Milwaukee, WI. – Milwaukee Pride, Inc. announces the upcoming publication of LGBT Milwaukee, written by local author Michail Takach with a foreword by Don Schwamb of the Wisconsin LGBT History Project.
LGBT Milwaukee, published by Arcadia Publishing & the History Press as part of the Images of Modern America series, will be released August 22, 2016. Preorders are now available at Amazon.com and other retailers.
The book, believed to be the first comprehensive social history of LGBTQ Milwaukee ever published, traces the rise and fall of six dozen landmark bars, gathering places and pride festivals.
With contributions from many local elders and icons, LGBT Milwaukee celebrates the resilience, determination and unity required to bring a community out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
“We have always been here,” said author Michail Takach. “By the time of the 1969 Stonewall riots, an astonishing 35 gay bars had already opened in Milwaukee – a number matched only by New York or San Francisco.”
“LGBT Milwaukee is dedicated to those who dared to live authentic, adventurous, outrageous lives against all odds. Without these courageous pioneers, many of whom are featured in the book, we would live in a very different Milwaukee today.”
The book complements the efforts of the Wisconsin LGBT History Project and the History Of Gay Milwaukee Facebook group to initiate, cultivate and celebrate ongoing conversations about local LGBTQ history.
“As social spaces become more mixed and mainstream, the need to explore and preserve hidden history becomes more critical,” said Wes Shaver, president elect of Milwaukee Pride, Inc. “Yesterday’s LGBTQ spaces are becoming today’s hot spots. Without knowing what came before, the stories behind these spaces are at tremendous risk of disappearing.”
All commission proceeds from LGBT Milwaukee will be donated to Milwaukee Pride, Inc., with the goal of establishing year-round local LGBTQ history education programs. Additional donations will be earned for every purchase that originates at Amazon Smile.
“The hidden history of early LGBT life in Milwaukee is gradually being unveiled,” said Don Schwamb, “and this book is an excellent introduction to a past that we must preserve and remember. It will leave you feeling proud.”
About Arcadia Publishing & The History Press
Arcadia Publishing and The History Press are the largest and most comprehensive publishers of local and regional books in the United States with a library of more than 12,000 titles. Headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, the two imprints publish a combined 900 books each year.
About Milwaukee Pride
The mission of Milwaukee Pride, Inc., is:
- to educate both the general community and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer (LGBTQ) communities about needs, issues and various aspects of the LGBTQ culture;
- to provide a forum to celebrate the history and accomplishments of LGBTq people;
- to create an environment for networking and outreach for services and community opportunities for LGBTQ people and their families and friends; and
- any other activities exclusively for charitable, educational, and research purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
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