This Is It!

This Is It was opened in 1968 by June Brehm. Its first advertising in a gay publication appeared in the August 1972 GPU News with an ad stating "The East Side's New Food 'N' Fun Bar", and listed proprietors Mike (Latona) and June (Brehm.). After ongoing disagreements, especially around June's vision of creating a welcoming and safe "home bar" for gay men, Latona exited the business. June ran the bar solo for the next nine years.

The August 1976 issue of the local "GLIB Guide" describes the business as follows: "Popular downtown lounge busy with reserved gentlemen and then some not so reserved." And the Spartacus American Bicentennial Gay Guide (1976) described it as "Popular dance bar which gets a nice crowd of varied gay people, old and young, butch and not-so-butch, male, female-- in short, someone for everyone."

That description still applied over 50 years later.

After a debilitating stroke, June needed help running This Is It. Joe Brehm stepped in to manage the bar. For the next 30 years, there were virtually no changes to experience, ambience or architecture. While June retained ownership (and day-to-day office duties) until her death in January 2010, her son Joe was the friendly face of This Is It to the general public.

Under Joe's management, the bar earned a reputation for being not only the longest continuously running gay bar in Wisconsin, but also being a staunch supporter of LGBTQ causes and communities. Joe was close friends with Terry Boughner and Jerry Johnson and supported production of the Wisconsin Light. This Is It also hosted fundraising events for Cream City Foundation, Milwaukee AIDS Project, SSBL, HIT, and other community causes.

Around 2010, George Schneider joined the staff of 'This Is It', and later became part owner and manager. George brought both experience from other bars in the city and a loyal following of new customers. In 2012, This Is It began making small changes to interior design that caught the attention of long-time customers, who feared the character of the bar would be lost.

The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published a 2012 book "Bottoms Up- A Toast to Wisconsin's Historic Bars & Breweries" (written by Jim Draeger and Mark Speltz). The book highlights 70 bars and breweries that have defined Wisconin as a tavern state. "This Is It" is mentioned in the text as a bar that shaped gay and lesbian bars in the state, and is one of only 6 bars in Milwaukee singled out for a 2-page writeup. The article begins in part: "In the late 1960's... Gay bars were far from common, but (June Brehm) knew a lot of gay people and wanted to create a comfortable and safe gathering place during a time when gays suffered great discrimination."

Joe Brehm passed away on April 3, 2016. George Schneider assumed full ownership and pledged to steward the family's nightlife legacy.

• 2018 saw three major milestones. First, the cozy bar doubled in size, adding new rest rooms, a second bar, a removable stage, and dressing rooms. The expansion also included a semi-permanent rotating exhibit space for the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. With a larger space, This Is It could accommodate visiting and local drag performers, as well as DJ dance parties and ballroom house events. This Is It, operating under a new type of business license, also added alcohol-free "teen nights" for 17+ customers in fall 2018. The bar also became home to MKE Vogue Nights, which extended June's vision of unapologetic acceptance to Black and Brown customers who often felt unwelcome and unseen in Milwaukee's LGBTQ nightlife. While the expansion increased the viability of the business, some longtime customers felt this was an ill-conceived misfire that damaged the timeless ambience of This Is It.
  
• On August 3, 2018, This is It kicked off a 50th anniversary celebration, including host Karen Valentine, a keynote presentation from the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, and commendations from Senator Tammy Baldwin, State Representative Jonathan Brostoff, County Executive Chris Abele, and Mayor Tom Barrett.
  
• On November 3, 2018, rainbow crosswalks were installed around the nearby Cathedral Square. Schneider, in partnership with Michail Takach from Milwaukee Pride and Tony Snell from the Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission, succesfully lobbied for the concept and changed local ordinances to create the Paint the Pavement program. The crosswalks were dedicated to the 1st Annual Pride March & Rally of 1989 (which occurred in Cathedral Square,) as well as June Brehm's 50-year committment to inclusive spaces.

During the pandemic, This Is It took responsible measures to protect the health and livelihood of its workers, customers, and performers. When Pride was canceled in 2020, This Is It hosted a "virtual pride" that allowed performers to continue working and earning, without the exposure risks of large crowds.

In February 2021, Brian Firkus (aka Trixie Mattel) bought an ownership stake in& This Is It. He claimed that This Is It was his favorite bar in the world, and he wanted to ensure it stayed open for years to come. Firkus earned significant media attention for the partnership, and was widely seen as "saving" This Is It rather than simply becoming another investor in the business. Whatever the arrangement, Firkus did not assume management of the bar, and was only seen at This Is It occasionally (including an annual Halloween visit.) Although Firkus was celebrated as the "owner" of This Is It, Schneider and his team were the real unsung heroes who kept the bar open daily for the next four years.

Sample media coverage: Out.com; Them.Us; and JSOnline.

Despite recovering from the pandemic, This Is It was hit hard by supply chain issues, inflation, and reduced business post-pandemic. In addition, the bar's primary audience (Generation Z) was not consuming alcohol like earlier generations, which impacted sales and profit.

While Schneider anticipated Wells Street reconstruction in 2024, no one could have ever predicted the devastasting impact of this project. For over a year, construction hammered Wells Street, leaving the 400 block of East Wells Street unsafe to navigate and totally inaccesible by car. With multiple, competing phases happening all at once on surrounding streets, most customers assumed This Is It was temporarily closed -- while it was actually fighting harder than ever before to survive. (During Pride weekend 2024, the bar was literally accessible only by the alleyway as sidewalks, streets, and even the rainbow crosswalks had been totally obliterated.)

The end came suddenly. The bar was open as usual on Saturday night, March 8, 2025, closing at 2am on Sunday morning. By noon Sunday, the end was announced on social media: the bar was "permanently closed" without notice. There was no long goodbye, no farewell show, no community fundraiser to save the bar. Trixie Mattel made no attempt to use her star power, social influence, and/or professional reach to save the bar -- and she made only a vague statement about the closing several days after it happened.

This Is It was just suddenly gone. It was a sad end to what had been one of Milwaukee's most memorable, meaningful, and spiritual destinations for three generations.

That afternoon, a group of longtime customers and employees gathered in Cathedral Square to mourn the loss of their spiritual home. Through fundraisers, benefits, tribute shows, and feature stories over the next few months, This Is It remained close to everyone's heart. In April 2025, Schneider donated the bar's digital, social, and print photo collections to the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project for archival preservation.

In turn, the History Project sought a State Historic Marker for This Is It and achieved initial approval in July 2025. A historic marker is anticipated to be installed in late 2025.

418 E Wells remains vacant awaiting its next lease on life.