Summer to Be Seen Tour amplifies LGBTQ voices

The Summer to Be Seen Tour, our summer outreach program, will bring LGBTQ history and heritage exhibits to over a dozen hometown pride celebrations throughout Wisconsin

This year's tour, which kicks off Friday, June 6 in Green Bay, will visit pride events in Hurley/Ironwood, Viroqua, Stevens Point, Marshfield, Eau Claire, Sheboygan, Port Washington, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Watertown, and more, before an August closing party in Madison.

The Summer to Be Seen Tour was launched in May 2024 to honor the History Project's 30th anniversary.  Founded in June 1994 by local organizers and Jim Kepner of the ONE Institute, the History Project hosted interactive exhibits for 25 years at PrideFest Milwaukee.

"In 1994, people had to travel to big cities to celebrate pride," said Michail Takach, board chair. "Even Milwaukee did not have annual celebrations before 1988, so people always had to travel to Chicago."

"Our Summer to Be Seen Tour recognizes that there are now vibrant, diverse, and extremely hard-working pride organizations in every corner of Wisconsin. People want to be proud in their hometowns, where they live, work, and love, and we want to support that spirit of being seen."

The Summer to Be Seen Tour reconnects Wisconsin with histories not taught in schools or families, amplifies LGBTQ voices and visibility, curates local stories for further research, and inspires advocacy for inclusive and accessible history.

This year's tour seeks to interview LGBTQ elders, who were on the frontlines of the liberation movement long before "pride" was even possible, especially those outside Milwaukee and Madison. Thanks to a generous grant from the Canary Fund, the Project will be celebrating these pioneers with a traveling LGBTQ History Month exhibit in October.

"During last summer's travels, we saw the changing faces of pride from Mineral Point to Door County, from Superior to Ripon, from Platteville to Rhinelander. And we learned more from these communities than we could ever teach them," said Diane Gregory, program director.

Being seen -- and building strong coalitions -- are especially important for the History Project, especially as LGBTQ history is at ongoing risk of erasure within the federal government.

"It's never been more important to protect our past, while confronting the realities of our present," said Nicole Kurth, program director.

"Together, we are truly unstoppable."

The Project is now recruiting volunteers and event interns to staff tour stops throughout June and July.

The Summer to Be Seen Tour was self-funded by ongoing fundraising efforts, and supported by a generous public history grant from the LGBTQ+ History Association.

Questions? Contact the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project to learn more.