Francesca Wilson: bringing innovation to nightlife

“I knew who I was even at a young age—like middle school,” said Milwaukee native Francesca Wilson.  “And I came out at 17 or 18. That’s when I accepted what I was feeling and who I was.”

Despite the early confidence and self-awareness, navigating her coming out was still hard. 

“It was a difficult coming-out experience at first,” she says. “It was a shock. My parents assumed my life was over and I was going to be discriminated against everywhere I go. But we got through it together.”

Francesca says her parents’ negative reaction didn’t last long. “It was out of them not knowing any better, or their assumptions about gay people,” she says. “But once they saw who I was and that I was fine and productive, they were a lot more comfortable with it.”

She now has a great relationship with her family. “They’re proud of everything I do and behind me 100%.”

That support system proved vital for Francesca and made her feel much more confident and self-assured. 

“I knew I wasn’t the only one, so that made it easier.”

Her core group of friends came out one by one, and attended PrideFest Milwaukee together every year.

“Some of my favorite memories from that time are PrideFest. Before I was 21, PrideFest was the place to see and meet other gay people,” she explains.

“We’d be there from open to close of the festival. For those two to three days, it just felt like I was in the mecca of the Milwaukee LGBTQ community and I loved it.”

Exploring the world

Once Francesca turned 21, she left Milwaukee for a decade to serve in the military. During that time she traveled the world, but spent the majority of her time in Europe. Her first introduction to queer nightlife was in different European clubs—especially in Germany.

“Going out to queer clubs in Europe, we went to places far away from our base, so the only other people there were the locals,” she said.

“I met people from all over the world and got to see some really cool and wild stuff that I wouldn’t have seen in Milwaukee, or even the United States.”

Thankfully, Francesca had a core group of fellow LGBT service people to party with. 

“I was in the military during the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ era. But when I got to my first station, the other LGBT people spotted me and said: ‘hey you, come and hang with us,’” she said.

Traveling all over the world introduced Francesca to lots of different nightlife, people, and ways to socialize and find community.

Being the difference

When Francesca moved back to Milwaukee in 2017, she started going out with friends, but realized quickly that Milwaukee was lacking the kind of atmosphere she loved about European clubs.

“Everything we have here in Milwaukee is great—we have several clubs that are staples, and for good reason. But I was looking for a less casual and more upscale experience,” she said.

That’s what gave her the idea to start HER Lounge, a series of pop-up events aimed at queer women of color but open to all. She describes HER Lounge as “grown and sexy pop-ups with a nostalgic vibe.”

“HER Lounge is a place you and your date can come after a nice dinner. You’re dressed up, and want to socialize and feel comfortable. Or maybe you can come by yourself, get dressed up, dance, and meet some new women or men. This is the place to do that,” she said. 

Francesca is intent on bringing an inclusive, comfortable, and unique experience that she thinks Milwaukee is lacking.

And so far, the city is responding. The first HER Lounge pop-up in May was held at the Denizen event space in Milwaukee’s Washington Park neighborhood and completely sold out. 

“The Denizen is an LGBT-woman-owned establishment and very new. It was the perfect place,” she said. 

“We had dancing, a bar, a couple selfie stations, a cotton candy stand. It was a lot of fun. I had a lot of people come by themselves, and several people traveled more than an hour to attend,” she said. 

“I just tried to make it as welcoming as possible to anyone who walked in. I had a few trans people who came and thanked me because they didn’t feel comfortable or welcome at other places in the city, so that was really special.” 

Francesca thinks HER Lounge is helping to solve a representation gap in Milwaukee.

“There’s not enough racial representation in the Milwaukee LGBT community right now. Obviously we can go to whatever clubs we want, but when people who look like me go out they don’t always see themselves represented. And that can feel frustrating or make people stay away. I want to fix that,” she says.

“Milwaukee is welcoming to LGBT women, but there are limited options. I want to provide an alternative to that.”

Francesca is hard at work making that alternative a reality.

What's next?

The next HER Lounge event will take place July 27, 8 PM at Love’s Lounge on 2nd street in Milwaukee. 

“This event will be more of a club/lounge atmosphere,” she says. Expect darker lights and a relaxed, sexy vibe.

Francesca wants to organize at least two more events before the end of the year and hopes to eventually find HER Lounge a permanent home. In the meantime, she’s continuing to brainstorm new party themes and ways to make each event better than the last.

“I love Milwaukee. But I got spoiled with everything I saw in my travels. These other places I went to have great things going for them. And I think Milwaukee deserves the same.”

To keep up with Francesca, be sure to follow the HER Lounge Instagram page.