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Women holding hands and Pride flag
April is a celebratory month for the lesbian community with International Lesbian Visibility Week, April 25 through May 2. In Milwaukee, the community has been a leading force in achieving LGBTQ equality with many early lesbian activists recognized by the Shepherd Express LGBTQ + Progress Awards.
Propelled in part by the pre-Stonewall women’s and feminist movements, local lesbian political activism exploded in the early 1970s. Several helped co-found the city’s first queer organization, the Gay People’s Union (GPU). In 1972, The Amazon: A Feminist Journal first appeared as a mimeographed flyer and evolved into a full-fledged news, health and political publication for the women’s movement addressing the salient issues of the times. It remained in print until 1984. Activist and writer Jamakaya served as Amazon’s editor from 1979-1983.
Presaging the struggle for marriage equality and garnering national attention at the time, perhaps the most daring political act of the era was undertaken by Donna Burkett and her partner Menonia Evans. On Oct. 1, 1971, the couple applied for a marriage license at the Milwaukee County Clerk’s office. Their application was refused and they sued. Meanwhile, they married in a ceremony on Christmas Day that year. However, two weeks later, their lawsuit was dismissed on a technicality.
Later that decade, in 1974, a local lesbian would enlist in the US Army and begin a military career like no other. Miriam Ben Shalom first made history as one of the first female drill sergeants. That would pale compared to the history she was about to make. Admitting she was a lesbian, the Army discharged her in 1976. She sued in 1980 and, based on questions of the constitutionality of her discharge, a judge ruled in her favor, ordering the Army to reinstate her. A legal contest ensued.
Eight years later, Ben Shalom became the first gay or lesbian to be re-instated in the U.S. military. Her service was short lived, however, as she was again discharged in 1989. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court failed, with the court refusing to hear her case. She would go on to help found the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Veterans of America, now known as Veterans for Equal Rights.
Ben Shalom continued her activism but not without controversy, this time within the LGBTQ community. In 2016, the Milwaukee Pride Parade board of directors selected Ben Shalom as its Grand Marshall. It then rescinded the honor when it learned of Ben Shalom’s publicly expressed views on transgenderism that it considered transphobic and incompatible with the Pride Parade’s mission. Deeming transwomen as “fetishistic” and “delusional,” her more recent activism has seen her aligning with anti-trans conservative religious factions in the name of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Founded in 1989 by Donna Utke, Karen Gotzler and other local activists, the Lesbian Alliance of Metro Milwaukee (LAMM) soon became the city’s go-to organization for its lesbian community. Serving the social, political, artistic, and spiritual needs of Milwaukee-area lesbians, LAMM had a broad appeal that attracted hundreds of members. One described its various activities including concerts, Valentine’s Day dances and its famous house parties where “women were packed in breast-to-breast.” It also had specialized sub-organizations including the LAMM Education Fund and Silver Space, a support group for older lesbians as well as other support groups addressing the various needs of its members.
As with many LGBTQ groups, the LAMM’s heyday has waned in recent years. Brenda Hanus, a lesbian transwoman involved since 2002, and its current chairperson, pointed out the realities of contemporary lesbian life. “When I got involved there were lots of activities. Today it’s a different world since the early days. The older people aren’t participating anymore and younger lesbians aren’t interested. Attendance has been dropping off but we still had game and movie nights. Since the pandemic hit, we’ve been in a stand-by mode. When the LGBT Community Center opens up again, we hope to get people involved again,” Hanus said.
Milwaukee’s lesbian bar scene saw its peak in the later quarter of the 20th century and early 2000s. Popular spots like Fannies, Mona’s Out and About, Kathy’s Nut Hut and Station 2, among others, are long gone but remain a constant source of lesbian lore and nostalgia. Only Walker’s Pint, having just celebrated its 20th anniversary, retains the appellation “lesbian bar.” However, the “Pint” makes its reputation on its inclusiveness and all are welcome. It has also recently established its own philanthropic organization, formalizing its traditional role of supporting the Milwaukee’s greater LGBTQ community.
Lesbian artists and athletes have also made their mark on the greater community’s cultural life and recreational sports. Visual and performance artists regularly exhibited at the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center (MGAC) where solo and group shows addressed a range of issues from hetero-normative gender expectations and male patriarchy to motherhood. LAMM once sponsored an art show at MGAC exhibiting works created as art therapy by women.
Founded in 2006, Women’s Voices Milwaukee performed at venues throughout the city including MGAC and PrideFest. Other recognized artists include poetess Carmen Murguia and filmmaker-musician Ashley Altadonna. Of course, a large contingent of lesbian athletes play on any number of teams across the local LGBTQ sports spectrum.
In politics, Karen Gotzler became Milwaukee’s first out candidate for the city’s Common Council in 1996. Sura Faraj ran for the same office a dozen years later. Both campaigns were unsuccessful but they raised awareness of the community’s political engagement.
Although the age of activism has waned with the achievement of a degree of rights not enjoyed in the past, lesbian empowerment created over the decades since Stonewall has translated to high profile personalities across the business, professional educational and political realms continuing the struggle for equality.
