Intermezzo

Intermezzo almost didn't happen.  Owner Don Hoffman faced bureaucratic challenges with the Milwaukee Common Council that nearly cancelled his plans.

“People always tell me that I can’t do something or that it’s impossible, but then I make it happen," Hoffman told Milwaukee Magazine in December 2006.

Curiously, Hoffman always denied that Intermezzo was a gay bar.

On June 22, 2006, he spoke with Julie Lawrence of OnMilwaukee.com:

“The idea of exclusive gay bars is a dying dinosaur,” he says. “Folks that don’t realize that are missing the boat and (their establishments) probably won’t stay open very long.”

“Many LGBT folks aren’t interested in going to just gay bars anymore, so many bars are having specific 'gay' nights, just like they would have a ladies’ night, and it lets gay community know that they are open and welcoming,” he says. 

“Kids today have grown up with more of a sense of acceptance. You find more and more gay kids who don’t just want to be around LGBT people and I think it’s a testament to the progress of the movement -- no more hanging out in places with the windows painted over.”