The following is a list of upcoming classes, events, and other Tool Shed happenings.
We host some events in person, and some events online. Most in-person classes and events are held at our storefront at 2427 N Murray Avenue in Milwaukee, WI. When events are held at a different site, we will note that location clearly in the event description.
The Tool Shed's detailed guidelines around classes and events (including our policies around cancellation, refunds, waiting lists, etc.) can be read here.
For online events, we are using the Zoom platform. Online events are moderated. Check out our online events policies here. ALL TIMES LISTED ARE CENTRAL TIME.
Please bear in mind that The Tool Shed's physical location is a sexuality boutique. As such, we require that event and class attendees be at least 18 years of age. Some outside event venues may require that attendees be at least 21 years of age; those will be noted in the event description.
AUGUST 2025
Figure This! A Kinky Sketch Lab
with Sunny
Thursday, August 21, 2025
8:30 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
Bring your degeneracy, perversion, imagination & the way you see your fantasy in experimental ways. This sketch lab is designed for any body, position, and who may just need to be shown the ropes (may that be figuratively... or not) on how to get all of this on paper!
Graphite and charcoal pencils, charcoal sticks, erasers, paper, and clipboards will be provided. Feel free to bring your own supplies, though!
$20 per person
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Sunny (he/him) is a multimedia trans artist based in Milwaukee.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!
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Exploring the Kink Community
with Shaan
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
7:00 PM Central Time
This is a virtual event on Zoom
Curious about the world of kink but not sure where to begin? Let "Exploring the Kink Community" be your field guide to discovering, exploring, and navigating the kink, Leather, and BDSM communities! We'll discuss the difference between a munch and a play party, common protocol and etiquette, and how/where to find things to do. Shaan will also share his experience at dozens of events worldwide, including a few local spaces.
$15 per person
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Shaan Lashun (he/they) is one of the awesome staff at Tool Shed Toys! In addition to his role as a kink/sexuality educator, Shaan runs the Milwaukee Queer Munch – a monthly gathering for queer and trans kinksters (and the curious/exploring) – and has a busy history working in sex education and trans wellness.
This is a virtual event on Zoom.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!
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T Time: Nonbinary Identities in Binary Transitions
Sunday, August 31, 2025
5:00 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
T Time is The Tool Shed’s monthly space for trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people. Our discussion group is exclusively for trans and gender-questioning folks (unless otherwise specified in the topic description). Cisgender friends and partners may join their loved ones when browsing the store. Browsing time happens from 5:00pm to 5:30pm, and discussion group happens from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.
This T Time, we're holding space for nonbinary trans individuals to talk about what that means in a society where "binary" is the general default. Topics to touch on includes identity and expression, language/labels, community, representation, intersectional and system, and daily life. Our knowledgeable staff will also be available to discuss gender-affirming products like binders, breast forms, packers, and toys.
FREE to attend.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
NOTE: Registering for T Time will help us prepare, but is NOT required to attend.
SEPTEMBER 2025
Hot, Ready, Write! Spicy Shorts That Satisfy
with Xidaer Lee
Saturday, September 6, 2025
8:30 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
From building arousing sex scenes to the narrative structure unique to erotic fiction, “Hot, Ready, Write!” teaches you the skills needed to satisfy your audience. Based on presenter Xidaer Lee’s “Smut Template” featured in Lotus Aisling’s “Character and Content Creation Workbook: For Adult Entertainers”, this course helps build your work in an easy to follow, engaging way. Ready to get started? Sign up for “Hot, Ready, Write!” today!
$20 per person
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Milwaukee’s own Xidaer Lee is a non-binary erotica author, kinkster, and fan-fiction enthusiast. Over the last decade, their sweet, sensual queer fiction has gained a loyal following online through Archive of Our Own. In 2023, they pivoted to original works, self-publishing their first short story, “Sugar and White Lies” to five-star reviews on Amazon Kindle. They traditionally published “Honor and Service”, a spicy queer romance, in Inkd Publishing’s 2024 Impulse erotica anthology. Now Xidaer wants to help grow your skills, encouraging everyone to engage their audience and explore their desires through the written word.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!
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The Lives of Trans Parents
with Jasmine, Najire, kat, Edie, and Kayden
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
7:00 PM Central Time
This is a virtual event on Zoom
Trans people have always been parents, but their experiences are often erased or misunderstood. This panel brings together trans women, trans men, and nonbinary parents to share their journeys: how they became parents, how their identities shape how they parent, and how they’re navigating family life in today’s political climate. From navigating fertility and adoption systems to raising kids in trans-affirming ways, we’ll explore both the challenges and joys of building families as trans people. Whether you're a parent, hoping to become one, or just curious, this conversation is about visibility, possibility, and the power of trans families.
FREE or $15 donation.
This is a virtual event on Zoom.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!
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T Time: Trans Intimacy
with Love
Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025
5 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
T Time is The Tool Shed’s monthly space for trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people. Our discussion group is exclusively for trans and gender-questioning folks (unless otherwise specified in the topic description). Cisgender friends and partners may join their loved ones when browsing the store. Browsing time happens from 5:00pm to 5:30pm, and discussion group happens from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.
This class focuses on how to make your trans partner feel comfortable, affirmed, and sexy in the bedroom. This T Time event is open to cisgender partners of trans people, or cisgender people looking for resources on being more trans-inclusive in their play. Our knowledgeable staff will also be available to discuss gender-affirming products like binders, breast forms, packers, and toys. And, thanks to the Milwaukee Trans & Queer Depot (MTQD), we'll have hormone injection kits available for those who need them.
FREE to attend.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
NOTE: Registering for T Time will help us prepare, but is NOT required to attend.
OCTOBER 2025
Sex as 3ibada
with Elias and Alesia
Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025
7 PM Central Time
This is a virtual event on Zoom
Ibadah is an Arabic word meaning service or servitude. In Islam, ibadah (or 3ibada) is usually translated as "worship."
Queer folks are aware that divinity and pleasure can overlap and are intrinsically aligned. Due to the overwhelming and suffocating prevalence of Christian tradition and morality embedded into almost all aspects of our lives in the US, it is common for sex and pleasure to be posited as an antithesis to purification and G-dliness.
One of the main tenets of Islam is that of 3ibada, or worship. In this session, Alesia V. and Elias B. will share how an integral part of their personal practise is expanding their 3ibada to include sex and pleasure. Through discussion, participants will exchange ideas in community to continue deepening this practise with intentionality.
This session is based on Alesia and Elias' personal understanding of Islam and is geared towards a Muslim audience, but people of all faiths are welcome to join. Participants will leave with ideas to incorporate worship into their pleasure practises.
$15 per person
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Elias is a nonbinary Amazigh Algerian Muslim poet and printmaker living on occupied Piscataway and Nacotchtank lands, who firmly believes art cannot exist outside of activism. Elias received their MFA from Howard University in Electronic Studio Art. They explore concepts of sexuality, gender, pleasure, revolution, and diaspora, at the intersections of race and spirituality in their work. Their dream is to open a Queer-affirming masjid where they live, and currently run a small affinity group called Halal And Queer Collective (HAQ Collective) to provide healing spaces for other Queer Muslims.
Alesia is a Black Feminist troublemaker, singer-songwriter, playwright, and general creatrix. She has worked in social services in the DC area for 10+ years. She is an independent contractor of trauma informed care circles in the TIMBo method. Throughout her career, Alesia has noticed and built upon the connection between sexual wellness, self-worth, and divinity.
This is a virtual event on Zoom.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!
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Non-Monogamy 2.0: After Opening Up
with Laura
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025
8:30 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
This seminar covers common questions and scenarios that can occur after opening up a relationship, both between the initial couple and among new folx. The goal is to equip everyone, from couples to polycules, with a few stories, some advice, and the tools for success in the wilds of creating and maintaining your own ethically consensual relationships.
Part 1: No "Relationship Escalator"?- What poly/ENM commitment can look like.
Part 2a: Breakups- dealing with heartbreak while being happy with existing partners
Part 2b: Breakups- compassionate de-escalation (in a small community)
Part 3: Long Distance/Comet Poly
Part 4: Problems with Metamours
Part 5: Going Back?- When one person is done with ENM.
$20 per person
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Laura holds a masters degree in Education, but more importantly she's been active in Milwaukee's alternative lifestyle communities for the last two decades. At the Tool Shed alone, her line of kinkery has been available for nearly 20 years, and she has been practicing ENM for nearly a decade, since she and her husband opened up their relationship of 14 years. A secondary educator for several years, she has also presented on Victorian fashion and underclothing, impact play, and the history of fetishwear at venues ranging from the MOWA to EASSEL.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!
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T Time: Product Q&A
Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025
5 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
T Time is The Tool Shed’s monthly space for trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people. Our discussion group is exclusively for trans and gender-questioning folks (unless otherwise specified in the topic description). Cisgender friends and partners may join their loved ones when browsing the store. Browsing time happens from 5:00pm to 5:30pm, and discussion group happens from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.
Our knowledgeable staff will also be available to discuss gender-affirming products like binders, breast forms, packers, and toys.
FREE to attend.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
NOTE: Registering for T Time will help us prepare, but is NOT required to attend.
Register here!
NOVEMBER 2025
Art of Massage
with Shiloh
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025
8:30 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
Join Shiloh of Spectrum Bodywork as they teach about the art of massage and touch. They will be combining a massage 101 approach with a more in depth experience leaning into intimacy and pleasure. Come solo or bring a partner/friend. All experience levels welcomed!
$20 per person
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Shiloh is a licensed massage therapist/bodyworker with an inclusivity-forward passion for engaging with and helping the community heal.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!
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Sensual Movement & Dance
with Yaya
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025
8:30 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
Sensual Movement with Yaya is a dance class exploring sensuality. This class is for those at any fitness level wanting to reconnect to their body, sensuality power and purpose. Heels are optional but highly encouraged. Come have fun in this beginner friendly class open to people of all genders!
$20 per person
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Yaya Edmonds (she/her) is a creative director, choreographer and professional dancer in the greater Milwaukee area. She discovered her passion for dance at the age of seven when her mother entered her and her two older sisters in community dance competitions as a young artist. Raised in Omaha, NE, she has been involved in dance, movement and performance since before her early teens. She began professionally teaching and choreographing dance seven years ago focusing on styles rooted in hip hop, jazz, African culture and praise & worship. Edmonds has been awarded Best Director, Best Cinematographer, had the opportunity to teach in international festivals and opened for Mariah the Scientist and the Isley Brothers at Summerfest (2024, 2025). Her dance organization - ro.ya.le tech.nique - has been awarded Best Ensemble and starred on television within only 2 years of being a LLC.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!
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T Time: Trans Intimacy
with Love
Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025
5 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
T Time is The Tool Shed’s monthly space for trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people. Our discussion group is exclusively for trans and gender-questioning folks (unless otherwise specified in the topic description). Cisgender friends and partners may join their loved ones when browsing the store. Browsing time happens from 5:00pm to 5:30pm, and discussion group happens from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.
This class focuses on how to make your trans partner feel comfortable, affirmed, and sexy in the bedroom. This T Time event is open to cisgender partners of trans people, or cisgender people looking for resources on being more trans-inclusive in their play. Our knowledgeable staff will also be available to discuss gender-affirming products like binders, breast forms, packers, and toys. And, thanks to the Milwaukee Trans & Queer Depot (MTQD), we'll have hormone injection kits available for those who need them.
FREE to attend.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
NOTE: Registering for T Time will help us prepare, but is NOT required to attend.
Register here!
DECEMBER 2025
Puppy Play 101 Wednesday
with Cream City Pets and Handlers (CCPAH)
Dec. 3, 2025
8:30 PM Central Time
This is an in-person event at The Tool Shed
Come explore the headspace of pet play. This introductory course will review the basic etiquette of pet play and is ideal for anyone curious about the scene. There will be plenty of time for questions and an opportunity to try on some common types of pet play gear and accessories. Whether you want to ROAR or rawr, we will help your inner pet come out to play.
$20 per person
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Cream City Pets And Handlers provides a safe and inclusive space for pet play enthusiasts to explore and express their pet and Handler side.
Thomas "Laz" Beranek is a fun-loving and dedicated member of the leather community, known for his commitment to fostering inclusivity, education, and community-building projects. Born on the west coast and raised in the heartland, Thomas discovered his affinity for the leather lifestyle in his early twenties through pro wrestling (yes, you read that right) and has since become a familiar face at leather events across Wisconsin and beyond. Safe, consensual practices are the expectation while planning and executing events in his capacity as the President for Cream City PAH, the Milwaukee Pet and Handler organization.
Thomas is currently Mr Wisconsin Leather Pride, aiming to use the platform to promote building strong, supportive networks between local LGBTQ+ kink groups. With his charismatic presence, extensive knowledge of leather culture, and a deep commitment to building bridges within the community, Thomas aspires to inspire with his vision of a more inclusive leather community.
This is an in-person event, held at the Tool Shed's Milwaukee, WI location.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!
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The Power of Orgasms & Sex Magick
with La Bruja B
Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025
7 PM Central Time
This is a virtual event on Zoom
Magick uses energy to influence the universe in a desired direction. This is done by raising, directing and releasing that energy. While many people use tools in this process, with sex magick the only thing you need to bring is your body. Learn what sex magick is and how to incorporate it into your manifestation practices.
- Breaking down magick: what it is, how energy is used, why it’s important
- What is manifestation and how it relates to magick
- Incorporating sex into these practices: solo vs partner(s)
- How to incorporate sigils
- How to make sex into a ritual
- Creating a sacred safe space for sex magick
$20 per person
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
B is a Queer Chicana professional Bruja. She believes in accessible healing for everyone. She creates magickal offerings such as crystal Jewlery, intention oils, spelled candles, and more. She offers intuitive readings, spiritual classes, and runs a witch market called, What the Hex. She owns a store front "Tres Ojos" in West Milwaukee where you find these offerings!
This is a virtual event on Zoom.
Pre-registration is required-- register here!