Louis Stimac was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 23, 1941. After graduating
from high school, he attended St. Francis Seminary in the Milwaukee suburb of St.
Francis for eight years. In the early 1970s, he became involved in the local gay
rights movement and was an active member of the Gay Peoples Union (GPU). He was one
of three individuals who signed GPU's articles of incorporation in 1972. As a member
of GPU, Stimac lectured at schools and churches across the state. He started
numerous support groups, including Gay Alcoholics Anonymous and the first gay
telephone counseling service in Milwaukee. In 1975 he created Gay Freedom, a five-minute radio commentary program that aired on WUWM.
The program debuted on March 10 and addressed included topics such as homophobia,
coming out, cross dressing, mental illness, and the gay community in Milwaukee. He
wrote essays about homosexuality and compiled a gay history. He was a proponent of
research, inclusiveness, and visibility. He died on April 8, 1994.
