Drag superstar Trixie Mattel has opened up about the closure of Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar, This Is It!, which shut its doors months before its 57th anniversary.
The bar’s closure, which was announced suddenly on 9 March by Trixie’s co-owner George Schneider, was due to difficult economical environment, including the COVID-19 pandemic and local building work surround the Milwaukee venue preventing easy entry.
The bar first opened in 1968, and was the oldest continually running gay bar in the state, through its founder, June Brehm, and her son, Joseph. Schneider first started working as a bartender at This Is It! in 2010, before acquiring it in 2012.
This Is It! was effectively saved from closure by Trixie in 2021, after she stepped in to partner with Schneider; she credits the gay bar as the first she visited after turning 21.
Speaking on her podcast The Bald and the Beautiful with fellow Drag Race alum and frequent collaborator Katya, Trixie opened up about the bar’s closure.
“When I bought in [to the bar] during COVID, every gay bar was doing horribly. Every bar, every restaurant, every business, and I came in during COVID and it was like, ‘Alright, now we got two people on CPR instead of just one, let’s try to troubleshoot this.”
Trixie continued, “The business was struggling when I came in and we’d been circling the drain…” to which Katya replied, “And people don’t know that!”
“Yeah, when you throw parties and have a fun environment for a living… We want people to come in and have a wonderful time. It was really sad, and that’s the bar that I got my first drink at, that’s the bar I met boyfriends at, I met my roommates there, I loved performing there, I’ve done dozens of shows there over the years,” the All Stars winner reflected.
“I loved that bar. I know gay bars are just bars, and to straight people it seems [like that], but…” she said, with Katya adding: “Gay bars can be sanctuaries.”
Schneider, in his original statement on Instagram and Facebook (which was later posted to X by drag fan account @Drag_Crave) reads as follows:
“This summer would have been the 57th anniversary of This is It!. Unfortunately, that celebration will not come to pass. As of today, we have closed our doors permanently. The COVID crisis and the years following 2020, coupled with the 8 month closure of our street and sidewalk last year, put the business in a position that we could not ultimately overcome.
“We would like to thank all the staff, performers, and friends who made the magic of This is It! happen over the years. We also thank everyone in the community for the many years of loyal patronage. This is It! has been so much more than a nightlife spot for the queer community. It has been a gathering place, a safe place, a second home, and the memories made at the bar will stay in our hearts forever. We want you to know that we did everything we could to keep our doors open for you.
“One last time, we honor our founders June and Joseph Brehm. While they are no longer with us, they would have been fighting the last few years along side us. Their memory and legacy lives on in our hearts too.
“It’s with much sadness, but with so much love, we bid all of you farewell. Take care of each other, and please continue to support local and queer-owned businesses.”
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