it current logo for this is it inc. type gay bar founded 1968 founder catherine brehm 1 headquarters milwaukee wi owner george schneider website thisisitbar.com this is it also known locally as tits is a gay bar and lounge located at 418 e. wells street in milwaukee wisconsin . it is the oldest continually operating gay bar in the state of wisconsin . 2 3 4 the bar is located in a building constructed in 1915 on the corner of jefferson and wells streets . the space the bar occupies has been used as a bar and tavern since 1936 previously known as the establishment and before that vern s tap . 4 contents 1 history 2 recognition 3 community involvement 4 references 5 external links history edit may 1973 advertisement gpu news this is it is a gay bar established in 1968 by catherine june brehm 5 and business partner michael latona . june took control of the bar known previously as the establishment in 1968 . extensive remodels were done in 1969 and the bar has kept the same style since . 4 while records do not indicate the exact date june and her business partner michael split it is clear that she assumed full control on june 18 1970 . 6 joseph brehm 7 became a part owner of this is it after his mother june suffered a stroke in 1981 8 and he operated the bar concurrently with june until her death in 2010 . 5 9 after managing the bar at this is it george schneider became a part owner in 2012 . 8 10 the location at 418 e. wells street in milwaukee wi has remained the same since the bar s inception . the bar has never shut down or closed its doors for any period of time outside of normal maintenance and repairs . it is the oldest continually operating gay bar in the state of wisconsin . 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 . schneider continues to operate the bar in the tradition of joe and june saying joe and june had this bar for the first 50 years or almost 50 . i m the custodian of a huge amount of history and their legacy . i will make sure it keeps on going for another 50 . 12 recognition edit letter from senator tammy baldwin this is it was voted best gay and lesbian bar in 2012 2013 and 2014 via the a list on wisn.com . 13 the bar was also featured in the book bottoms up a toast to wisconsin s historic bars & breweries by jim draeger & mark speltz published by the wisconsin historical society press . 2 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 . 14 a copy of this letter is embedded in this article . just prior to his joseph brehm s death milwaukee s mayor tom barrett proclaimed thursday march 31 2016 joe brehm day recognizing not only june brehm s and joseph brehm s lgbt community involvement but also the bar s significance as a place that welcomes members of the lgbt community into a place of acceptance and safety since 1968 . 7 11 community involvement edit front view of bar 2012 this is it sponsors lgbt and lgbt friendly organizations . the bar started hosting a monthly pink hat party fundraising event in january 2012 . beneficiaries of the monthly pink hat party have included the milwaukee lgbt community center aids resource center of wisconsin milwaukee symphony orchestra ricardo correa scholarship foundation and the g l community fund . 15 16 this is it is also sponsors the milwaukee lgbt community center s loft lounge at pridefest milwaukee . 17 owner george schneider volunteered as pridefest milwaukee s operations director for many years resigning after the 2012 festival season . 18 references edit catherine june brehm . history of gay and lesbian life in milwaukee wisconsin . retrieved march 27 2016 . a b dreager jim 2012 . bottoms up a toast to wisconsin s historic bars & breweries . wisconsin historical society press . p. 183 . isbn 978 0 87020 498 2 . stingl jim may 4 2008 . changes bring the demise of c est la vie . jsonline.com . journal sentinel inc. retrieved 7 april 2016 . a b c horne michael 14 november 2014 . this is it our oldest gay bar . urban milwaukee . milwaukee wi . retrieved 7 april 2016 . a b schwamb don . catherine june brehm . mkelgbthist.org . milwaukee lgbt history project inc. retrieved 26 august 2014 . this is it inc. . https www.wdfi.org . wisconsin department of financial institutions . retrieved 2016 04 24 . external link in website help a b c schwamb don . joe brehm . mkelgbthist.org . milwaukee lgbt history project inc. retrieved 26 august 2014 . a b flanigan kathy june 9 2012 . tolerant times bring change to gay bars . jsonline.com . journal sentinel inc. retrieved 26 august 2014 . catherine brehm obituary . churchandchapel.com . church and chapel funeral services . retrieved 26 august 2014 . johnston michael june 2012 . cordially yours pdf . outbound vol . 11 6 . quest outbound . p. 20 . retrieved 27 august 2014 . a b mayors proclamation . mkelgbthist.org . milwaukee lgbt history project inc. retrieved 5 april 2016 . stingl jim 2016 04 12 . beloved owner gone but oldest gay bar still a welcoming haven . the milwaukee journal sentinel . milwaukee wi . retrieved 2014 04 24 . this is it best gay and lesbian bar . wisn.cityvoter.com . cityvoter inc. retrieved 26 august 2014 . senator tammy baldwin sends letter of thanks ... pdf . quest vol . 23 4 . quest . april 2016 . p. 17 . retrieved 7 april 2016 . sponsors & supporters . glcommunityfund.org . g l community fund . retrieved 27 august 2014 . palicki martin . pink hat party at this is it . mkelgbt.org . milwaukee lgbt community center . retrieved 26 august 2014 . palicki martin . the loft lounge pride . mkelgbt.org . milwaukee lgbt community center . retrieved 27 august 2014 . 2012 official pridefest pride guide pdf . quest vol . 19 special edition . quest pridefest . june 2012 . p. 4 . retrieved 27 august 2014 . external links edit official website milwaukee lgbt history project retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title this is it bar & oldid 743558779 categories 1968 establishments in wisconsinculture of milwaukeelgbt drinking establishments in the united stateslgbt in wisconsinlgbt nightclubshidden categories cs1 errors external linkswisconsin articles missing geocoordinate dataall articles needing coordinates navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages add links this page was last modified on 10 october 2016 at 05 33 . text is available under the 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