This Is It! (bar)

is a gay bar established in 1968 by Catherine "June" Brehm[5] and business partner Michael Latona.

[11] Joseph Brehm died on April 3, 2016, from complications associated with ALS[7] leaving full control of the establishment to his business partner, George Schneider.

ft. of space previously used as a private dining room for Louise's, and began construction on an expansion project in September 2018.

[13] The project not only doubled the venue's overall size and capacity, it also added a new "show bar", dance floor, and performance space with a removable, modular stage.

[15] This installation not only satisfied the qualifications to obtain the license, but also created an opportunity for patrons of all ages to learn the history of the LGBT+ bar scene in their city.

In February 2021, it was announced that drag queen Trixie Mattel (Brian Firkus) had joined Schneider as co-owner of This is It!.

[18] In March 2016, Joseph and June Brehm, as well as the bar itself, were recognized for their contributions to the LGBT community by Senator Tammy Baldwin.

The bar started hosting a monthly "Pink Hat Party" fundraising event in January 2012.

[25] On a visit to Vancouver, British Columbia in October 2018, Schneider was impressed by that city's rainbow crosswalk installations.

He shared an image on the bar's social media, and proposed the idea that Milwaukee should have similar crosswalk installations.

The post was well received and Schneider began working with the City of Milwaukee to make the crosswalks a reality.

[26][27] It took nearly 2 years of work and cooperating with the City of Milwaukee to lay the foundations to install the crosswalks - the initial proposal being rejected.

May 1973 advertisement, GPU News
Letter from Senator Tammy Baldwin
50th Anniversary Accolade
Front view of bar, 2012
A view of the crosswalks looking east towards the lake.