I am equally as proud of my queer identity as I am of my sober identity. This wasn’t always the case. Like many LGBTQ+ folks, I have faced various forms of discrimination, rejection and harassment that led me to struggle with a severe alcohol addiction for many years.
Some family members did not provide a safe space for my queerness. When I came out to my mother, she told me that gay people made her sick. In response, I turned to substances as a way of coping and providing temporary relief. Gay bars provided me with a soft landing.
When I stepped into my first gay bar, I didn’t have to hide or erase essential parts of myself — very much unlike how I navigated the rest of the world. In these spaces, being queer was not only welcomed, but celebrated.
All bars revolve around the sale, consumption and normalization of alcohol. But what’s unique for LGBTQ+ folks is the overlap, for many, of coming out (around age 20 on average) and being able to legally buy a drink. For those within the queer community, the convergence of these pivotal moments is further complicated by the association between bar spaces and alcohol with vital human needs like community, safety, belonging and sense of self.
Approximately 20 to 30% of LGBTQ+ folks report substance abuse and addiction issues compared to 9% of the population as a whole. Queer people also experience higher rates of mental health issues like anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation, which often bolster substance use problems.
Big Alcohol has taken full advantage of the vulnerabilities present in the LGBTQ+ community when it comes to addiction. It’s no accident that more and more alcohol companies are showing up to Pride events and as sponsors in other queer spaces; these companies know they make the most money off of the heaviest drinkers.
Molson Coors Beverage Co. has gone as far as to create a line of alcoholic drinks called “Vizzy Hard Seltzer” that almost exclusively target the LGBTQ+ community. This has been done through the use of predominantly diverse, queer imaging in their branding and strategic partnerships with celebrity figures like Priyanka, the season one winner of "Canada’s Drag Race."
While some may argue that any use of diverse imaging and LGBTQ+ representation in advertising is positive, when we look at this critically, it’s clear that alcohol companies are benefiting far more from this relationship than queer people are. They are not in queer spaces to demonstrate their love for us; they are there to make money off of our suffering.
As I approach six years of sobriety after recently celebrating three years of working professionally as a sobriety coach for women and LGBTQ+ clients, I am even more committed to this work. I support my clients in entering and sustaining sobriety while challenging normative alcohol culture.
Our community deserves genuine love, support and celebration — the kind that doesn’t also include a shot of poison.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Amy C. Willis is a sobriety coach, writer, speaker and the founder of HOL + WELL. This column was produced by Progressive Perspectives, which is run by The Progressive magazine and distributed by Tribune News Service.
