Madison’s Rita Adair is one of the four trailblazers who will be honored with a Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project BeSeen Award, which annually recognizes individuals who have made historic contributions to LGBTQ voice, visibility, and impact throughout Wisconsin history.
Adair is an organizer, activist, social worker, leader, business owner, wife, mother, and operator of Bernell’s, Madison’s first and only women-centered sports bar. Adair has devoted her life to elevating women, families, and communities of color.
“In these challenging times, we all must give thanks to those who continue to light candles instead of just cursing the darkness,” said Michail Takach, president of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, in a press release. “The BeSeen Awards are just one way our organization can thank people who give everything they have to build a better world for us all. Through their generosity, courage and commitment, these people have changed countless lives.”
Other winners of BeSeen Awards, per the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, include:
● Jim La Rock (Keshena,) Two Spirit elder, organizer, mentor, and educator, whose lifetime service as the Menominee Historian is keeping the history, heritage, and culture of his people alive every day through connective social media content, public speaking, and events (including the recent Wisconsin Two Spirit Pow Wow;)
● Rachel Maes (Green Bay) is an outspoken force for change. Maes is leading progress in northeastern Wisconsin with limitless civic contributions, including a historic appointment to the Brown County Board, leadership roles at Green Bay Pride and Bay Area Council on Gender Diversity, and advisory roles at the Neville Museum, YWCA, and the State Bar of Wisconsin;
● Bob Jansen (Superior), founder of The Main Club (1983), the first and longest-operating openly gay bar in the Northland, which became not only a regional refuge but an activism hub where Duluth-Superior Pride and the Greater North AIDS Project were born, as featured in Julie Casper Roth’s 2010 documentary The Main and Meg Gorzcyki’s 2026 book Remember the Main. Today, Duluth-Superior Pride is the longest-operating pride festival in Wisconsin and the Main Club is the third-longest-operating gay bar in Wisconsin.
While honorees are selected by the board of directors, the community is encouraged to nominate candidates throughout the year at the History Project website.
