Originally published at Umbrella Collective.
As Pride month approaches and rainbows start to appear everywhere, I’m filled with a combination of excitement and introspection. The opportunity to celebrate queer identity publicly is a privilege that has always been under threat in our country and around the world. Dating back to The Stonewall Uprising of 1969, Pride month pays tribute to decades of activism. Today, Pride celebrations are an opportunity to connect with community, renew our collective determination to live authentically, and celebrate the pure joy of being queer. We can look at the rainbows all around to be reminded that we are beautifully different, but not alone.
And yet.
As a queer person 4 years sober, I find myself scrolling through community Pride calendars looking for events that are not centered around alcohol or sponsored by it. To be honest, the limited selection is a bit disheartening. From the parade floats to the after parties, liquor companies are capitalizing on a community of LGBTQIA+ individuals who are 2.5 times more likely to experience substance use disorder compared to heterosexual individuals according to the American Psychiatric Association. Substance use among transgender youth is also 2.5 to 4 times higher than their cisgender peers according to a 2017 research study published by The Journal of Adolescent Health.
The lingering question that I’m left with is: What does Pride month mean for a queer sober person?
The decision to not drink alcohol or use substances can instantly make you feel like an outsider at events that are designed with the intention of making queer people feel included, centered, and celebrated. Many queer sober people have likened the experience to “coming out all over again”, because the expectation to drink alcohol as an adult is such a deeply engrained social construct.
However, many who attend Pride events drink alcohol to feel less self-conscious…less anxious…less different…or just feel less in general. The alcohol industry is a patriarchal system that has monetized a movement of marginalized people while limiting our ability to feel. The lethal message being sold to us by liquor companies is that alcohol can help you be your true self. As if falling in-line with big business, numbing our senses, and cutting ourselves off from our feelings is the key to authenticity and liberation.
In the words of Holly Whitaker, “sobriety—not sober curiosity but sobriety sobriety—is still a thing that is seen as extreme, ascetic, fringe, punishing, underground, other people’s problem, other people’s sickness, anonymous, etc.” In other words, “it’s a rebellious act to not drink”.
The Pride movement has always been an act of rebellion. Honoring your beautiful queer body by refraining from substances might just be the most radical way to celebrate Pride this June.
If you are in the sobriety camp this Pride, you don’t need to do it alone! Here are 6 ways to celebrate Pride as a queer sober person. And here’s a variety of alcohol-free local events in Boulder and Denver County:
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