Queer History Mystery Book

This astounding slice of queer history wound its way into my possession. It’s a journal and scrapbook kept by a woman named Patty in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the mid-1970s. It was discovered in the basement of the house I grew up in, located in Waubeka, Wisconsin. It’s a mystery as to why it ended up there. As the incidental steward, I share with you the raw scans of this gorgeous document. Thanks to the History of Gay Wisconsin Facebook page, I was able to track down and begin a correspondence with Chuckie Betz, a prominently featured beauty in Patti’s journal, the sole survivor of Wisconsin’s Gay Liberation Front, and the face of Nate Imig’s stunning historical interview series with Queer Wisconsin icons. Betz remarked, “i’m the hood ornament on their car poster,” alluding to this riveting podcast series. This same iconic photo of Milwaukee’s first Pride Parade also appears as the emblem of Michail Takach’s divine deep dive into gay Wisconsin history called The Movement Will Not Be Instagrammed.