The Secret History of Sailor Bars

Gay bars are a modern invention, right? Wrong. By the time of the Stonewall Uprising, southeastern Wisconsin already had three dozen known gay bars – and these were only the bars that were “out.” Long before the gay liberation movement of the 1970s, the Pansy Craze of the 1930s, and even before the vaudeville scene of the 1910s, “sailor bars” flourished on the edges of acceptable society in every major American city.

Michail Takach of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project explores the foundational roles of sailor bars in the formation of national queer identity, but documented examples of where, how, when, and why these spaces served as the origins of local LGBTQ history. Join us for a history lesson you didn’t learn in school – and an exploration of how a century of sociocultural forces made us who we are today.

Thank you to our event co-sponsor, PW Pride.

Registration is not required for this event. All are welcome!