The Milwaukee Guerrilla Gay Bar is not a new local LGBT bar. That would be way too obvious. In fact, it's not a bar at all; it's more like a movement.

Inspired by similar groups in Los Angeles and San Francisco, MGGB is a collective of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Milwaukeeans -- and their friends and supporters -- who stage friendly takeovers of traditionally straight bars throughout the city.

It happens the first Friday of every month as a means to stir up the routines of not only the gay community but the straights as well. The bars never know they're coming and the result is undoubtedly a new experience for everyone. Most important, it's meant to be fun.

We caught up with MGGB "politburo" member Citizen X -- he explains the alias later in the interview -- to learn more about it and where the next takeover will be held. The latter he's keeping a secret, although he does divulge how you can find out.

OMC: What's the point of MGGB? And what kind of statement are you trying to make?

Citizen X: Our goal is to shatter the status quo and to shake up both ends of the equation so that people who might be stuck in their nightlife routine in the gay and lesbian scene will step outside their comfort zone and really see what else the city has to offer. We just want to shake things up and help people try new things and realize that they don't have to go to a gay bar if they're gay -- Milwaukee's not as small as they think it is.

OMC: How long has this been happening in Milwaukee?

CX: We're on our sixth month, approaching our seventh event (scheduled for Feb. 1). When we started in August, it was not intended to be as big as it's become, but the turnout, the demand and the support was so great that we've been growing every month. Last month's event brought over 200 people to a bar that had never had a crowd that big and the owner was just amazed.

OMC: How do you pick your bars?

CX: We're fortunate in Milwaukee to have so many diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. Our members investigate and come to our monthly meetings and suggest a location and each month we feature a different neighborhood. In January, for example, Riverwest rose to the top so we visited 10 venues before arriving at Stonefly. The "hip" value of the bar is important, but so is the logistical value -- we never want to invade a bar that's going to create some sort of emergency situation with fire codes, etc. We want to give the bars a positive turnout, not get them in trouble. But we do try to pick places that are either new or cool.  Page 1 of 2 (view all on one page)

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