Trixie Mattel has now shared an official statement reacting to the closing of Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar, This Is It!, which she co-owned since 2021. On this latest update, the RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 winner and Readers' Choice honoree on the 2024 Out100 for her accomplishments in business expressed her feelings about the establishment shutting down.
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Over the weekend, Wisconsin's oldest gay bar This Is It! announced that it was closing effectively immediately — noting that the business could no longer afford to be operational. The official social media pages for the establishment shared the news, as did This Is It! co-owner (Trixie's business partner) George Schneider.
On Tuesday, March 12, Trixie shared a message via Instagram stories in response to the news, writing:
“It's hard to come to terms with This Is It! being gone. 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.”
The All Stars 3 winner concluded, "My heart is with Milwaukee, and all of the wonderful, fabulous people who both worked and enjoyed going there [mending heart emoji]."
Trixie Mattel via Instagram story.
Instagram (@trixiemattel)
Trixie became a co-owner of This Is It! in 2021, to save the establishment from closing during lockdown. Since then, the drag icon shared various YouTube videos and social media posts promoting the venue, hosted special events, and featured This is It! on her Max original series Trixie Motel.
Trixie frequently shared her personal connection to This Is It!, noting that it was the first-ever gay bar she visited after turning 21. Schneider, who was Trixie's business partner, also had a deeply personal connection to This Is It! — from being hired as a bartender in 2010 to acquiring the establishment in 2012 from its founder, June Brehm, and her son, Joseph Brehm.
Many local patrons and fans of This Is It! are mourning the loss of such a historic queer space, particularly as the LGBTQ+ community navigates a political environment under President Donald Trump's second term in the White House.
Trixie Motel is now streaming on Max.
