While Pride Month is celebrated in June, next week marks a special occasion for the “L” in the equation. Since 1990, Lesbian Visibility Week has been an annual celebration of identity, community, culture and progress.
This year’s theme is “United, not Uniform” – extending a universal message of inclusion, sisterhood, and solidarity with all LGBTQ women and non-binary people.
Lesbian Visibility Week is managed by the Curve Foundation, which champions lesbian, queer women, transgender and nonbinary folx’s stories and culture, especially those of marginalized people, through intergenerational programming and community building.
Founded in 1990, the best-selling Curve magazine (formerly Deneuve) defined lesbian culture for three decades before going all-digital. Today, the magazine is released quarterly. ("Ahead of the Curve," a documentary about Curve, debuts April 22 on Netflix.)
Visibility matters more than ever in the lesbian community, which has seen its spaces decimated by economic, demographic, and social changes. Prior to the pandemic, researchers confirmed there were only 15 lesbian bars remaining in the country. The Lesbian Bar Project, launched in October 2020, seeks to celebrate, support, and preserve the remaining lesbian bars in the United States – including Walker’s Pint, 818 S. 2nd St.
Through fundraisers, documentaries, public service announcements, and influencer outreach, the Project has been able to raise over a quarter million dollars to support the surviving bars. (Check out the documentary, now streaming free on the Roku Channel.)
Walker’s Pint’s status as Wisconsin’s last remaining lesbian bar has been featured in multiple interviews, books (including Gregorr Mattson’s "Who Needs Gay Bars?") and podcasts (including the "Be Seen" series.)
Thanks to this focused campaign, there’s been a resurgence in queer spaces post-pandemic. The Lesbian Bar Project now reports 32 known bars – with new women’s spaces opening in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York – and even a new lesbian pop-up event here in Milwaukee (i.e., the enigmatic Her Lounge.)
Think global, act local.
With so much focus on disappearing lesbian spaces, long-time community organizer Stephanie Hume expected big local plans for Lesbian Visibility Week 2024.
But none were planned at all. No Milwaukee-based LGBTQ organization had any plans on their calendar.
“Many of our local lesbian organizations have either disbanded or disappeared,” said Stephanie. “The last one, Lesbian Alliance of Metro Milwaukee, went dormant after 30 years. The Old Timer’s Party, which brought women together once a year for four decades, ended with the pandemic. It’s safe to say that our community traditions are becoming endangered.”
Stephanie reached out to the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, where she serves as a community advisor. After presenting a proposed partnership with the Curve Foundation, Stephanie found herself leading a committee to make Milwaukee Lesbian Visibility Week happen. “If it wasn’t for the History Project Board, volunteers and partners, none of this would have happened,” said Stephanie. “They provided the funding, staffing, and support needed to bring this to life.”
“I can’t thank these people enough: Bet-z Boenning of Walker’s Pint, Ricardo Galaviz of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Tiffany Thomas of City Hall’s HIVE employee resource group, Dan Terrio of the Milwaukee County Office, Audrey Nowakowski of WUWM-FM, Jack Feria of Milwaukee Film, Maureen Kane of MMK Design, the entire team at Clark Graphics, and of course, Franco Stevens of the Curve Foundation.”
“I’d also like to thank this year’s Women to Know nominees, who agreed to step forward, share their life stories, and be seen,” said Stephanie. “We put these events together with very little time or money, but lots of volunteer dedication. I hope more women will step up next year to represent the richness of our women’s community. Representation requires participation -- so that the true diversity and strength of our community can BE SEEN.”
“Special thanks to Gov. Tony Evers, County Executive David Crowley, and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson for issuing civic proclamations honoring Lesbian Visibility Week,” said Stephanie. “We have always been here, but we haven’t always been recognized. It is a wonderful feeling to be seen.”
This year’s Lesbian Visibility Week program includes:
Sunday, April 21: “Queen of my Dreams” screening at Milwaukee Film, 12:15 p.m.; Women’s History Celebration at Walker’s Pint, 1-5 p.m.
Monday-Friday: "Wisconsin Women to Know" exhibit, City Hall Rotunda, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily; Lesbian Pride illuminations, City Hall & County Courthouse, at dusk daily
Monday, April 22: "Ahead of the Curve" documentary debut, Netflix
Tuesday, April 23: Lesbian Visibility Week: History Lesson, WUWM-FM
Wednesday, April 24: Beyond the Rainbow Conversation: Two-Spirit Healing, Zoom
Thursday, April 25: Beyond the Rainbow Conversation: Queer Women of Color Leaders, Zoom
Friday, April 26: Beyond the Rainbow Conversation: The Importance of Lesbian Archives, Zoom
Saturday, April 27: Old Fashioned Pot Luck at Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, 1-4 p.m.
Questions about Lesbian Visibility Week? Contact the Lesbian Visibility Week 2024 Committee. Explore over a century of local LGBTQ history at the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project website.
