More Articles | WI LGBTQ History Project

News Articles:

July 08, 2025

Honoring Jewel-Thais Williams (1939-2025)

Today, we celebrate the Mother of Gay Los Angeles for a lifetime of service.

April 01, 2025

Milwaukee celebrates living legend Sharon Dixon

"Old Timers" cabaret show raises $2,600 to support a community elder's next chapter in life

March 09, 2025

Saying goodbye to This Is It

Wisconsin's oldest gay bar -- and one of the ten oldest in the USA -- closed March 9 after six decades of service.

March 01, 2025

Pride organizers: complete our Wisconsin Proud Survey

We've set a goal to document, preserve, elevate and celebrate your stories of community activation throughout summer 2025.

February 28, 2025

Celebrating Sharon Dixon: a warrior of women’s history

Join us Sunday, March 30 for an afternoon of sisterhood -- as we proudly celebrate a living legend!

February 03, 2025

"Hearts for History" celebrates love and acceptance

Honor your loved ones -- while helping our community secure a more inclusive future.

January 01, 2025

Forever Young celebrates the connectivity of 21-below nightlife

New book project explores how all-ages clubs shaped LGBTQ identity, community, and society for a generation.

December 16, 2024

The Summer to Be Seen Tour returns in 2025!

We're bringing LGBTQ history and heritage to the hometown streets of Wisconsin. Join the celebration!

November 22, 2024

Celebrate "80 Years of Gay" at Fluid Milwaukee

We're raising money to protect Wisconsin's first LGBTQ historic marker -- at an address that has been a queer destination for eight decades.

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Blog Articles:

January 16, 2026

In memoriam: Cheri Becker (1958-2026)

Cheri Becker moved to Madison to be closer to her mother. She wound up becoming the matriarch of an LGBTQ movement.

December 17, 2025

In memoriam: Francis "Frank" Ford (1945-2025)

Throughout his colorful life, counterculture connections, and uniquely creative lens, Ford trained his watchful eye on modern Milwaukee.

December 17, 2025

In memoriam: Jim Melotte (1949-2025)

We honor a devoted leader who transformed a small neighborhood parade into one of Wisconsin’s largest, most vibrant celebrations of pride.

December 16, 2025

Pat Cummings: forging a relentless path to progress

Driven by bigger-than-life dreams, Pat Cummings became a relentless activist and accidental historian who blazed a trail from Milwaukee's gayborhood to the front lines of Chicago's AIDS crisis.

November 28, 2025

Shawn Wandahsega: causing a commotion with confrontational drag

Thirty-five years ago, he left the brutal bullies of his hometown behind to conquer Wisconsin stages as drag legend Shawna Love.

November 18, 2025

Vicky Hasko: carving out Wausau’s first space for queer celebration

Only four years after Stonewall, she created a regional destination, meaningful community memories, and a historic landmark for northern Wisconsin.

October 01, 2025

Lecia Sams: from "Cherry Bomb" to chosen family

Soaring above the challenges of her youth with resilience and strength, Lecia became a champion for her community.

October 01, 2025

Paul "Cricket" Jacob: from the farm to the front lines of the fight

He knew he was gay. He thought he didn't want to be. After a supportive caregiver cured his doubts, Cricket became an unstoppable force for change.

October 01, 2025

Mike Fitzpatrick: five decades of shaping Wisconsin's future

Since the 1980s, Mike's relentless activism has connected us on the dancefloor, in the media, and in the streets.

May 04, 2025

Diana Mixalakopoulou: gorgeous glimpses of the Golden Age of Drag

Forty years ago, she photographed the legendary Club 219 showgirls for a film school project. Now, the Diana Diary has become living history.

April 24, 2025

Caryn Moczynski: authentic, amplified and living out loud

Inspired by legendary female musicians, Caryn has become a long-running voice for women's music on Milwaukee airwaves.

November 30, 2024

Del Slowik: celebrating the Golden Age of Club 219

A chance encounter on a Milwaukee beach ignited the romance of a lifetime -- and launched a legendary gay nightspot's 25-year reign.

November 16, 2024

Goldie Adams: never take freedom for granted

After forty plus years of drag performances, Goldie shares her colorful story for the first time.

October 30, 2024

Barb Coyle: a lifetime of music, community and love

For nearly 20 years, Barb's weekly radio show broke local barriers for women's music.

October 10, 2024

Marlo Rhodes: being seen for six decades

Trans youth of the 1960s weren't welcome at home or safe on the streets. Now 80, Marlo Rhodes shares her stories of survival.

October 09, 2024

Barbara Hayden: the nights belonged to us

Nearly seventy years after taking a summer job that changed her life forever, Barbara reflects on what the LGBTQ community has gained -- and lost -- since 1956.

October 08, 2024

Liberace: the spark that made Milwaukee spectacular

One can only imagine what the most visible and vocal gay man of the 20th century could have achieved – if only he had been allowed to be himself.

October 06, 2024

Frank Blunt: legendary boss of the Bad Lands

He smoked, drank, gambled, hustled, and womanized like no other man in Milwaukee. And, one fateful day in 1893, Milwaukee learned why.

October 03, 2024

Evanna Breedlove: a lifetime of love and magic

Over thirty years after moving to New York City, Evanna reflects on growing up Black and trans in the dance clubs and drag cabarets of Wisconsin.

October 01, 2024

George Schneider: we are not going backwards

From teenage runaway to beverage boss, George has lived a lifetime of community service and action.

August 28, 2024

Dave Wolz: from first-time customer to legacy owner

"Big Gay Dave" was a fixture of the Milwaukee gay scene, but it took him a while to actually come out.

July 19, 2024

Francesca Wilson: bringing innovation to nightlife

A world traveler returns to her hometown with a mission to bring an inclusive, international sensibility to queer Milwaukee nightlife.

June 17, 2024

Pam Mehnert and Lisa Malmarowski: consciously coupled

"Never date someone you work with" is fairly common advice. Meet two women who've defied it.

March 29, 2024

Debi Vance and Cindy Olsheske: the dynamic duo

Together nearly 45 years, the couple has defined LGBTQ community involvement for decades.

February 19, 2024

Maryann "Flash" Gorski: never stop searching for unicorns

For over 50 years, Maryann "Flash" Gorski has been advocating for bisexual awareness and acceptance in Milwaukee.

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