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(“There’s still a back entrance,” says Mattel. This Is It! was particularly convenient for its front and back entrances, the latter of which was used by closeted patrons. Gay bars were far from common, but knew a lot of gay people and wanted to create a comfortable and safe gathering place during a time when gays suffered great discrimination." At the time, serving LGBTQ clientele was dangerous and technically illegal in Wisconsin, resulting in raids and brawls. The 2012 book "Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin's Historic Bars & Breweries" explains the shift in clientele: "In the late 1960's. The story goes that when she found an available space in a mostly vacant office building she said, “This is it!” and set up shop. That’s thanks to June Brehm, who opened the cocktail bar in 1968. The origins of This Is It! were not so much queer as it was a judgement-free space that embraced all types.
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You had a better chance getting a free drink before I owned it, for sure.’” All my friends are like ‘you own the bar, I’m gonna get free drinks!’ And I’m like, ‘no you’re not. “Of course now that I’m an owner drinks will be $25 each. “My life is so crazy and busy that when I take time off, I want to go back to Milwaukee and stay in my house and go to my favorite bar, and I want it to be the same experience I had when I was 21.”īut there might be some changes. “I just wanted to be exactly what it used to be for me,” Mattel says. Mattel’s involvement had been in the works for a while, but finalizing it this year has helped the bar flourish post-Covid. 37% of queer nightlife spaces closed between 20 in the US, and that number drastically rose during the pandemic. This Is It! has secured its place in LGBTQ+ history by having broad appeal: an inclusive space to mingle, serving both subdued tipples to the weary after-work crowd and over-the-top nightlife for those seeking charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.īut her investment in This Is It! is less about pink burned toast and more about preservation: of a place, and of a mindset, especially at a time when queer bars are rapidly shutting down.
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Old Hollywood stars like Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable are tacked to a bathroom wall, and movie soundtracks play in the background while you pee.īut of course it’s not really the decor that people come for, or even the ridiculously cheap drinks (a Long Island Iced Tea is like, $3). A TouchTunes jukebox provides music when the stage isn’t in use. Decades-old stained glass chandelier lamps dangle near a disco ball that, when turned on, signals two-for-one specials with fractured light. In business since 1968, a year before the Stonewall riots, the bar's decor spans its history. Out front, the patio was recently given its own rainbow makeover-a splash of color that lets you know if you’re looking for the oldest gay bar in Wisconsin, well, this is it. Right off Cathedral Square Park in downtown Milwaukee, its brown brick wall is painted with diamonds the color of the rainbow.
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The façade of This Is It! -or “Tits,” if you’re in the know- is hard to miss.