Beers & Queer History, a guide to US gay bars now on sale

June 3, 2022 Queer Forty Staff 2 min read

Beers & Queer History – the guide to queer bars across the country that have played a pivotal role in LGBTQ+ history is out now in time for Pride!

This year for Pride, iconic American beer Miller Lite has devoted some of their budget toward an educational celebration of LGBTQ history, partnering with LGBTQ+ scholar/historian Dr. Eric Cervini to create the guide shining a light on LGBTQ+ history when bars and bar culture played a big role.

It’s a welcome gesture of rainbow allyship in a pivotal year when other forces are stifling education around gender and sexuality, particularly with the Don’t Say Gay bill.

Additionally, with the ongoing affects of the pandemic, numerous iconic LGBTQ bars fought for economic survival and some closed their doors. Before the advent of the Internet, gay bars were one of the few places LGBTQ+ people could find each other. Stonewall, the Greenwich Village historic gay bar is widely considered to be the site of the modern Gay Rights Movements.

Therefore, Beers & Queer History is one way to pay tribute to our community’s hard-fought bricks and mortar presence within mainstream society. Some things you’ll find in the guide:

Little-known stories of ten iconic bars: White Horse Inn (Oakland, CA), The Chicken Hut (Washington, DC), Black Cat Café (San Francisco, CA), Julius’ (New York, NY), Black Cat Tavern (Los Angeles, CA), Rusty’s (Philadelphia, PA), The Stonewall Inn (New York, NY), Jeffery Pub (Chicago, IL), Club One (Savannah, GA) and Panic Bar (Lincoln, NE).
Details on the bars’ police raids, unique quirks and famous patrons/workers
Key moments that began in these bars that turned into mass movements
One of a kind illustrations of each iconic spot

Beers & Queer History was written by LGBTQ+ scholar/historian Dr. Eric Cervini and launched with a special event moderated by drag icon Lady Bunny.

Physical copies of the guide are now available for purchase at shop.millerlite.com. The guide costs $19.33, in honor of the United States’ first known queer bar, Café Lafitte in New Orleans.

All proceeds form sale of the book will support Equality Federation and its state-based efforts to advance workplace fairness and equality for the LGBTQ+ community.