Founded in 1973, PFLAG is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families.

Join us for our next meeting:

Sunday, October 18, 2026

2pm Meeting

3pm Support

"Navigating Difficult Conversations with High Stakes" with Doug Orwig

Doug Orwig is the father of a transgender daughter. He is adjunct faculty at Illinois Central College in Peoria, IL where he has taught everything from computer hardware to digital forensics, to advanced Excel. He has recently retired as a corporate trainer. When not teaching, Doug enjoys hiking, photography, and a really good story. Doug is the author of two books and is currently working on his third. He will appear by Zoom. Please email pflagmadison@gmail.com for the Zoom info. We hope we "see" you on screen!

Meeting Summary from

Sunday, September 20, 2026

Randy Udell, State Representative from District 47, was the speaker at our September 20, 2026 meeting. Randy has served as Treasurer of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since 2015, elected to that position by Democrats from across the state.

Randy shared openly about his life and experiences. He has been in a relationship with his husband, Brad, for 30 years and they have been married for 13 years. After a 30-year career with AT&T, Randy retired and has continued to serve in other capacities throughout his life. His longstanding interest in politics eventually led him to public service.

One of the central themes of Randy’s remarks was the importance of listening. He spoke candidly about his own lived experiences and recognized that everyone brings their own experiences and perspectives to the table. He emphasized his desire to listen to others and his strong belief that everyone deserves representation.

The discussion covered a wide range of topics including legislation, healthcare for transgender people, and the difficulty of reaching across the aisle in the current political environment. Randy stressed the importance of legislation that protects all people. He also spoke about the unique opportunity his position gives him to speak on the floor about issues that matter to the people he represents.

Randy spoke eloquently about his career of service and the values that guide him. When asked how he hopes to be remembered, he said he wants to be known as someone who did the right thing and was an overall nice guy who did some good in the world.

We appreciated Randy’s willingness to share his personal experiences, answer questions candidly and engage in thoughtful conversation with our group.

Randy can be reached at rep.udell@legis.wisconsin.gov

Flannels With Friends (And Meatloaf Too!)

A Harvest Harmonies Fundraiser for Perfect Harmony Chorus

Saturday Oct 24th, 2026, 6:30PM

Trinity Lutheran Church

1904 Winnebago St

Madison, WI 53704

Perfect Harmony Chorus welcomes you to an extra warm and cozy Harvest Harmonies fundraiser! Chef Neal's familiar meal of homemade meatloaf or stuffed squash is sure to warm the hearts of longtime supporters and newcomers alike. Our patchwork of PHC friends and singers will be your attentive servers and musical entertainment for the evening. Feel free to join in the fun and wear your favorite fall flannel. 

Also featuring our silent auction full of handmade crafts and home-cooked delights. But don't get so comfy you fall asleep. You’ll have to bid high and bid often in order to secure your items!

Tickets $55

Doors open at 6:00pm. Dinner and program starts at 6:30pm.

Parking available at the church lot.

We hope to see you at Trinity Lutheran Church for Flannels With Friends (And Meatloaf Too!)!

We asked, You answered!

The Dads documentary at East High on October 29!  

PFLAG Madison has been working alongside GSAFE, TransParent and The Dads Foundation to bring the feature length documentary, The Dads, to Madison. The film follows a group of fathers of trans and non-binary children as they advocate for their families. We needed to raise $1500 to make the Madison screening a reality. It only took us a week to meet that goal! We can’t thank all of the generous donors enough for their support and encouragement. 

The Dads will be shown at East High on Thursday, October 29th at 7pm. The doors will open at 6:30pm. The film is free and open to the public. There will be resource tables in the cafeteria before the film and a Q&A panel featuring our Board Member, Shawn Tallard, after the film. The goal is to expand the conversation about LGBTQ+ rights and strengthen understanding of what trans and gender expansive families are facing in this current landscape. Hopefully, this event will also encourage and motivate voters in the last days before our gubernatorial election and shine some much needed support on the LGBTQ+ community.

So now, we just need everyone to spread the word. Please ask your local coffee shops or bookstores if you can put up an event flyer in their window. Encourage your friends, family and neighbors to come and watch the film with you, offer to carpool. East High’s auditorium holds 500 people. Let’s fill it up!

For 8x10 flyers or 11x17 posters, contact Deb Laurence at debgerling@hotmail.com. 

Here is the trailer that you can share, https://www.thedadsfilm.com/

Thank you, Jeanne Williams!

What happens when someone spends 12 years at the helm of PFLAG Madison? You celebrate them!

The September 20 meeting included cake, flowers, a beautiful photo book, and many friends from across the decades. We thank Jeanne for her many years of dedication, sacrifice, and steady leadership.

She has been a wonderful example of leading with love!

Thank You

With appreciation to all our amazing volunteers over the last year who participated in Pride Events and tabled all summer at the Dane County Farmer’s Market as well as Canteen, 111 S. Hamilton Street for once again storing our market supplies. We couldn’t do it without you!

Updates from GSAFE and Fair Wisconsin



GSAFE's Youth Programs team has planned a meeting to connect, learn more about our youth programs, and share some food and refreshments! The flyer is attached. Saturday, October 17th, 2026 | 11AM–1PM at the GSAFE office : 2110 Luann Lane, Madison, WI 53713

A message from Abby Swetz, Executive Director at Fair Wisconsin: Today (October 13) is the effective date for CMS rule concerning federal Medicaid reimbursement funding for gender-affirming care for trans youth. However, I have checked the BadgerCare manual online, and that guidance indicates that gender-affirming medical services, including pediatric care, are covered services. If your child is covered by BadgerCare, please continue using that coverage to access care, and if you encounter problems, contact me immediately over email at abigail.swetz@fairwisconsin.com or over Signal at 608-220-4776. This information is intended only for directly impacted patients, families, and providers, and should not be shared beyond this group of people. Please contact me with any questions. Thank you.

Here's a resource around insurance coverage, if your insurance removes gender-affirming care, from Out2Enroll: https://www.out2enroll.org/post/my-insurer-removed-coverage-for-gender-affirming-care-what-now

Here's a great resource around continuity of care for trans folks from Advocates for Trans Equality (also attached a PDF): https://transequality.org/resources/continuity-care-field-guide

Learn more about PFLAG Madison

Contact us: pflagmadison@gmail.com

Voice-Mail: 608-848-2333

Email: pflagmadison@gmail.com

Website: https://pflag-madison.org/

Meeting Place: Contact us for details on the location and parking

Meetings: 2:00 to 4:00 PM, 3rd Sunday of the month, Sept. to May

National PFLAG Website: http://www.pflag.org

PFLAG Madison Executive Board

Effective October 1st our Executive Board and Officers will be:

Co-Presidents: Deb Laurence and Sue Martinson

Secretary: Jackie Wealti

Treasurer Paul Wertsch

Board Members: Sandy Feria, Bill Gillespie, Amelia McConnell, Michael Rosenman, Shawn Tallard and Jeanne Williams

Thank you all for your dedication and commitment to our Chapter!