To spot This Is It!, look for a classic brick building on the corner of Jefferson and Wells, usually marked by bright rainbow signage and an iconic martini glass logo that really pops against the more traditional surroundings; just follow the color and cheer!
Alright, you’ve made it to This Is It!-don’t let the playful nickname “Tits” throw you off, this place is all heart! Picture yourself standing here in front of a building that’s been quietly making history since 1915. The doors you see have welcomed folks since 1936, but in 1968, something magical happened-June Brehm and her business partner, Michael Latona, turned this spot into a safe haven for Milwaukee’s LGBT+ community. Basically, walking into This Is It! was like stepping through a rainbow-colored wormhole to a time when courage and togetherness were needed most.
Back then, being “out” wasn’t easy-nerves frayed, secrets whispered-but June made sure her bar was always waiting with a warm greeting, a strong drink, and a community that had each other’s backs. After taking over solo in 1970, June poured decades of love and laughter into every inch of these walls. August nights might have drifted with the sound of clinking glasses and Motown hits, especially after her son, Joseph, joined her at the helm, bringing new energy. Imagine them together through the decades: bright-eyed in bell-bottoms in ’70s Milwaukee, then quietly shepherding the community through the haze of the AIDS crisis, heartbreaks, and moments of rallying hope.
And through it all, This Is It! never missed a beat-never closed down, not even for a serious crisis (except, of course, to unclog a stubborn drain or slap on a lick of paint!). When June passed away in 2010, Joseph kept the torch burning with passion, before passing it to George Schneider when illness made that no longer possible-George, a man who joked he was “the custodian of a huge amount of history and their legacy,” kept the spirit alive, lighting up the corner with more drag, more laughter, and double the dance floor after a major expansion in 2019.
After George joined forces with Wisconsin’s own drag superstar, Trixie Mattel, in 2021, things got just a little more fabulous. Whether you came for the show bar, the unexpectedly epic dance floor, or the brand-new performance space, you knew this was where the party-and the story-kept growing. The bar even became Milwaukee’s only LGBT+ bar to welcome 18+ guests on special nights, thanks to a Visual and Performing Arts license. And let’s not forget the rainbow crosswalk out front-after two years of work by George and the city, the intersection itself now sparkles with paint as bright as the stories inside.
This Is It! was always more than a bar. Fundraisers, like their storied “Pink Hat Parties,” helped support everyone from the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center to the Aids Resource Center of Wisconsin and even the local symphony. It was here that the community could learn its own story, thanks to exhibits made in partnership with the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. This place earned shoutouts from senators, mayors, and even won a permanent place on Milwaukee’s “must-visit” list for making everyone-absolutely everyone-feel at home.
Sadly, in March 2025, the party had to end after nearly 60 years, shut down by tough times from COVID and street construction. But the echo of clinking glasses, drag queens’ laughter, and June’s welcoming spirit still seem to buzz in the air. If you listen closely, you might catch a whisper of the old days-proof that pride, love, and a stiff martini always were Milwaukee’s best recipe for history.
