As Milwaukee continues to feel the loss of Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar, This Is It! (TITs), a new event series curated by local drag performer Risk E. Bismuth is helping carry on the bar’s legacy. Originally launched as a fundraiser for those who lost work when TITs closed, Gather Them held its second event last week, drawing a near-capacity crowd to The Cooperage for a night of drag and dancing.
“After the day that This Is It! closed, we all gathered at Cathedral Square for a very impromptu goodbye,” Bismuth said at last week’s event. “Everybody after that felt displaced and spread apart, and we didn’t know where to gather anymore.”
Named after the drag lingo “Gather her!”—slang for helping a queen in distress—Gather Them invites the community to come together.
Guests were welcomed by volunteers offering Gather Them stickers and bright, wide smiles. Some, like Brady, had a strong connection to TITs. He said he sees TITs as irreplaceable, but looks at Gather Them as a chance to rebuild a safe space together. “I don’t think there are a lot of spaces where we do that enough,” he said.
The night kicked off with drag queen bingo, hosted by Jaclyn Jill, with non-standard rules. One rule involved participants repeating any “O” number in their best orgasm voices. Local businesses such as Milwaukee Improv and Pomona Cider Co. donated prizes.
“Gather Them isn’t one party isolated by itself, it’s very much community-driven and community-built,” Bismuth explained. They chose to spotlight local queer clubs and spaces at the event, including the party collective Slayground and sapphic social clubs.
Katelyn Kane, a co-organizer of Chosen, said she was glad to show up “to support queer community.” At her table, guests could decorate a carabiner (a nod to lesbian fashion) or take a flyer promoting Chosen’s free events. Next to her, Mya Goetsch, of Venus Social Club, proudly displayed pins for sale with the names of famous lesbian celebrities, such as Renee Rapp and Cynthia Erivo.
The highlight of Gather Them was a drag show, featuring Carmel Bliss, Yufie, Gluttoni Sinn, Emo Knievel, Jacques Infiniti Hall, and Jaclyn Jill. Bismuth kicked it off with the always important reminder to “Tip your queens!” before performing themself— revealing a slinkier outfit beneath their first, to cheers from the crowd.
Over the course of two hours, the crowd danced and clapped along enthusiastically to each performance, holding out dollar bills as tips.
Wearing a halter top with two artfully placed rainbows and a matching wig, Carmel Bliss danced her way from the stage into the audience. Bliss, who has been performing for five years, said of her act, “I like to be artsy, but I’m looking to go out and have a good time.”
Emo Knievel, who began performing as a drag king in 2017, pulled out a flag during their act that read “I’m gay and depressed,” and waved it above their head. Their performances focus on spreading positive energy.
“Especially in the political hellscape we live in, it’s so vital for queer artists to be as loud and visible as possible,” they said. “To have pure, queer fun with dancing and celebration is sometimes the most helpful tool to heal and bond as a community.”
For many, the night carried memories of the queer community they had found at This Is It!. This was Jacques Infiniti Hall’s first Gather Them, but he has been involved in Milwaukee’s drag scene for more than a decade. A former bartender at This Is It!, Hall later became the first male entertainer to have his own show there. For Hall, Gather Them strikes a personal note. “This is a place for us to celebrate each other and support one another,” he said.
In describing their vision for Gather Them, Bismuth said they want attendees to feel like “it’s their home and they’re safe here.” That promise is what drew Izzie Segal to get involved.
Having spent many holidays at TITs, she considered the people there her family. The bar’s rainbow logo is now tattooed on her upper arm. Segal appreciates Bismuth and the new space they’ve built.
“As someone who has struggled in the past to find safe queer spaces that are accepting of who I am and push me to live authentically, spaces like Gather Them are so sacred because they foster such a wonderful environment for inclusivity,” she said. While she acknowledges there have been struggles and rifts, Segal is hopeful that people can come together at Gather Them.
Jaclyn Jill, who performed and hosted shows at TITs, said her motivation for participating in the show was simple: “Gather Them is a way to show community and show that we are here—we’re not budging, we’re not leaving, we’re not concealing ourselves. We are loud, and we are proud.”
Although there is no resurrecting This Is It!, Gather Them brought the community together again, filling the void, if only for a night.
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