Milwaukee Lesbian/Gay Pride Committee (MLGPC)

Following the Stonewall Uprising, the gay liberation movement quickly became an unstoppable force for change across America. 

In Milwaukee, new activist organizations brought that movement to life. From the Homosexual Freedom League to Gay People's Union, a succession of increasingly spirited groups demanded to be seen.

Milwaukee’s first known pride events happened in January 1971, when Gay Liberation Front hosted “Gay Pride Week,” including the state's first Pride March, cultural events, parties, dances, and demonstrations. In September 1971, Chuckie Betz and friends hijacked a Vietnam Veterans Against the War parade to demand queer visibility.  They got it: Chuckie's photo appeared on the front page of local newspapers the next day.

Gay Peoples Union continued that momentum through the 1970s, with the Midwest Homophile Conference of 1972, Gay Pride Week 1973 and the GPU Ball of 1974. Although there were no local events throughout the 1970s, GPU sponsored an annual presence at the Chicago Pride Parade, which was the major regional celebration.  In 1980, GPU hosted an extensive Gay & Lesbian Pride Week, with an encore Gay Pride Parade and rally in 1981.

However, there were no pride events again for almost a decade, likely due to the slow demise of Gay Peoples Union after 1981.

Despite the devastating impact of the AIDS crisis, the 1987 2nd March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights reignited the national pride movement. Local activists formed the Milwaukee Lesbian/Gay Pride Committee (MLGPC) and began organizing a coordinated citywide celebration. 

Their first pride celebration was "Rightfully Proud," a weeklong series of events in September 1988, which included a softball tournament and picnic at Mitchell Park, a formal ball, a town hall meeting with elected officials, and a film festival. Several hundred people participated in the various events held over a two-week period.

In June 1989, MLGPC organized Milwaukee’s first pride march in eight years. The 1st Annual Pride March & Rally was both a milestone event in Wisconsin LGBTQ history and a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.  Approximately 500 people marched two miles from Walker's Point to Cathedral Square, where another 500 people gathered for a rally. The rally was the first LGBTQ event ever attended by a Milwaukee mayor and Milwaukee county executive.  Mayor John Norquist read the city's first Pride acknowledgement proclamation, which concluded with the words, “we are proud of who you are."  Norquist's outspoken support generated controversy and led religious-based conservative groups to threaten recall campaigns. The event became the lead story on all three major Milwaukee television newscasts and appeared on the front page of the Milwaukee Journal.

In 2018, rainbow crosswalks were installed across Jefferson Street in Cathedral Square to commemorate the path of the 1st Annual Pride March & Rally.

Rather than discouraging Milwaukee’s LGBTQ community, the 1989 controversy generated significant attention for the pride movement, and encouraged more people to become involved as volunteers and visitors. Inspired by the breakaway success, the event, now known as PrideFest 1990, returned to Cathedral Square. As participation grew, PrideFest 1991 moved to Juneau Park. Entertainment stages, food and dance areas were added, gradually transforming pride from a somber act of political protest to a joyous celebration.

MLGPC continued to operate Milwaukee Pride through 1993. In 1994, the group reorganized as PrideFest Inc., which expanded the celebration into a larger, multi-day festival at Veterans Park. In 1996, PrideFest secured a place on the Summerfest grounds calendar, establishing the event at the lakefront festival site where it would become a major annual Milwaukee tradition.

In 2015, PrideFest Inc. reorganized as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Now known as Milwaukee Pride, the festival continues the legacy that MLGPC began in 1988.