Wisconsin Brewery Steps Up After School Board Bans Trans-Inclusive Song
After district censored song honoring Marsha P. Johnson, Kirk Bangstad opened his doors — and the internet followed
When the Watertown, Wisconsin school board voted 7-1 on May 12 to pull an instrumental piece honoring transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson from a high school wind symphony concert, they probably didn't expect the backlash to arrive in the form of a brewery owner from a small lake town in northern Wisconsin — or that it would go viral around the world.
Kirk Bangstad, owner of the Minocqua Brewing Company — based in Minocqua, roughly 3.5 hours north of Milwaukee — and a candidate in Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary, saw a Facebook message from a follower about the controversy last week and immediately invited the Watertown Wind Symphony to perform the banned piece at his Madison taproom's beer garden. By the following day, a parent from the band's booster club had emailed him to ask if he was serious. He was. The concert is now scheduled for May 23, and by May 18, the fundraising effort had raised nearly $50,000 in donations.
"Watching those donations come in from self-professed 'band nerds' around the world, cheering these kids on, was truly heartwarming," Bangstad wrote in a Facebook post.
The piece at the center of the controversy is "A Mother of a Revolution!" by composer Omar Thomas, a musically complex contemporary work inspired by Johnson's legacy and the Stonewall uprising. It contains no lyrics — a detail that hasn't been lost on the people following along online. "It's an instrumental, no lyrics," one commenter wrote on Bangstad's post. "How do they think musical notes indoctrinate people and incite violence, as they say?"
Band director Reid LaDew had notified parents months before the scheduled concert and gave students the option to opt out; only one did. The school board voted to remove it anyway, citing district policies on controversial political topics.
When news spread that the Wind Symphony would perform the piece at the Minocqua Brewing Company's Madison location, the board escalated further, banning students from using school-owned instruments for what it called "unsanctioned concerts." Band directors and music stores from across the Midwest responded by offering to loan the students whatever they needed. The response moved at least one music educator to weigh in: "My heart is bursting! Music ensembles have always been a safe space for EVERYONE," they wrote, adding a note of caution alongside the celebration. "To everyone donating — please know these issues are happening everywhere, and every music program needs your help to continue to survive."
Bangstad says the $50,000 raised will go toward instruments the band's booster club can own outright, permanently outside the school board's reach. The booster club is in the process of forming its own 501(c)(3), separate from the school district. Bangstad noted that percussion instruments alone carry steep price tags — a single outdoor-capable marimba runs $8,000 to $10,000.
Tickets to the May 23 show sold out almost immediately. The response drew donors from across the country, many of them identifying as fellow former band members. "Band geeks unite!" one commenter wrote. "We may have been 'geeks' back in the day but we can be pretty powerful when called to action." Another donor echoed the sentiment: "My contribution was small but my support is huge. The power of those unified and investing in freedom adds pep to my step."
The concert will be livestreamed on Facebook, Substack, YouTube and Twitch. Donations can be made through the event's Eventbrite page.
Students at Watertown High School organized a walkout on May 13 in protest of the board's decision. A Change.org petition created by students calling to "Stop Watertown Schools from Banning Music over its LGBTQ+ ties" has also been circulating.
To protect band director LaDew from potential retaliation, Bangstad emphasized in an update to his original post that LaDew had no involvement in planning the private concert and has been deliberately kept in the dark about its details. Student performers and guest artists are participating as volunteers to ensure the school board has no jurisdiction over the event.
"What started out as seven ugly bigots censoring music and kids has now been turned into an investment into kids playing uncensored music for years to come," Bangstad wrote.
For many watching, the moment has carried a weight beyond the immediate story. "This is what my concept of being an American has always been," one commenter wrote. "Thank you for bringing back what Americans do best — stand up and show up for folks when they've been hurt by power-wielding thugs."
The concert is set for Saturday, May 23, at the Minocqua Brewing Company Madison Taproom, following a brass quintet performance of patriotic music for Memorial Day weekend.
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