Madison Gay Men and Lesbians United, usually abbreviated as The United, was organized at a mass meeting in May 1978 “to affirm the civil rights of gay men and lesbians and to support in its totality” Madison's equal opportunities ordinance. Among the founders were Gridley Hall, member of the Equal Opportunity Commission; Kathleen Nichols, coordinator of the Madison Committee for Gay Rights; and Barbara Lightner of the National Lesbian-Feminist Organization. At that time the Madison ordinance, which provided protection from discrimination for all minority groups and all individuals regardless of their “sexual orientation,” was under attack by several local evangelical ministers, in particular Reverend Wayne Dillabaugh and Reverend Richard Pritchard. Opposition to the ministers' efforts was widespread throughout Madison, and the City Council refused to alter the ordinance.
In its promotion of human and gay rights, The United sponsored a number of local events designed to heighten public consciousness, such as Gay Awareness Weeks, concerts and dances; it also raised funds, supported local and state legislation to increase individual privacy, and sent participants to the 1979 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
