This Month in the History of Gay and Lesbian life in Wisconsin--
Month by Month, Year by Year

This Month in Wisconsin LGBT History: June 2008
by Michail Takach and Don Schwamb

30 years ago-- 1978-- When the Milwaukee Calendar "bar rag" was being developed in early 1978, one of the editors' worries was that Milwaukee might not have enough gay activities going on to fill their calendar. But the June issue of the Milwaukee Calendar provided a "Cruise Map" including 16 gay bars, 3 bathhouses and 4 restaurants, each hosting unique events. Disco was taking Milwaukee by storm, with some bars featuring live disco seven nights a week, as well as impossibly cheap drink specials. C'est La Vie offered nickel beers all night on weeknights -- undercutting its neighbor Ballgame who charged a whopping 30 cents per beer. Almost every bar offered some variation of the beer/wine/juice bust, sometimes as cheap as $1 per night. With such tough competition, short-lived newbie "Kisses" tried to draw partiers to its Park East location with FREE tap beer and 25 cent mixed drinks, as well as free drinks every Monday with a $2 cover charge. While most of the action was taking place in the pre-gentrified Third Ward (home of the ultra-popular Factory disco, Baron nightclub, and Broadway Health Club), there were still LGBT landmarks scattered throughout the city, including the Finale in Riverwest, the Beer Garden near Washington Park, Ten Hundred East on Humboldt and North, the Mint Bar on Fourth and State, and Le Club Finlandia on Knapp Street. By the end of the next decade, all of these would be gone.

20 years ago-- 1988-- Over Memorial Day weekend, Milwaukee's Saturday Softball Beer League (SSBL) hosted the 9th Annual Classic Softball Tournament, with teams coming in from Boston, Minneapolis, Chicago and New York to compete against Milwaukee’s finest. Games ran from noon Friday through Sunday at Mitchell Park, with visiting teams hosted by local establishments including La Cage, Ball Game, M&M, Wreck Room, YP Flamingos, Beer Garden and Station II. From the opening ceremonies through the Awards Banquet at the Top of the Marine (now Chase Tower,) every bar in town sponsored a special event for the visiting players, with Ballgame offering a Friday Buffet, Wreck Room and 219 hosting free cookouts, and La Cage providing “A Taste of Milwaukee” buffet of ethnic food and a special drag show. La Cage also cranked up the competition a notch with a special drinking competition. “Milwaukee ball players have a reputation as championship drinkers – but can one of the out of town teams knock them off? All drinks ordered by your team are recorded in a chart and the winning team receives a Taste of Wisconsin Gift Pak, plus trophies for the top 3 teams." Ultimately, Chicago Sidetracks won the 1988 championship. Who won the La Cage drinking contest? Unfortunately, that's been lost to history.

15 years ago-- 1993-- Gays bash back!  Some gay bashers picked on the wrong drag queens and wound up not only hospitalized for injuries, but also facing misdemeanor battery charges for initiating the attack. The incident occurred outside La Cage at closing time. Goldie Adams, Joanne Cassidy and KC Ray were catcalled on the sidewalk by men in a passing vehicle. When Goldie approached the car, the driver lashed out and punched Goldie in the face. Goldie, who stood 6'4" tall, punched the driver back and then punched him again when he attacked the other 2 girls, eventually knocking him unconscious. The second occupant of the car attacked, but Goldie kneed him in the privates. She also beat the attacker's face until her diamond ring slashed open his cheek. Meanwhile, KC took off her high heels and bashed one of the mens’ faces. The brawl stopped traffic on National Avenue for seven minutes. Despite 20 witnesses on hand to testify, the two bashers refused to pay a fine and pleaded not guilty. The police were complimented for being “so cool, understanding and concerned” and continually referred to the victims as “Miss” even after checking ID cards that revealed their legal identities.

10 years ago-- 1998-- After producing 259 issues spanning over a decade, publishers Jerry Johnson and Terry Boughner sold premier LGBT publication The Wisconsin Light to a group of private gay and lesbian investors. Long-time community activist and writer Bill Meunier was named editor-in-chief by the new owners. Well-known in Milwaukee as an aggressive journalist, Meunier was the first to obtain Bill Clinton's commitment to ending the military ban on homosexuals at the 1992 Wisconsin Democratic convention. As it entered its second decade, The Wisconsin Light went from bi-weekly to weekly in March 1999. Citing personnel problems, declining advertising revenue, tax debt, technical difficulties and negative reception to recent stories, The Wisconsin Light officially discontinued publishing on March 29, 2000. A brief, but unsuccessful revival was attempted in late 2001 and ended in early 2002.

See relevant articles related to the above, and do your own exploring, in issues of the following periodicals that appeared 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years ago:

Note: Keep in mind that relevant news may appear in issues previous to or after the month of interest: earlier issues may have advertisements or announcements of upcoming events, and later issues may carry actual photos or more extensive coverage of events that occurred after publication deadlines.

 

Credits: "This Month in History" concept by Kate Sherry of Q-Life, and Don Schwamb;
Page design and arrangement by Don Schwamb.
Last updated: July-2008.