MILWAUKEE — Bi+ Pride Milwaukee, a soon to be nonprofit organization co-founded in 2018, is bringing its community-focused programming to Pride Fest this weekend, with a float in the Pride parade and a booth in the health and wellness area of Milwaukee PrideFest.
Co-founder Amy Luettgen said the organization launched its first in-person events in 2018, starting with Bi Cafe at Coffee Hour at Anodyne Roastery and Crafternoon. Since then, the group has grown significantly with the help of volunteers.
"Along with my co-founder Sarah Wallisch, we started those events back in 2018, and since that time, we've had many, many volunteers join us, many of us since 2018 and 2019, and we've branched out to many other events that we offered to the bi community," Luettgen said.
The organization serves a broad audience. Luettgen noted that bisexual people make up a significant share of the broader LGBTQ community.
"The bi community is 60% of the LGBT community, so we both knew that we needed to provide services and support," Luettgen said.
Programming includes bi hiking, bi quiet night, bi book club, and a bi discussion group — offerings designed to appeal to both extroverts and introverts. Luettgen said everything the organization does is 100% free and powered by volunteers.
Bi Pride Milwaukee hosts many of its events at the LGBT Community Center in Walker's Point and will be tabling with the center at PrideFest.
"We really cherish our partnership with the LGBT Center, and we appreciate that they offer us space here to have some of our events," Luettgen said.
At PrideFest, Luettgen encouraged attendees to stop by the health and wellness area to say hello, pick up informational brochures, and view crafts made by community members.
The organization will also march in the Pride parade on Sunday with a float. This year's theme is "Bi BI the Sea."
"We'll have mermaids, mermen, and merthem on the float," Luettgen said.
The group will be handing out flags during the parade.
More information about Bi Pride Milwaukee is available at bimke.org. The organization is also on Facebook and Instagram.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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