October is officially LGBT History Month. In fact, 2014 marks its 20th anniversary. Established in 1994, LGBT History Month celebrates the chronicle of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and its struggle for identity, rights and equality. But, aside from National Coming Out Day, Saturday, Oct. 11, the month tends to go by with little notice given to the history part. It shouldn’t, especially now in these very significant and historic times.
Luckily, Milwaukee celebrates its LGBT history. Beginning nearly two decades ago as a PrideFest display of archival material and memorabilia, the Milwaukee LGBT History Project soon grew into an entity unto itself. Lead by volunteers Don Schwamb and Jerry Johnson, collecting and preserving local history became a mission. The result was a website, mkelgbthist.org and the annual history exhibition at PrideFest. The website offers an overview of past personalities, organizations, businesses and bars that have developed into the social and political fabric that is today’s Milwaukee LGBT community. The Project’s annual exhibit, located in PrideFest’s Art and Culture Building, features an interactive timeline of Milwaukee’s LGBT history. Viewers may add their own memories along the span of decades. For many, it is a moving and emotional experience.
As a result of that labor of love, UW-Milwaukee began working with the LGBT History Project, collecting materials to be cataloged and preserved. Managed by archivists Michael Doylen and Max Yela, the LGBT Archives at UWM provide a permanent repository for all manner of documents and printed material related to the development of the community. It represents one of the few collections of its kind nationwide. In recognition of LGBT History Month’s 20th anniversary, the LGBT Archive will post images of items from its collection at uwmarchives.tumblr.com. It’s well worth a look. The 1980s-era Milwaukee Gay/Lesbian Cable Network broadcasts, now digitalized, are also available for viewing online.
There’s living history as well. One of Milwaukee’s original old gay bars, This is It on the Lower East Side, is still in business. With its original décor intact, it remains a trip down memory lane.
For all the nostalgia and history, there are still gaps in the Milwaukee LGBT historical narrative. In the early days of recorded LGBT history, there was a natural habit of seeing things through a narrow prism. The idea of “history” was personal and innocently unconcerned with our wider community. The stories of African Americans and Latinos, among other minorities within the minority, still need to be told and documented. As our sensitivities mature, our inclusiveness needs to grow. It is critically important for LGBT history to remain as much in our collective consciousness as that of any ethnic or national group. The necessity of maintaining a cultural and historical awareness requires younger and diverse LGBT people to pick up where their predecessors have left off. They’ll need to fill in the blanks. Our LGBT legacy depends on it.
