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.
