“Children of the Revolution” celebrates Wisconsins’s ’80s teen LGBTQ club craze

by | Feb 15, 2023 | 0 comments

Milwaukee, WI. – Club Marilyn. The Option. New Bar. The Attic West. Park Avenue. Bailey’s. Faces. 21 Below. Cafe Voltaire. And so many, many more!

The Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, in partnership with the History Press, announces today the launch of its next book project, Children of the Revolution, celebrating Wisconsin’s “teen club” culture of the 1980s.

Following the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, twenty-seven states—including Wisconsin—were pressured to raise their drinking age to 21 or lose federal funding. Faced with losing over $20M/year, Wisconsin reluctantly raised the long-standing drinking age to 19 in 1985 and 21 in 1986. After two years of grandfathered access, time finally ran out. On September 1, 1988, the drinking age was firmly set at 21—one of the highest in the world—and has remained there ever since.

People aged 18 to 20 found themselves in a strange limbo. They were no longer teenagers, but not yet full adults. According to census data, half a million Wisconsin residents were “21 below” in 1988—and they were now all dressed up, with nowhere to go.

Forward Fertility
Atlas Counseling
Quigley

Fortunately, the same special legislative session that raised the drinking age also legalized a new revenue stream for business owners: non-alcoholic, reduced-hours, adult-supervised “teen nights” for ages 15-20. Greatly inspired by Chicago’s Medusa’s, teen clubs exploded throughout Wisconsin with dance anthems, laser-lit dancefloors, and disruptive fashions.

For disconnected teens in a pre-digital age, these clubs were an otherworldly escape from hometown doldrums, a playground for outrageous adventures, and a high society of diverse and colorful characters. Yet, within a decade, the teen club craze was essentially over, and today, all that remains of these spaces are fading photos and middle-aged memories.

“Children of the Revolution will explore the transformative impact these nightspots had on Generation X all over Wisconsin,” said author Michail Takach, “with a special focus on how these spaces became connective communities for LGBTQ youth, long before the Internet, social media, GSAs, or other support resources available today.”

“So few of these old spaces are still standing,” said Takach, “and, sadly, so many of our old friends have already left us. We need to tell this story while we still can.”

Children of the Revolution will publish in June 2024.

Article Tags

Rutabaga - Summer
Out Health

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rutabaga - Summer

Latest News

Board Changes at Cream City Foundation

Board Changes at Cream City Foundation

The Cream City Foundation, the nation’s second oldest philanthropic organization serving the LGBTQ+ community, announced Charlie Nash as the new Board Chair and President and Laura Mayerle as the new Board of Directors Vice Chair, effective in February. In a January...

First Openly Gay Wisconsin Cabinet Secretary Appointed

First Openly Gay Wisconsin Cabinet Secretary Appointed

On January 9, Governor Tony Evers announced the appointment of James Bond to the position of secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, making him the first openly LGBTQ+ person to lead one of the state’s cabinet agencies, according to a press release...

The Pretendian Among Us

The Pretendian Among Us

Another race-faker was outed late last year when newagefraud.org exposed local activist Kay LeClaire’s familial lineage. Kay was proven to be German, Swedish, and French Canadian—not the Indian tribes they claimed, including Métis, Oneida, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee.

Delta Beer Lab to host first Nonprofit Partner Mixer

Delta Beer Lab to host first Nonprofit Partner Mixer

On February 17 at 6pm Delta Beer Lab plans to host its first Nonprofit Partner Mixer to kick off the brewery’s 4th Anniversary celebration. Each month since opening, Delta Beer Lab has partnered with a new Nonprofit Partner and has raised more than $167,000 in four...

Latest News

VIEW ALL LATEST NEWS

Recent Posts

Forward Fertility
Atlas Counseling
Quigley

Events

SUBMIT AN EVENT

VIEW ALL EVENTS

Jobs

SUBMIT A JOB POSTING

VIEW ALL JOBS

Popular Tags

Pin It on Pinterest