Brady East STD Clinic. 

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

SCOPE AND CONTENT: The origin of the Brady East STD (BESTD) Clinic is documented in the Gay Peoples Union (GPU) Proposal for an Examination Program for VD. The development of the clinic from a program of the GPU to one of the most active and visible HIV testing sites in Wisconsin is told in the Annual Reports to the GPU Board of Directors, 1974-1979, and the BESTD Board of Directors Meeting files, 1981-2000. Both sources contain information about clinic services and programs, client demographics, and financials. The collection also documents the history of the Milwaukee AIDS Project (MAP) and the clinic's cooperative efforts with other agencies and projects, including the Aurora HIV/AIDS Care Team, the Coalition of Greater Milwaukee Community Health Centers, the Milwaukee HIV Prevention Planning Project, and the Women's Alternative Health Clinic.

In addition to documenting the history of the BESTD Clinic, the collection includes sources of more general informational value. Topics include human sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases; the evolution of a "safer sex" discourse in response to HIV/AIDS in the 1980s; clean needle exchange programs; and the history of HIV/AIDS with an emphasis on prevention, diagnosis, and counseling. Much of this information is contained in brochures, posters, and other materials produced and/or distributed by the clinic.

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY:  In response to an outbreak of syphilis among men having sex with men, the Gay Peoples Union (GPU) opened its Venereal Disease Examination Center on October 11, 1974. The center existed to provide free and confidential testing in a friendly environment to all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or practices. Its work was funded by a grant from the City of Milwaukee Health Department channeled through the 16th Street Community Health Center, the Gerald Earl Meyers Foundation, and GPU. This partnership among a municipal government agency, a private community clinic, a local foundation, and a gay rights organization on behalf of a "gay" VD clinic was unique in Wisconsin.

In its early years, the center offered screening for gonorrhea and syphilis, and maintained a VD Hotline that provided callers with accurate information and referrals. Clinic volunteers initiated one of the nation's first "outreach clinics" for off-site testing of STDs, regularly screening patrons of the local gay bathhouse. In 1977, the center expanded its services to include treatment and accordingly changed its name to the Gay Peoples Union VD Clinic. In 1979, the name of the clinic changed to the Gay Peoples Union STD Clinic. During fall 1981 and spring 1982, the clinic was gradually organized as an entity independent of GPU and renamed the Farwell STD Clinic. In June 1982, the clinic relocated to 1240 E. Brady Street and underwent a final name change to the Brady East STD (BESTD) Clinic.

Although the clients of the BESTD Clinic have been predominately male, the clinic provided space for the Women's Alternative Health Clinic beginning in 1987. This clinic provided an alternative for women uncomfortable with the traditional medical system or seeking additional information and support. It was widely promoted among Milwaukee's lesbian population.

In 1984, BESTD volunteers began preliminary responses to AIDS. (In Wisconsin, the first cases of HIV infection were reported in 1983.) The board of directors formed the Milwaukee AIDS Project (MAP) as a committee of the clinic. As the complexity and demands of HIV and AIDS increased, the board realized that an appropriate response for the City of Milwaukee was far beyond the capacity of a dedicated group of volunteers. Following its divestiture from BESTD, MAP became an independent entity in January 1986. MAP was later reorganized as the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW). BESTD continues to provide HIV/AIDS testing and prevention counseling. Indeed, it was one of the earliest pioneers in HIV testing, conducting the state's first outreach HIV testing at local gay bars and clubs. BESTD Clinic also led the nation with the first large-scale use of a rapid HIV anti-body test, conducting 200 tests at PrideFest Milwaukee in 2003.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Brady East STD Clinic. Records, 1972-2004. UWM Manuscript Collection 238. University Manuscript Collection. Archives. UWM Libraries. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

RELATED COLLECTIONS:

ACT UP Milwaukee. Records. (UWM Manuscript Collection 203)

Cream City Foundation. Records. (UWM Manuscript Collection 205)

Gay Peoples Union. Records. (UWM Manuscript Collection 240)

Lutz, Bobby, 1953-1997. Bobby Positive booklets and papers. (UWM Manuscript Collection 239)

Milwaukee Gay/Lesbian Cable Network. Records. (UWM Manuscript Collection 206)

National Coalition of Gay Sexually Transmitted Disease Services (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 207)

ACQUISITION:  Brady East STD Clinic donated this collection in November 2005 (accession number 2005-027).

PROCESSING:  Ryan Claringbole processed the collection at the Archives in August 2006.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

• AIDS (Disease)--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Clinics--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Gay communities--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
• Gay Peoples Union.
• Gay Peoples Union VD Examination Center.
• Milwaukee AIDS Project.
• Sexually transmitted diseases--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

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URL: http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/arch/findaids/uwmmss238.htm
Last edited on Wednesday, August 30, 2006.
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