[1][2] Clarenbach was born in St. Louis, Missouri and spent his kindergarten year in New York City before his parents moved to Madison.
In 1982, Clarenbach was widely credited with helping push through the first law in the country which prohibited discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation.
[6] Clarenbach served on the following committees: Agriculture; Assembly Organization; Financial Institutions and Insurance; Labor; Rules; Legislative Council; Judiciary; Commerce and Consumer Affairs; State Historical Society Board of Curators; and as chairperson of the Health Insurance Reform committee.
[9] Clarenbach led the Madison AIDS Support Network and later served as executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund from 1996 to 1997.
[10] Clarenbach was also a member of the Urban League, Humane Society, ACLU of Wisconsin, and National Council of Senior Citizens.
[12] During his early years in public life and activism, Clarenbach was in a private relationship with Jim Yeadon, first openly-gay elected official and advocate for LGBT rights in Wisconsin.