Ricardo Gonzalez (politician)

Ricardo Gonzalez (born 1946 in Cuba) is an American politician. He is a former member of the Madison, Wisconsin Common Council and the first openly gay Latino elected to public office in the United States. Gonzalez is the Past President of the Cuban Committee for Democracy.[1]

Advocacy and public office

In 1974,[2] Gonzalez opened a bar called The Cardinal which became a gay-friendly venue of choice for fundraisers for both liberal politicians and various causes.[3][4] At the time, Gonzalez was an affirmative action officer with the State of Wisconsin appointed by then Governor of Wisconsin Patrick Lucey.[5] Gonzales served on the board of "The United," a gay organization, and as a counselor at the now-defunct Gay Center in Madison. He has also been a long-time supporter of the Madison AIDS Support Network.

In 1989, Gonzalez was elected to the Madison Common Council representing District 4.[6]

Common Council (1989-2000)

During his time on the council, Gonzalez helped establish Madison's sister city relationship with the Cuban city of Camagüey. Gonzalez played an instrumental role in the creation of the Monona Terrace Convention Center.[7] Foremost on Gonzalez's agenda as alderman was the revitalization of Downtown Madison.[8]

Legacy

Gonzalez' papers are housed in the UW-Madison historic archives. In 2011, Gonzalez was awarded with the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award.[9]

References
  1. Gramling, Jonathan. "The Capital City Hues/1201511/Latino Chamber of Commerce Gala". capitalcityhues.com. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  2. "Ricardo Gonzalez | Photograph | Wisconsin Historical Society". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2003-12-01. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  3. "The Pink Plaque Tour". Our Lives. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  4. "Red and white and fetish night at the Cardinal". The Badger Herald. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  5. "A Real Phoenix". WISC. 2010-03-06. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  6. Singer, Bennett; Deschamps, David (2017-01-24). LGBTQ Stats: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People by the Numbers. New Press, The. ISBN 9781620972458.
  7. Lorenzsonn, E. "Q&A: Cardinal Bar owner Ricardo Gonzalez unpacks U.S.-Cuban relations". madison.com. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  8. Reinke, Robert (2011-04-07). "Ricardo Gonzalez: Ringing in the new". Isthmus | Madison, Wisconsin. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  9. "Wisconsin Celebrates The Life and Legacy Of MLK, 2015 Event Planning Underway". Wisconsin Public Radio. 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
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