The se of a former Milwkee gay bar uld be molished. Here's why some want to be saved. | Wisns Public Rad

Contents:

• THE SE OF A FORMER MILWKEE GAY BAR ULD BE MOLISHED. HERE'S WHY SOME WANT TO BE SAVED.
• LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED: MILWKEE'S GAY FAI UNE WH PRI
• MILWKEE GAY BARS

THE SE OF A FORMER MILWKEE GAY BAR ULD BE MOLISHED. HERE'S WHY SOME WANT TO BE SAVED.

There’s a good reason why Walker’s Pot is fondly referred to as "The Gayborhood" – the near South Si neighborhood has been home to many gay people, fai, bars and rtrants for s. Today, the LGBTQ bar scene is still gog strong – primarily on and around Send Street – and ntu to offer fun, safe spac for everyone, gay or straight. Here are 10 Milwkee gay bars to check out durg Pri Month or whenever:.

This Is It opened 1968, makg one of the top 10 longt-nng gay bars the untry, and possibly one of the top five.

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED: MILWKEE'S GAY FAI UNE WH PRI

Referred to by the owner as "The gay 'Cheers' of Milwkee, " Woody's has stood proudly on the south-end of the Gayborhood for 22 years.

Loted Riverwt, Art Bar is gay-owned and gay-and-straight iendly, but also serv as a hub for Milwkee's art scene, pool scene and as a neighborhood gatherg place. Wisns has long been a forenner LGBTQ+ advocy, ever sce was the first state to pass anti-discrimatn legislatn for the LGBTQ muny 1982, givg the tle of "the first gay rights state. "Here are five stori that scratch the surface of the Fox Ci' LGBTQ muny and Lambda Lounge: Appleton's first gay barThroughout the late 20th century, gay people primarily found muny through the bar scene, often seen as a safe space for LGBTQ people to socialize.

MILWKEE GAY BARS

Appleton's first gay bar, the Lambda Lounge, opened downtown 1977 by partners Pl DeB and Gene DeB, Pl's sister, said the two bought the bar om Claire Kempky who ran Doris' Super Bar, a bs wh a reputatn as a hangout spot for gay people. That reputatn, she said, enuraged her brother to open a gay bar after Kempky's closed. Matchbook vers for The Lambda Lounge that read "The Gayt Spot Town.

" The bar opened 1977 and was Appleton's first gay the bar wasn't openly advertised as a gay bar for the safety of s patrons, people knew of through word of mouth and natnal gay bar guis, such as the Damron Gui. Rearcher for the Universy of Wisns-Green Bay's "Our Voic: LGBTQ+ Stori of Northeastern Wisns" Dennis Jab said bar patrons often experienced backlash om Appleton rints who believed homosexualy was wrong and didn't like havg a gay bar patrons were safe to be themselv si the bar, Jabs said people knew to not enter or leave the bar alone as they faced vlence om straight people and many fights took place outsi the bar. "The early [gay] bars were rough, " Jabs said.

"But the gay populatn Appleton stood their ground and fought back. "Ultimately, the bar closed down amid petn om 1101 Wt, a gay dance club, that opened down the road soon after. However, the Lambda Lounge's prence Appleton paved the way for other LGBTQ bars, such as The ReMixx Neenah, Rasls Appleton and the now-closed Pivot A Neenah LGBTQ club is creatg a growg love for drag shows the Fox CiMore: Rasls has long been a gay refuge AppletonBook clubs allow gay people to fd munyBook clubs have often been a place for people wh shared inti to fd muny while discsg lerature pertag to their liv and provi a safe space for gays and lbians to socialize, Appleton Public Library llectns ordator Michael Nz and Lawrence Universy Profsor Dick Wslow found a book club named the Lavenr Salon 15 years, the group met each Sunday members' hom wh potluck meals and discsns on books and club was exclive to gay people, so members — whether they were openly gay or not — were able to be themselv and safely meet other people the LGBTQ muny.

"For some, was their first time knowgly meetg other people who were gay and lbian so beg a safe space was really important, " Nz told The Post-Crcent. Participatn the club grew om seven members to over 60 at a time, brgg people om Marette and Sheboygan for the weekly stunts' fight for gay-straight alliance clubDurg the turn of the century, stunts Madison and Milwkee high schools started creatg gay-straight allianc, or GSA clubs, to provi supportive environments for LGBTQ word about the clubs grew, a number of stunts at Neenah High School 2001, cludg Nick Ross — a current Appleton School Board member — wanted to create an official club for LGBTQ stunts to discs experienc and issu they were gog of the stunts were already LGBTQ support groups at the school and the muny, but Ross said was important for them to create an official group to give visibily to LGBTQ stunts and let other stunts know there was a safe space the school to discs their, when the stunts applied for club regnn, Neenah High School Prcipal Mark Duerwaechter nied them, sayg a GSA has polil goals and would go agast district policy, acrdg to Post-Crcent archiv.

"It was extremely terrifyg and sry for all the reasons of beg out public as LGBTQ, but also super excg bee we put ourselv out there and ma thgs happen, " Ross Neenah stunts' ph for a GSA and the attentn gathered the Fox Ci spired other stunts to create the club their own schools and a year later all three Appleton high schools had a High School Gay Straight Alliance club om an Oct. "In the last 15 years wh the cy of Appleton, we were dog some pretty active support of LGBTQ folks bee we were tired of seeg teens harmed and havg hate crim our parks, " Flor, who also prevly served as Appleton's diversy ordator, told The first time Appleton got volved LGBTQ issu was 2012 when the cy passed domtic partnership protectn for gay cy employe and their a time when same-sex marriage wasn't legal, domtic partnership benefs allowed cy employe and their partners the same benefs as spo, such as health surance and sick next time the cy got volved LGBTQ issu was Augt 2013 when the cy passed fair hog based on genr inty and exprsn, beg the third cy the state to ban hog discrimatn for transgenr people.

But 's bt known among people terted the history of the gay rights movement Wisns as the former home of the Wreck Room Saloon, a leather bar at the epicenter of Milwkee's LGBTQ+ nightlife. That’s alarmed some who want to see the buildg saved bee of s rich history and importance to the gay muny. The bar is known for events that brought visibily to Milwkee’s gay muny the 1970s and '80s, cludg a softball vatnal and street fairs.

"To the gay muny, 's a landmark bee was the first real Levi leather bar ( the cy), and was a long-nng bar, very good to s ctomers and a good muny activist" Schwamb said. "The fact that Wayne Bernhagen held outdoor anniversary celebratns and tablished an vatnal softball tournament ma the gay muny more proment the muny, " a cy report said. MILWAUKEE GAY BAR GUIDE: 9 OF THE BEST MILWAUKEE GAY BARS.

Hey there, ’s jt your iendly gayborhood bar, Fluid, here.