Discovering Pride Through LGBT MilWALKee
June 1, 2022
By Ashley Altadonna
How often have you driven past an abandoned storefront or really any building and considered its history? What stories and memories or secrets does it hold? I’ve lived in Milwaukee for over twenty years, and though a part of its LGBTQ community, I never really thought about the history that our community has with the city. Certainly, it isn’t something that is taught in schools or even talked about, except perhaps during Pride. Maybe because it too often feels like we are in a daily struggle to maintain our rights currently, what with state legislators drafting bathroom bills, banning healthcare, or our participation in school activities.
Thankfully, several months ago a long-time friend of mine, Dr. Brice Smith, reached out to me with an idea. What if there were a way to share our history and our stories that was easily accessible? What if there was a place to learn about the lives, organizations, and events that shaped the queer community? What if we could create an app that did just that? I was intrigued. With the help of an amazing team of writers, historians, voice actors, and app developers we created lgbt milWALKee.
This app does just what Brice imagined it could do. Here are our stories and histories brought to life through videos connected to physical sites around the city. Before starting this project, I had no idea, for example, that LGBTQ folks in Milwaukee had literally fought for their right to exist years before the Stonewall Riots in New York. I hadn’t heard the tale of the 19th-century philanderer Frank Blunt, who not only stole hearts but wallets as well, and who made headlines because they happened to be assigned female at birth. Or the story of world-famous female impersonator, Billie Heraro who made millions in post-prohibition Milwaukee, only to have their career ruined by Gypsy Rose Lee, who was appalled by the fact that Heraro’s impersonation of them was so good, that people assumed she was the genuine article.
I learned about the activists and organizers who fought for gay liberation in the 1960s and 1970s and later battled the epidemic of AIDS in the 1980s. I rediscovered parts of our city through the gay bars and bathhouses, parks, and community centers that provided a refuge for gay and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Milwaukeeans over the past century. I have come to appreciate that our history is still being made by folks today like those who organized the Pride March for Black Lives Matter, or who have stood up in our courts and demanded equal rights to marriage, healthcare, employment, and housing. I am honored to be a part of this project and I can’t wait for folks to experience Milwaukee’s rich LGBT history in the palm of their hands, and its “fabulousness at your feet”!
The lgbt milWALKee app is completely free and currently has 25 sites and videos, with plans to add another 25-75 more by the end of the year. You can see some examples of videos here or simply visit our website at, www.lgbtmilwalkee.com and donate to our GoFundMe page.
