Wisconsin’s Oldest Queer Bar, Co-Owned By Trixie Mattel, Has Closed Its Doors After 56 Years
This Is It! announced its sudden closure earlier this week.
In a shocking and abrupt announcement, This Is It! has officially shut its doors without warning.
The Milwaukee bar had been in business for 56 years, making it the oldest queer bar in Wisconsin. This summer would have marked the safe space’s 57th anniversary, but unfortunately, that celebration will not come.
“As of today, we have closed our doors permanently,” the bar shared on social media earlier this week. “The COVID crisis and the years following 2020, coupled with the 8 month closure of our street and sidewalk last year, put the business in a position that we could not ultimately overcome.”
The bar, known to locals as “Tits,” has been open about its struggles since the pandemic. In 2021, after hearing that Tits was in need of financial support, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Trixie Mattel signed on as a co-owner. Patrons of the small queer watering hole believed this was a sign of prosperity for the bar, and Mattel was signaled as a savior. The bar’s business allegedly boomed.
“The bar has gained so much attention with Trixie being a co-owner,” General Manager Darnell Watson told Eater in 2024. “We are a revolving door of tourism, especially within the LGBTQIA+ community.”
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Mattel, who is originally from Milwaukee, had a local connection to the bar and its employees. After offering to invest, she began overseeing the bar’s entertainment, bringing on a long list of popular Drag Race alumni and even performing herself.
“It’s hard to come to terms with This Is It! being gone,” Mattel wrote in a statement shared to her Instagram stories on Tuesday. “From my first drink ever, to becoming a co-owner as we tried to weather the pandemic, to so many shows over the years, I have had some very special memories there.”
So, what changed? Long-time patrons have the same question.
“We want you to know that we did everything we could to keep our doors open for you,” the bar promised in its closing announcement. While owners had managed to delay their financial struggles for years (an impressive feat for a bar), the sudden closing left people wondering why there was no warning or chance for the community to fundraise.
“Losing Milwaukee’s premiere drag club in the current political climate is like a punch to the gut,” one person commented.
“Y’all would secure the funds you need to stay open overnight,” another declared. “All we have is each other now more than ever.”
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Drag Race stars Laganja Estranja, Lady Camden, Utica, Mrs. Kasha Davis, and Honey Davenport also expressed their dismay at the closing.
“My heart is with Milwaukee, and all of the wonderful, fabulous people who both worked and enjoyed going there,” Mattel wrote in her statement. Commenters have been quick to criticize her handling of the situation.
“Trixie has like 3 homes girl come on get it together save TITS,” someone commented.
Some claimed employees and bartenders had no notice of the bar’s closing prior to the social media announcement, and performers were still being booked. Others came to the defense of the bar and its owners, including Mattel.
“[B]ashing, blaming, and wildly speculating toward the queen that likely saved it from closing years ago,” one person commented. “Wild.”
“[D]on’t forget Trixie’s investment and support is what helped [keep] the business going these past few years post [COVID],” said another. “The reality is every business has a bottom line.”
The bar has shared a GoFundMe, set up to support the 21 employees who have been left to grapple with sudden unemployment. The original goal of $10,000 has already been surpassed after less than a week. As of Friday, nearly $19,000 has been donated.
