This Is It! is a Milwaukee institution and one of the country's oldest LGBTQ+ bars

Jessie Opoien, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·1 min read

Wisconsin’s oldest continually operating gay bar wasn’t always easy to spot. When June Brehm opened This Is It! at 418 E. Wells St. in 1968, Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ scene operated under the radar, and closeted patrons made use of the bar’s rear entrance to avoid being identified.

Today, This Is It! welcomes patrons with a concrete facade adorned with a diamond pattern in the colors of the rainbow.

Drag superstar and Wisconsin native Trixie Mattel became a co-owner with George Schneider in 2021.

75. This Is It! a Milwaukee institution — it’s one of the country’s oldest LGBTQ+ bars. It's Wisconsin’s oldest continually operating gay bar .
75. This Is It! a Milwaukee institution — it’s one of the country’s oldest LGBTQ+ bars. It's Wisconsin’s oldest continually operating gay bar .

Not only is This Is It! a Milwaukee institution — it’s one of the country’s oldest LGBTQ+ bars. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin recognized Brehm and her son Joseph for their contributions to Wisconsin’s LGBTQ+ community, and the bar became the site of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project’s first permanent public display in 2019.

“This Is It! is not Milwaukee’s favorite gay bar, it is Milwaukee’s favorite bar,” Mattel said in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Everyone in town has a personal story or anecdote, or sometimes even a night they can barely remember. The exterior has rainbow accents that invite all walks of life into the space, and remind people to come in and act right. It reminds people that even if you’re homophobic, not in this (expletive) building you’re not.”

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: This Is It! is a Milwaukee institution, one of U.S.'s oldest gay bars