Draft:Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project


The Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, formerly known as the Milwaukee LGBT History Project, is a volunteer-run digital archive and nonprofit organization based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The project interprets the LGBTQ history of Wisconsin through blog posts, books, and temporary and travelling exhibit panels.

History

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Don Schwamb started the Milwaukee LGBT History Project in 1994.[1] He assisted with history exhibits and oral interview initiatives for PrideFest Milwaukee from 1995 to 2014 as well as collecting materials on his own, and in 2004, he created a website to store this content.[2] He was joined by Michail Takach in the 2000s. After Takach joined the project, Schwamb transitioned his role to programmer, and Takach focused on historical research.[3]

During the 2010s, the project was renamed to the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. In 2020, the project fully separated from PrideFest. Project leadership expanded to a five-person board and twenty community advisors in 2023.[2] Since the 2020s, the project has been fiscally supported by the Cream City Foundation in Milwaukee.[4]

Work

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From 2003 to 2011, Schwamb interviewed people as part of a small-scale oral history project.[5] Interviews were transcribed, edited, and displayed at PrideFest Milwaukee during the 2010s.

Takach wrote Images of Modern America: LGBT Milwaukee, published by Arcadia Publishing in 2016, which cited images from the project's collection.[6] In 2023, Takach, on behalf of the project, also co-hosted the podcast Be Seen on Radio Milwaukee.[7]

In 2019, the project set up an exhibit at the gay bar This Is It! in Milwaukee.[8] In June 2024, the bar donated thousands of historic photos to the project.[9]

The project received a scanner in 2020.[10] The project has scanned over twenty newsletters that circulated in Wisconsin, including the Gay Peoples Union newsletter GPU News and Wisconsin In Step.[11]

In August 2024, the project sponsored the installation of a historical marker commemorating the Black Nite brawl.[12]

Recognition

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The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors awarded Don Schwamb with a certificate of commendation for his activist work in Milwaukee's LGBTQ community and on the history project in 2022.[3]

The Dane County Board of Supervisors awarded the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project with a certificate of recognition related to the project's work on transgender history in August 2024. The project was also named in the resolution passed and released by the Dane County Board of Supervisors the same month that established August as Transgender History Month in Dane County.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Peralta-Arellano, Maria. "Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project Documents the Past and Present of Wisconsin’s LGBTQ Community." Carvd N Stone, June 24, 2024. https://carvdnstone.com/positive-news-wisconsin-lgbtq-history-project.
  2. ^ a b "About Us." Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. https://www.wislgbthistory.com/about-us/the-project.
  3. ^ a b "Don Schwamb-2022 Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors Commendation." Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. https://archive.wislgbthistory.com/people/peo-s/schwamb-citation_co-board_2022.htm.
  4. ^ "The Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project." Cream City Foundation. https://creamcityfdn.org/fiscalsponsorships/the-wisconsinlgbtqhistoryproject.
  5. ^ "Milwaukee LGBT History Project, Inc.-- Documenting the History of the LGBT Community in Milwaukee, Wisconsin." Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. https://archive.wislgbthistory.com/project/oralhist.htm.
  6. ^ "Milwaukee’s LGBT History." Our Lives, November 30, 2016. https://ourliveswisconsin.com/article/milwaukees-lgbt-history.
  7. ^ Nowakowski, Audrey and Rob Larry. "Second season of 'Be Seen' podcast brings more Wisconsin LGBTQ history, traditions to light." WUWM 89.7, June 15, 2023. https://www.wuwm.com/2023-06-15/second-season-of-be-seen-podcast-brings-more-wisconsin-lgbtq-history-traditions-to-light.
  8. ^ Noennig, Jordyn. "This Is It! will host 18+ night thanks to the installation of a historical LGBTQ display." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 30, 2019. https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/2019/04/30/this-is-it-18-and-older-nights-begin-summer-at-milwaukee-gay-bar-historical-lgbtq-display/3564642002.
  9. ^ Peek, Jenny. "Milwaukee’s oldest gay bar donates thousands of photos to Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project." Wisconsin Public Radio, June 26, 2024. https://www.wpr.org/news/milwaukee-oldest-gay-bar-this-is-it-donates-photos-lgbtq-history-project.
  10. ^ Schwamb, Don. "Don Schwamb." Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. Last updated July 2022. https://archive.wislgbthistory.com/people/peo-s/schwamb_don.htm.
  11. ^ "Print Media; Newspapers, Magazines, BarRags, etc." Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. https://archive.wislgbthistory.com/media/print.htm.
  12. ^ "Wisconsin dedicates first-ever LGBTQ historic landmark." On Milwaukee, July 30, 2024. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/black-nite-brawl-landmark.
  13. ^ Ferak, Isabella. "Dane County Board to officially recognize Transgender History Month." Channel 3000, August 15, 2024. https://www.channel3000.com/news/dane-county-board-to-officially-recognize-transgender-history-month/article_2437973c-5b25-11ef-b6ba-4fc86dc68315.html