Queers & Steers
A short study on Houston Craft Beer & the LGBTQ+ community
“Holy dog shit! Texas? Only steers and queers come from Texas…”1 We wish. Texas is notoriously troublesome when it comes to queers and progress. Perhaps because of this, we occasionally get asked our opinions on diversity within the craft beer community, specifically in relation to LGBTQ+2 inclusion. If we’re being honest, we always feel a little uneasy speaking on the broader topic. As white, cisgender men, we have immense privilege. Who are we to speak on diversity? That said, it is perhaps because of our privilege that we often feel compelled to speak out and, like this article, answer the question to the best of our abilities. If we can use our platform and privilege to spread awareness and highlight injustices and inequity, we should do that. We also want to use this blog as an opportunity to to give a voice to those who may not otherwise have a platform. If you read this and think you may have something you’d like to share, please reach out!
With all that said, let’s talk about queers in Houston Craft Beer. From a consumer perspective, craft beer has always had a very white, male and hetero look. Think about the stereotypical craft beer nerd in jokes and comics: bearded bro, probably a know it all, maybe a borderline predator. This character certainly exists, at way higher levels than anyone probably cares to admit. Craft beer as a community has begun to address that particular parasite, we believe, and we love seeing groups like the Pink Boots Society start to turn the page on women in beer.
But, to the original point: the stereotypical craft beer nerd is a straight white male. Even amongst the Queer (specifically the gay male corner) community going to a craft brewery isn’t seen as a “gay” activity. Too often you hear “ugh, a brewery?” It could be dependent on the crowd, the gay male community is detrimentally cliquey, but it’s a pretty safe generalization. So within both communities, craft beer is seen as hetero-forward. We’re not sure there is really much more to say about it, actually, other than a) it’s mostly true and b) we are hoping to change it.
Once you look closer at the Houston craft beer community of professionals (the community includes the consumers as well) we think the population becomes significantly gayer. We are aware of no fewer than 10 queer professionals in the Houston craft beer community: whether that be owner, brewer, sales rep or bartender. That number sounds small, and we definitely think the number is higher, but in a community that outsiders see as definitely straight, it is defiantly not. For folks who live solely on the consumer side of the community we bet that number sounds quite high (taking the previous premises into account) and promising.
On a personal level, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that the craft beer community has been, almost across the board, extremely welcoming. We’re on year 4 of hosting pride fundraisers and year 3 of collaborating on a pride beer. We hope that, besides any monetary charity, we have helped spread some awareness and made others feel welcome in their own shoes. To us it really feels like the community truly tends towards welcoming and progressive. To us. There it is again: can two gay white cisgendered men make that statement? Maybe, maybe not. But what we can do it make a call for even more representation: Black. Woman. Transgender. Let’s not stop until all feel welcome (everywhere, craft beer and otherwise).
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, 1987.
For simplicity in the article going forward, we’ll use “Queer” as an all encompassing term for the community as a whole.
Agreed, beer should embrace all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual preference or identity. I know of at least one or two breweries currently discussing hosting events with members of the Queer community to try and book either one off or regular events and I hope these pan out. My perception is that the Houston community has made a lot of improvements in attitudes and being welcoming to all, but there is still a long way to go.