In Milwaukee, bars are a dime a dozen. With approximately 37 bars per 100,000 residents, the 414 has its fair share of places to crack a cold one open with friends. This means that there should be spaces available for all members of the city’s community. However, these spaces are not always visible to the untrained or unknowing eye.
While there is an abundance of gay nightclubs and LGBTQ+ spaces throughout the country, spaces that are especially welcoming to lesbians have been slowly dissipating. Decades ago, there were roughly 200 lesbian bars throughout the United States. By 2021, approximately 24 remained.
In Milwaukee resides one of few such spaces left in the country, Walker’s Pint. Located in Walker’s Point, at 818 S Second St, the vintage-style shop seems like just another Milwaukee bar from the outside. In a sense, this is also true of the inside. The Packers are constantly playing on the screen, complimenting the green interior of the bar and the ever–present Wisconsin sports team logos that adorn it.
In another sense, the space is a uniquely important part of Milwaukee’s history. Opened in 2001, Walker’s Pint was initially considered a women’s bar. These spaces have ebbed and flowed as societal needs change constantly, but the concept has been present in the United States since the 1940s when many women began to acquire their own income. Walker’s Point has been a historically queer area of Milwaukee in some sense since 1915 before these spaces were considered safe for them. Back then, these establishments were simply places for workers to meet and engage with each other after long days of work and a lack of human connection.
“We’ve made many transformations and upgrades over the years. But the vibe has remained pretty true to the original plan of being a woman-forward establishment,” Bet-Z Boenning, the bars founder and current owner, said.
However, Walker’s Pint can hardly be considered one type of person’s space.
“Outside of Lambeau Field itself, it is one of my favorite places to enjoy a Packer’s game. Nothing beats the environment, food and drinks included,” said Danica Hansen, a woman who identifies as straight and frequents the bar.
Many of the bar’s most frequent patrons do not identify as lesbians. Located near several other shops, stragglers seem to discover the bar and many take to it immediately. Rob Chuppa, bar manager of the establishment, is one such person.
“I see more gay guys come in than lesbians sometimes. Straight couples will also walk in here and go, ‘Oh, it’s a lesbian bar?’,” said Chuppa before being whisked away to change the TVs from the losing Packers to the Brewers game.
Chuppa came into the bar after a bad breakup 17 years ago and has not left since. Although the passion of his relationship has extinguished, he found a new one in the Pint. To him, the bar is family.
To others, however, the bar is an essential piece of history. Featuring one of the oldest beer gardens in the city when temperate and housing chilly patrons within its century-old structure, the space has been consistently recognized as historically significant.
“The Pint carries forward a tradition that started over 100 years ago of creating safe spaces for people to be themselves and find their kind of people. Queer people can go anywhere now, but can they show affection? Can they make their interests known to people?,” Michail Takach, director of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, said.
Walker’s Pint is the only lesbian bar in Wisconsin currently, but this was not always the case. During the 80s and 90s, there were several lesbian bars throughout the city. Kathy’s Nut Hut, Mona’s and Fannie’s amongst others gave queer women around Milwaukee a space to meet each other and feel safe. Throughout the early 2000s, all these establishments closed their doors.
Boenning was a bartender at that last lesbian establishment before opening Walker’s Pint, seeing the need for community within the community.
“I think it’s very important to have a space like this geared towards women. But I suppose it’s up to the customers as to what role it [the bar] plays. I just enjoy providing a cool and safe space for women (and others) to have fun, enjoy time with friends, relax and connect with others,” said Boenning.
Walking onto the bar on a Sunday afternoon, the crowd was full of life and energy. With the Packers playing the Vikings, the crowd was ecstatic, despite their bitter 31-29 loss. Hope was high in the fourth quarter, with bullhorn sirens blaring and green touchdown shots passed out to all the bar patrons after every point the Pack scored.
Despite the comeback, the Packers were still unable to prevail. But the mood in the bar did not dampen a bit.
While chowing down on the bar’s game-day pizza, Hansen and her friend Abigail Milatz gave insight as to what drew them to the bar in the first place.
“We heard of this place from some friends in the community who had checked it out and loved it, so here we are. It’s fun exploring new areas and demographics surrounding the Milwaukee community. I am not a part of the LGBTQ+ community myself, but I don’t feel out of place here,” said Milatz.
The bar was completely packed despite the game ending, with patrons chatting with their groups and interacting with other bar goers. Sighs of disappointment could be heard, but not as loudly as the laughter and jovial talking noises that overpowered them. The song “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan began blaring through the speakers as patrons became disinterested with the TVs.
“While I am a bit bummed about the Packers loss, the bar has been a super welcoming and fun environment to enjoy the game,” said Hansen.
While the bar is a welcoming environment, approaching people in their safe spaces can be tedious. Older patrons denied interviews for their safety and wellbeing, and that sentiment was respected. The bar’s motto “Be Nice or Leave” resounded in the spirit of the space as Chuppa pondered on what his goals are as one of the most prominent staff members of the establishment.
“I just want to keep the [owner’s] legacy going,” said Chuppa as he finished cleaning up what would be his biggest mess of the week, already mentally preparing for the coming Sunday’s gameday.
The Pint hosts several events throughout the week, with karaoke nights taking place on Wednesdays and Sundays being reserved for Packers games. Updates are always available through the bar’s website.
This story was written by Clara Lebrón and Miranda Herbele. They can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].