Milwaukee Guerrilla Gay Bar

Milwaukee Guerrilla Gay Bar (MGGB) emerged in 2007 as part of a growing movement of LGBTQ people organizing informal “takeovers” of mainstream bars. Similar groups had already formed in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where participants sought alternatives to traditional gay bars and opportunities to socialize in a wider range of venues.

Luke Schtele and Don Schwamb established the original concept for Milwaukee Guerrilla Gay Bar. While waiting in an airport lounge in Toronto for a flight home, the two came across a New York Times article about the Guerrilla Gay Bar movement. Inspired by the concept, they returned to Milwaukee and, within a few weeks, launched their own Guerrilla Gay Bar movement.

MGGB scouted nightlife for popular mainstream bars that could safely accommodate a large crowd. Business owners received no warning, and MGGB received no compensation. Although thematic clues were provided on social media, there was never any rhyme or reason as to where MGGB would show up next. Nowhere was safe:  from East Side dive bars to Walker's Point sports bars to legendary pick-up joints to suburban malls.

The group operated under strictly anonymous terms.  No one used their real names in outbound communication.  Every member of the organizational "Politburo" had a codename. All emails, social media posts, and event invitations came from "Citizen X" and the "Ministry of Propaganda." Random volunteers were recruited to hand out stickers indicating MGGB solidarity at events.  Initially, this secrecy was essential for the safety and security of the planning team. As the group became more popular, these terms prevented any one person from being the face of the organization, or using MGGB for personal gain or profit. 

MGGB was a very early case study in social media marketing. The organization initially used MySpace as their primary form of communication, later adding a Yahoo mailing list, Facebook, and Twitter. If you did not follow the accounts, you received no communication.  MGGB did not advertise in any publication nor provide any schedule of events. It followed the same exact operational blueprint for its entire existence.

At noon on the first Friday of every month, the group simply announced its takeover location on social media. At 9:30 p.m. sharp, they simply arrived at the takeover location -- in massive numbers -- to transform the straight space into a gay bar.  Unsuspecting businesses rarely recognized what was happening until the bar was filled to capacity.  At midnight, MGGB simply disappeared like the Pied Piper, leading its guests elsewhere to complete their nights.

The first Milwaukee takeover took place on August 3, 2007. By December 2007, over 100 people were attending the monthly event. Within a year, crowds had grown to more than 250 people at some events. With over 400 confirmed attendees, the March 2008 takeover of Victor's was the largest ever.

MGGB sought to shatter the same-old, same-old nightlife routines, while creating experiences outside the comfort zone of known gay bars. The group's use of words such as “guerrilla,” “takeover,” and “revolution” was deliberately playful rather than political or confrontational. Participants were encouraged to behave like ordinary customers: buy drinks, play pool, socialize, and enjoy the evening. Although MGGB's impact was socially disruptive, the group explicitly rejected confrontational behavior.  

MGGB did not make trouble, nor did it expect trouble. Throughout the organization's nine-year history, there was never a single negative experience at any event. Many host bars welcomed the sudden influx of customers, although large crowds could place considerable demands on staff and facilities. As attendance grew, finding mainstream bars large enough to accommodate hundreds of additional customers became increasingly difficult. Some regular customers were uncomfortable with the sudden arrival of a large LGBTQ crowd, but participants typically outnumbered the bar's regular patrons.

Some gay bar owners expressed concern that the events diverted customers from their businesses, particularly because the takeovers generally took place on Friday nights. MGGB organizers and participants, however, viewed the gatherings as an activator, rather than a replacement for Milwaukee's LGBTQ bars. The takeovers generally lasted only two hours, after which many participants continued their evenings at established LGBTQ venues.  MGGB brought people out who wouldn't otherwise be going out -- and inspired them to stay out after the takeovers were over.

At the height of MGGB's fame, bar owners contacted MGGB seeking to be "taken over" as a boost for business. However, MGGB did not go anywhere it was invited. It only went where it wasn't expected. The organization had no operating expenses, other than stickers, creating zero incentive for planned or sponsored events that would jeopardize its disruptive reputation.

In 2008, Luke Schtele left Milwaukee for a career opportunity and Michail Takach became the de facto leader of MGGB.  Under his leadership, MGGB continued its regular first-Friday takeovers and expanded its activities to include occasional happy-hour events.

After nearly a decade, the group's popularity began to decline. Truth be told: mainstream bars became increasingly welcoming to LGBTQ customers, eliminating one of the original motivations for the takeovers.  The barriers that seemed very, very real in 2007 felt ironic, if not silly, by 2015.  Millennials, in particular, went where their friends were, whether those spaces were gay or straight. As mainstream acceptance advanced, especially after marriage equality, LGBTQ people no longer needed a large group or organized event to explore nightlife. 

This social shift was noted by local gay bars. Between 2007 and 2017, over half of Milwaukee's gay bars closed -- including new bars that had only recently opened -- as well as half of the gay bars in the United States.

In January 2017, MGGB held its last takeover event at the rooftop bar of the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel in the Third Ward. The event, timed for the same week of the Trump inauguration, was a salute to the spirit of subversion in the wake of tyranny.

Note: while some organizations attempted to resurrect "Guerrilla Gay Bar" events in Milwaukee, they were not associated with nor endorsed by the Milwaukee Guerrilla Gay Bar organization.

Resources

• MGGB website (archived)
  
• MGGB on Flickr
  
• MGGB media coverage (2008)
  
• MGGB feature story on Milwaukee NPR (2024)
  

Takeover locations