Milwaukee's This is it!, historic LGBTQ+ bar, closes after 56 years
The Brief
This Is It! announced its permanent closure on Sunday, March 9.
The bar would have celebrated its 57th anniversary this summer.
It was Wisconsin's longest-running LGBTQ+ bar.
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin's oldest LGBTQ+ bar, and one of the oldest in the country, is permanently closed.
What we know
This Is It! announced its permanent closure on social media on Sunday, March 9. The bar would have celebrated its 57th anniversary this summer.
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In the announcement, This Is It! said this closure is due to financial distress from COVID-19 and an eight-month closure on Wells Street, including the sidewalk outside the business.
What they're saying
"One last time, we honor our founders June and Joseph Brehm. While they are no longer with us, they would have been fighting the last few years along side us. Their memory and legacy lives on in our hearts too," the bar posted on Facebook.
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The bar opened in August 1968 and was continually operated until 2025. It was owned by George Schneider and famous drag queen and Wisconsin native Trixie Mattel, who became a co-owner in 2021.
The Source
Information in this post came from This Is It! and the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project.
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