06/02/2026
After owner Frank Balistrieri swapped out all his go-go girls for female impersonators in 1969, Misty Dawn (1945-?) became the breakout star of the Ad Lib Nightclub (323 W. Wells St.)
“The crowd was a sexually charged mess of h***y sailors, clueless straight men, and sw***er couples who came to see a sexy floor show… and in-the-know gay men who knew this was really just a drag show,” said Jamie G**s, former performer. “Those girls made good money for the Ad Lib, and the Ad Lib took very good care of those girls.”
As a fully transitioned transwoman, Misty was the one and only real girl in the Ad Lib line-up. When she was arrested in 1970 for “violations,” Misty fought back hard — and filed the first transgender rights lawsuit in Milwaukee history.
There was no legal precedent for gender identity at the time — which the Balistrieris used to their advantage. The suit called attention to rules that ONLY applied to people assigned female at birth. Since Misty was not, the rules did not apply to her — unless of course, the city was willing to legally acknowledge that Misty was a woman.
It was a gamble — and even the Balistrieris were surprised to win.
Misty’s victory forced the city to recognize transgender identity for the first time. It also caused the elimination of Prohibition Era ordinances that discriminated against ALL females (employees and customers) in nightlife. Misty continued performing in Milwaukee until 1976. Her final whereabouts remain unknown.
Thank you to WISN 12 NEWS for partnering with us to share the stories of Wisconsin LGBTQ history! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
