Wilke had written about LGBT issues with Inside Media, "Advertising Age" (Crain Communications), "Adweek" (Nielsen Company), and other publications since 1992. He is credited with coining the term "gay vague" in 1997 while at Advertising Age. He served as the New York chapter president of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association from 1998–2000, received a 1998 honor at the GLAAD Media Awards for his journalism on LGBT in related industries, was honored in 2001 as one of the "OUT 100" by "Out" magazine, and was a 2002 Crain Lecturer at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He was a judge for the 2006 Association of National Advertisers Multicultural Excellence Awards. He writes a syndicated national column, The Commercial Closet, for LGBT newspapers and web sites.