MILWAUKEE — After 56 years of business, This Is It!, Wisconsin’s oldest, continually operating LGBTQ+ bar is permanently closing their doors.
In a post on social media, This Is It! announced they will not be celebrating another anniversary.
The bar is an LGBTQ staple in Milwaukee and is popular for it's shows and events featuring drag queens.
In their announcement, This Is It! said this closure is due to COVID and recent construction causing their sidewalk on Wells Street to be closed saying, “The COVID crisis and the years following 2020, coupled with the 8 month closure of our street and sidewalk last year, put the business in a position that we could not ultimately overcome.”
This Is It! goes on to thank all staff, performers, and friends of the bar.
Watch: This Is It!, 'Wisconsin’s oldest LGBTQ+ bar', closes its doors after 56 years of business
In a statement, Milwaukee Alderman Peter Burgelis and Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa thank the staff and talented performers for making a home for many.
Burgelis and Zamarripa encourage everyone to continue to support local queer owned businesses.
This Is It! honors late June and Joseph Brehm as the bar’s founders in their farewell post saying, “While they are no longer with us, they would have been fighting the last few years alongside us. Their memory and legacy lives on in our hearts too.”
Read the full statement from Milwaukee Alderman Peter Burgelis and Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa below:
Milwaukee finds itself reflecting on a heartbreaking moment in Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ history. This summer would have marked the 57th anniversary of This is It!, a bar, performance space, and gathering place that has been a cornerstone of the City’s LGBtQ+ community for generations. Unfortunately, that celebration will never come to pass, as owner George Schneider announced the business’s permanent closure today.
On behalf of the city and the entire community, we want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to This is It! for its incredible and far-reaching impact over the years. For nearly six decades, this iconic establishment has been more than just a bar — it has been a sanctuary, a safe space, and a vital gathering place for Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ community.
To the dedicated staff, talented performers, and unwavering friends who made This is It! a home for so many, we thank you. Your passion, commitment, and spirit brought this place to life, creating a legacy of love, joy, and inclusion that will never be forgotten.
We acknowledge the immense challenges faced in recent years, and while it is with deep sadness that we bid farewell, we also hold on to the love, joy, and resilience that This is It! represented for so many. We are especially grateful to honor the legacy of the founders, June and Joseph Brehm, whose vision and courage made this place possible. Although they are no longer with us, their spirit and dedication live on in the community they helped create.
As we close this chapter, we encourage everyone to continue supporting local and queer-owned businesses, as they are the heart of what makes this city so special. Thank you, This is It!, for being an irreplaceable part of our city’s history. Your impact will resonate for years to come, and the love that you shared with this community will never fade.
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