in the United States.

“Early activists were presenting their own lives as a way to break down ignorance,” explains historian Dick Wagner. Greenspan was part of a group of openly gay people who appeared on panel discussions around town. But when they were invited by students to appear at West High School, the principal cancelled it. So, Greenspan ran for the school board....