This Is It for ‘This Is It:’ Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar closes for good

By Christina Lorey

April 19, 2025

Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar has closed for good.

The local institution, located on Milwaukee’s Wells Street since 1968, has witnessed some of the biggest moments in state history, like ⤵️

🏳️‍🌈 Signing the first Gay Rights Law in 1982

🏳️‍🌈 Hosting the first Pride March in 1989

🏳️‍🌈 Celebrating Tammy Baldwin’s election as America’s first openly-lesbian rep in 1998

🏳️‍🌈 Commemorating local marriage equality in 2014 and national marriage equality in 2015

In 2018, the bar led a city-wide effort to install the state’s first rainbow crosswalks!

“If you still think, ‘We don’t need gay bars anymore,’ you’re in for a surprise,” head of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project reacted.

“In the weeks, months, and years ahead, we’re all going to learn the hard way how much the world needed spaces like This Is It — then, now, and always.” ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Author

Christina Lorey

Christina is an Edward R. Murrow-winning journalist and former producer, reporter, and anchor for TV stations in Madison and Moline. When she’s not writing or asking questions, you can find her volunteering with Girls on the Run, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and various mental health organizations. Send all story tips to [email protected] and sign up for her newsletter here.

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CATEGORIES: LGBTQ

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