I’m a Milwaukee transplant in my 20s, so naturally a hot-pink flier advertising a party caught my eye. It was for Venus Social Club, an organization that hosts events specifically for the sapphic community.
If you’re not familiar with the term, the word “sapphic” traces back to Sappho, the Greek lyric poet who lived on the island of Lesbos around 600 BCE and was known for writing about her desire/love for other women. Thousands of years later, sapphic is a common term for women who love women.
“I feel like in Milwaukee we had no sapphic spaces,” Venus Social Club founder Mya Goetsch said. “Well, we had some … but [not] specifically party ones, and I want to go party with all lesbians and queer people all the time, not just on Pride.”
Goetsch created the organization in November of 2024, somewhat by accident. What was meant to be a small house party turned into a big sapphic celebration. Since then, Venus Social Club has hosted many events across the city — from yoga to barbecues to, of course, themed dance parties.
“A lot of people will tell me, ‘Oh, I didn't know there were so many lesbians in Milwaukee,’” Goetsch shared, adding that it's an untapped market in the city, both for the population who currently live here and new arrivals.
Hannah, who attended the organization’s recent Pride After Party, falls into that latter category. She attended previous Venus Social Club events, which she said connected her to the Cream City in a meaningful way.
“I'm actually recently new to Milwaukee, moved within the past year,” she began, “and one of the big goals that I wanted to achieve was to find community — for me especially, to find sapphic community, as it can be a bit scattered at times.”
For others like Bre and Kiwana, the Pride After Party was their first Venus Social Club experience. After hearing about it from TikTok, Kiwana said they decided to check it out as a way to connect with the queer community.
“Just being around other queer people, being able to speak to them and things like that has been really, really gorgeous,” she said. “Being able to come here and see a diverse crowd and really good music, it feels really good.”
Although it's more of a party scene, Bre found a sense of comfort being in a crowd that welcomes and celebrates sapphics. “Even if you're not really into the club scene, it still feels very homey,” she shared. “I appreciate it because I'm not a person who goes out all the time, so I feel safe here. It's very inclusive, and it's just like a good, happy feeling.”
Every event is unique, but all spark new friendships and community — two pillars of Milwaukee’s sapphic scene that Goetsch used to build Venus Social Club.
“You will find your family with us, for sure,” she said. “Everybody's so welcoming at the events. I try to encourage all age ranges. Everybody should come and hang out and meet new queer people in Milwaukee. We'll welcome you with open arms no matter what.”
