The history of LGBTQ+ Wisconsin, preserved.
An archive of the people, places, bars, businesses, organizations, and events that shaped LGBTQ+ history across Wisconsin.
1,076 entries and growing
Why this archive exists
Queer Wisconsin is an independent project built to hold Wisconsin’s LGBTQ+ history in one searchable place — bars and businesses, people and organizations, events and media — with clear citations and room for community memory. We rewrite research into structured, neutral field data so names, dates, and places stay findable for students, families, organizers, and anyone who wants to know what came before.
For current news, walking tours, exhibits, and ongoing research from the state’s long-running nonprofit history project, visit the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. Start here when you want the archive; start there when you want the story still unfolding.
How to use this archive · Milwaukee primer · Madison primer · All guides
Also supporting Wisconsin LGBTQ history
The Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project has documented our community since 1994. WLHP keeps the story moving — news, tours, exhibits, and events at wislgbthistory.com. Queer Wisconsin is the searchable archive: history, memory, and love preserved here. Learn how the sites relate →
Featured reading
A few substantial entries and primers to start with — not the whole archive, just a doorway.
- This Is It — Milwaukee’s long-running LGBTQ bar (1968–2025)
- AB70 — Wisconsin’s landmark 1982 gay rights law
- Gay Peoples Union — early Milwaukee organizing and GPU News
- PrideFest Milwaukee — the state’s largest Pride festival
- What we cite and why — sourcing, licensing, and rewrite policy