Join us Wednesday at the BeOUT Awards!
Celebrate National Coming Out Day with community champions
Join us Wednesday at the BeOUT Awards!
Milwaukee Pride, Inc. hosts its annual autumn event, BeOUT Milwaukee, Wednesday, October 11 from 4:00 – 8:00 P.M. at Hamburger Mary’s (730 S. 5th St.)
BeOUT Milwaukee celebrates National Coming Out Day and the ever-increasing importance of LGBTQ visibility. The event also encourages visitors to support local businesses in Historic Walker’s Point, a neighborhood that has been the historic heart and soul of LGBTQ Milwaukee for two generations.
The Milwaukee Pride Board of Directors will honor the winners of the 2017 BeOUT Awards for LGBTQ Visibility. These awards honor an individual and/or organization who has elevated image, reputation and awareness of LGBTQ people, culture, history and critical community needs within the past calendar year.
This year’s honorees are:
Veterans for Diversity: Veterans for Diversity actively supports the health, wellness and visibility of active and veteran LGBTQ military. With discriminatory policies creeping back into national politics, organizations like Veterans for Diversity are a critical counterpoint. They remind America that everyone should have the right to serve with pride.
Bill Wardlow: For decades,
Bill Wardlow has put his heart and soul into elevating the position of LGBTQ people in Milwaukee. As a business owner, he has been creating safe, memorable and meaningful experiences for our community for over 20 years. Throughout tremendous neighborhood transformation, Bill has been a tireless champion for maintaining the character of Walker’s Point.
BJ Daniels: BJ Daniels has been bringing “Old Hollywood” style and sophistication to Milwaukee’s drag scene since the 1980s. Over the years, BJ has become not a renowned photographer, stylist, blogger and entertainer, and an icon, idol and mentor for emerging generations. BJ is highly visible in local and national media, and uses that visibility to influence and educate.
Milwaukee Pride will present the 2017 awards Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. at Hamburger Mary’s, the event headquarters. Diane Euting of PFLAG Milwaukee and Brenden Davis of GSAFE will provide the keynote presentation.
Visit Hamburger Mary’s Wednesday for other BeOUT events, including:
- Free happy hour. Make a donation to PFLAG Milwaukee and receive two free Hamburger Mary’s drink tickets between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Must be age 21 and older to qualify.)
- Free PrideFest Milwaukee tickets. In partnership with the Walker’s Point Association, Milwaukee Pride will provide a FREE ticket to PrideFest Milwaukee 2018 for every same-day purchase of $30 or more at a Walker’s Point local business.
- Free storytelling sessions. Share your coming out story with the Wisconsin LGBT History Project and DocUWM at our Open Mike!
- Free family-friendly events. Bring the kids to Drag Queen Story Time with performer Tempest Heat-Stratton at 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., as well as free video games and Halloween films in the Mary’s Beercade.
- Free guided walking tour. Kathy Kean, neighborhood expert from Historic Milwaukee, will lead a 5:30 p.m. tour of Walker’s Point.
Milwaukee Pride will also be recruiting volunteers for PrideFest 2018, returning June 8, 9 and 10 at Henry W. Maier Festival Park.
“Thirty years after the first National Coming Out Day, we firmly believe that coming out matters more than ever,” said Michail Takach, vice president of Milwaukee Pride, Inc. “Wednesday is a day to celebrate who you are, and the liberties you have, in the neighborhood where pride was born.”
“Support your favorite neighborhood bar. Take the family out for ice cream. Explore that new restaurant you’ve been meaning to try. Whatever you do, be seen, be heard and be out in Walker’s Point!”
About Milwaukee Pride
The mission of Milwaukee Pride, Inc., is:
- to educate both the general community and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer (LGBTQ) communities about needs, issues and various aspects of the LGBTQ culture;
- to provide a forum to celebrate the history and accomplishments of LGBTq people;
- to create an environment for networking and outreach for services and community opportunities for LGBTQ people and their families and friends; and
- any other activities exclusively for charitable, educational, and research purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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