Photo credit: Benson Kua
With the Democratic National Convention (DNC) opening just four months away on Monday, July 13, I was curious about the preparations underway among LGBTQs and our community organizations for this historic three-day event. So, I asked some friends, business owners and community activists what plans, if any, were in the works.
Of course, a lot of people I know are renting rooms or entire houses to help accommodate the anticipated 50,000 DNC attendees. It will certainly be a windfall for some, with rents ranging into the thousands per night depending on the location and the number of guests.
Others are volunteering. For those inclined to volunteerism and community activism, this national event offers a unique opportunity to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime historic moment. With the focus of the nation (and in fact, the world) upon us, scores of LGBTQs along with other diverse groups will showcase the city as an inclusive, modern and progressive metropolis. The Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee website, milwaukee2020.com, offers all the information needed if you care to join the DNC’s estimated 15,000 volunteers.
Beyond the convention’s logistics, the DNC will add another chapter to the chronicle of Milwaukee’s LGBTQ community. Actually, it already has. Pete Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten, has a Cream City connection. After graduating UW–Eau Claire in 2011, he worked here for Milwaukee’s First Stage as an instructor in its Theater Academy. Wisconsin also boasts a U.S. senator, Tammy Baldwin, and several LGBTQ-identified lawmakers at all levels of government. Some will no doubt speak at the DNC. Meanwhile, the locals will be providing entertainment and other activities for convention-goers.
On July 13, part of a series of Stonewall National Museum and Archives exhibits presented at the LGBT Community Center, “The Harlem Renaissance—As Gay as it Was Black,” opens with a public reception and runs through Friday, July 17.
Milwaukee’s Rich History
Somewhere, hopefully, Milwaukee’s rich and long LGBTQ history will be showcased as well. PrideFest’s recent takeover of the Milwaukee History Project as an educational program offers the possibility of making the annual PrideFest history display available to DNC attendees. Given Milwaukee’s contribution to many national aspects of LGBTQ life from athletics to health, it would be a grave sin of omission not to.
I would also hope Pride Milwaukee is planning something—perhaps a PrideFest reprise at Cathedral Square (and at the same time show off our Rainbow crosswalk). That particular neighborhood is also home to This Is It!, one of the country’s oldest gay bars. It will certainly be a destination and, logically, a venue for something fabulous, I’m sure.
Speaking of bars, I have been trying to get some hint of what plans are in the making to entertain the thousands of DNC guests of LGBTQ persuasion. Fortunately, Milwaukee’s reputation for walkability comes into play here with the Walker’s Point gayborhood in immediate proximity to the convention and easily accessible by foot. I’m hoping there’ll be a block party there at least. Actually, I did get a hint or two, but I am under a gag order as things are still in the works and nothing has yet been confirmed.
We’ll see what pans out, but I’m sure the DNC will offer more than a night to remember. Updates to follow.
