'Gay Bar: Why We Went Out' Go Beyond Tradnal Queer Bar Stori

Contents:

• GAY MEN, WE HAVE A DRKG PROBLEM
• FOR THE LOVE OF GAY BARS
• OP-ED: THE FE LE BETWEEN GAY PRI AND ALHOLISM
• I HAVE CID TO FALLY END MY TOXIC RELATNSHIP WH ALHOL. I AM CUR GIVEN THAT THERE’S SO MUCH DRKG GAY CULTURE/SCEN, TO HEAR ANYONE’S STORI ON BEG SOBER OR HOW THEIR LIFE HAS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER BY QUTG. WHAT IS SOCIAL LIFE LIKE? ALSO, ANYONE WHO HAS GONE TO AA - DO YOU GO TO THE “NORMAL” AA MEETGS OR THE LBGT FOCED ON? THANKS FOR ANY FEEDBACK. BEFORE ANYONE ATTACKS ME, Y I KNOW THERE IS A SOBRIETY BOWL, BUT I WANT SOME GAY SPECIFIC FEEDBACK TOO.
• 'PASSAG' DIRECTOR NOUNC 'DANGERO' NC-17 RATG ON A FILM PICTG A GAY LOVE STORY

GAY MEN, WE HAVE A DRKG PROBLEM

1 In fact, studi show that people who self-intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual are approximately 2 tim as likely to have an addictn than straight peers and transgenr dividuals are close to 4 tim as likely. Rearch suggts that gay alhol treatment programs mt nsir important factors such as sexual objectifitn, the tersectnaly of multiple margalized inti—pecially the impacts of racism—and high occurrenc of mental health ndns. While rearch has not drawn specific nclns about why gay women are so much more likely to mise or bee addicted to alhol than straight women, studi do show certa risk factors for alhol abe the muny.

Studi dite that gay women experience certa mental health ncerns—many of which are associated wh a higher rate of substance mise—more often than straight women. Rearch also dit that more gay women experience -occurrg disorrs—or two mental health diagnos at the same time. Gay men have been observed to mise alhol as a pg mechanism, as well as part of a pattern of risk-takg behavrs that may be related to addictn, trma, peer fluence, or mental health ndns.

Homophobia and discrimatn agast gay men has been related to negative mental health out both historilly and currently. Dpe advancements both the unrstandg and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmted fectns, some people still stigmatize gay men based on the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

FOR THE LOVE OF GAY BARS

Gay men of lor are vulnerable to addnal systemic opprsn, which n be related to the homophobic beliefs about specific margalized muni or the crimalizatn of homosexualy. Transphobia n be an addnal layer of discrimatn and vlence that is not separate om homophobia, racism, and other forms of discrimatn.

Transgenr people may also be gay or bisexual and may therefore also experience the unique risk factors of that mographic.

OP-ED: THE FE LE BETWEEN GAY PRI AND ALHOLISM

Many members of the muny thk of the Stonewall rt—which took place a gay bar—as one of the pivotal events recent history. This is particularly ncerng when nsirg that a 2007-2017 Centers for Disease Control and Preventn (CDC) report showed that over 23% of lbian, gay, or bisexual high school stunts and almost 27% of stunts who were unsure of their sexualy had ed illic dgs, pared to jt over 12% of straight stunts. In other words, where Bud Light has buckled unr prsure as bigotry grows agast the LGBTQ+ muny, Gay Water’s creator Spencer Hodson wants his new boozy brand to be the anthis of that.

“The key issue that Bud Light tapped to was the fact that they didn’t unrstand their re dience and know enough about them,” Hodson, a gay man, told CNN about the ntroversy that began when the Anhser-Bch beer brand sent fluencer Dylan Mulvaney a n of beer. The nned cktail is named after a lloquialism given to the popular mixed drk (vodka and soda) orred at bars by the gay muny. “Puttg a product wh the word gay the tle is reprentatn self,” which he hop reclaims the word om the negativy ’s sometim associated wh.

He thought of creatg Gay Water about a year ago while on a vatn wh his iend that had got a job wh the beverage dtry. The two chatted about the limed amount of gay people wh , and wh Hodson burnt out om his tradnal day job tech, started the nned cktail. Hodson built up a strong social media followg on TikTok and Instagram durg Covid-19 and is g some of the money om that (as well as om iends and fay) to help fund Gay Water.

I HAVE CID TO FALLY END MY TOXIC RELATNSHIP WH ALHOL. I AM CUR GIVEN THAT THERE’S SO MUCH DRKG GAY CULTURE/SCEN, TO HEAR ANYONE’S STORI ON BEG SOBER OR HOW THEIR LIFE HAS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER BY QUTG. WHAT IS SOCIAL LIFE LIKE? ALSO, ANYONE WHO HAS GONE TO AA - DO YOU GO TO THE “NORMAL” AA MEETGS OR THE LBGT FOCED ON? THANKS FOR ANY FEEDBACK. BEFORE ANYONE ATTACKS ME, Y I KNOW THERE IS A SOBRIETY BOWL, BUT I WANT SOME GAY SPECIFIC FEEDBACK TOO.

“Gay is an umbrella term and the ia behd the brand is to be as clive as possible, which means we want alli, we want straight people to be part of this muny we’re buildg.”. For now, Gay Water is sold largely onle (wh a few retailers) and four sugar-ee flavors — watermelon, lime, peach and grapeu — at lnch.

'PASSAG' DIRECTOR NOUNC 'DANGERO' NC-17 RATG ON A FILM PICTG A GAY LOVE STORY

Gay Water might not have the ep pockets pared to s petors, like Whe Claw, but “even at small sle, pani of many siz are havg succs makg spir-based seltzers and premixed cktails,” Bryan Roth, an analyst for Feel Goods Company and edor of the alhol beverage newsletter, Sightl+, told CNN.

“There’s lots of space the spir-based seltzer tegory which Gay Water n play, pecially if the brand n offer a cultural or emotnal nnectn that will feel more excg than the prospect of another peapple-flavored vodka seltzer om natnal or ternatnal rporatns,” Roth said. Of urse, other drks e the word “gay,” too, cludg Gay Beer and So Gay Rosé, Hodson noted, which are also tryg to reach the queer muny and offer them an alternative the straight-domated space. " In a society where beg homosexual was taboo, not to mentn illegal, those on the LGBT spectm gathered small bars across the untry where they would drk, let down their exterr fens, and miserate wh the people who accepted them for who they really were.