Milwaukee Gaze

Milwaukee’s gay nightlife on the move

Written by Sarah Leonard Dec 16, 2010

December’s Milwaukee Guerilla Gay Bar takeover at Red Rock Saloon. – Photo: Facebook

Like San Francisco’s The Castro, New York City’s Chelsea and Chicago’s Boystown, Walker’s Point serves as a sort of nucleus to Milwaukee’s LGBT nightlife. For years, gay and lesbian bars and clubs have flourished in the area, also known as the Fifth Ward.

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Milwaukee police name LGBT liaison

Written by Louis Weisberg,
Staff writer Dec 2, 2010

For the first time, the Milwaukee Police Department has named an official liaison to the city’s LGBT community.

Last month, MPD Chief Ed Flynn appointed Mary Hoerig, an out veteran of the police force, to serve in the position. Hoerig already was acting as an unofficial advisor to the department on LGBT issues, as well as a facilitator for the LGBT community on police issues.

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Milwaukee lags in workplace equality

Written by Louis Weisberg,
Staff writer Nov 17, 2010

Milwaukee’s major employers lag behind those in the rest of the region when it comes to workplace equality, according to a report produced by the Cream City Foundation.

The report was based on The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s corporate equality index, an annual survey that examines the policies, benefits and practices of companies toward their LGBT workers.

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Man pleads guilty in Larkin homicide

Written by Louis Weisberg,
Staff writer Sep 8, 2010

Andrew Olaciregui

A man pleaded guilty Aug. 31 to second-degree reckless homicide in the death of Milwaukee transgender woman Dana “Chanel” Larkin.

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Larkin’s killer gets 18 years

Written by Louis Weisberg,
Staff writer Dec 30, 2010

Andrew Olacirequi – Photo: Courtesy

A judge sentenced Andrew Olacirequi to 11 years in prison and seven years of extended supervision for the May 7 slaying of Dana (Chanel) Larkin, an African-American transgender woman who resided in Milwaukee.

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A community Thanksgiving

Dec 2, 2010

Photo: Bill Serpe

About 130 people enjoyed homemade food along with a helping of community spirit at the ninth annual Rainbow Community Thanksgiving Potluck dinner Nov. 27. PFLAG, Brew City Bears, Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Galano Club, SAGE/Milwaukee, Lesbian Alliance and Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Church sponsored the event, which was held at Plymouth United Church of Christ, 2717 E. Hampshire St.

Milwaukee rally remembers victims of violence

Written by Louis Weisberg,
Staff writer Nov 3, 2010

Ralliers listen to speeches during an Oct. 23 rally in MacArthur Square. – Photo: Dan Wilson

Nearly 100 LGBT activists and allies gathered in Milwaukee’s MacArthur Square on Oct. 23 for a rally to remember recent victims of violence and suicide and to denounce bullying and other acts of hatred.

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Milwaukee settles ‘Naked Boys’ lawsuit

Written by John Quinlan,
Contributing writer Jul 28, 2010

The cast of the New York production of “Naked Boys Singing.” – Photo: Courtesy broadwayworld.com

Five years after a Milwaukee vice squad officer shut down a traveling production of the gay-themed, off-Broadway hit “Naked Boys Singing” at the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, the city has settled the resulting lawsuit with a $20,000 check delivered to the center on July 14.

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Community center shifts to self-selecting board

Written by Scott Foval,
Contributing writer Dec 16, 2010

The new Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. – Photo: Courtesy

The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center has enacted major changes in its bylaws, including a shift from a board elected by members to one that’s board-appointed.

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Honoring victims of anti-trans violence

Dec 2, 2010

Photo: Dan Wilson/Bartoli Filmworks

Brianna Fleury, Kelly Wright and Markie Wenzel attend a candlelight vigil in observance of the Transgender Day of Rememberance at Milwaukee’s Metropolitan Community Church. The annual event memorializes transgender victims of hatred and prejudice. It began in honor of Rita Hester, whose 1998 murder kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” Web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Since then, the event has grown to encompass memorials in dozens of cities around the globe.

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Moving on up

Written by Lucky Tomaszek Nov 3, 2010

The community room of the new Milwaukee LGBT Community Center sits empty awaiting the movers on Oct. 30. The space at 252 E. Highland Ave. opened to the public on Nov. 3. – Photo: Dan Wilson

The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center opened to the public Nov. 3 in its new, larger home at 252 E. Highland Ave.

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City worker disciplined for sending hate mail

Written by Louis Weisberg,
Staff writer Jul 28, 2010

A Milwaukee city worker is back on the job after agreeing to apologize to a gay man she harassed via her government e-mail account.

Donna Luty, an administrative assistant with the Port of Milwaukee, was suspended without pay in mid-July after a man complained to city officials that she’d sent him e-mails from her office computer filled with Christian right anti-gay rhetoric.

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