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
provided 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 a 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.
