Coffee and Queers: A Love Story

Queer culture has almost always been synonymous with nightlife, reaching it's height after dark, bathed the colorful lights of bars and clubs. There’s nothing wrong with drinks and dancing, but for the baby gays and those of us who want a space that’s a little more tame, the hot spot has always been cafés. That must be why the bisexual barista behind the coffee bar makes the best oat milk latte, right?

ACTIVISM SERVED SCORCHING

Let’s look at what couples cafés with queerness. With the obvious historical context of gay clubs being the one place for the LGBTQ+ community to gather, hidden from the judgemental eyes of straight society, cafés functioned as one of the first public places for queers to commune. 

During the early stages of the queer civil rights movement, before Stonewall, there was the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot–starting with a coffee thrown in the face of a cop. Coincidence or not, cafés have been a place where intellectuals and advocates band together. Even progress can be made around a coffee table. 

BUT WHY CAFÉS?

Convenience and creativity. Coffee has a community of its own that transcends gender and sexuality, it’s quite literally for everyone. No matter who you are, the doors to a coffeehouse are open (even to you tea drinkers).

When looking at the popularization of local coffee shops, and even chains, there is an aestheticism that comes with the cup. We all remember the heavily filtered coffee pics that dominated everyone’s Instagram feeds in the early 2010s. That trend hasn’t necessarily died, it’s just evolved over the years into story posts and academia-core moodboards. There is a sense of ownership that gay people have over coffee. Much like any viral meme or trend, the queer coding of coffee has extended beyond the screen.

CUSTOMER & SERVER SATISFACTION

The customers aren’t the only queers in this equation. Most young people venture into food service for their first jobs or just to make some money while balancing university. For creatives specifically, a coffee shop allows for a little more wiggle room to be experimental. As young queer artists try to break into the industry, they tend to gravitate toward coffee shops to keep them afloat. The appeal is the aesthetic atmosphere and calming vibe unique to a café experience. Plue, they tend to be more lax about appearances, not minding piercings, tattoos, or dyed hair that are often associated with the LGBTQ+ community. 

Ordering a coffee also comes with a sense of freedom. When you’re placing your order, you can customize it however you want. If you want it black, freezing, and bitter, you can do that. You have a thing for rotting your teeth with artificial sweeteners and a bev that toes the line of being mostly milk? Go for it. You’re the one in control. Queer people have an affinity for being the creators of their own consumption, because they get to accessorize their identity.

THE COFFEE GAYDAR

Speaking of identity, iced coffee has become a strong identifier for gay people to take notice of each other. It’s like a signal, something to say “Hey I’m gay!” Think of other subtle ways members of the LGBTQ+ community have learned to spot one another. The history of finding little ways to showcase one’s sexuality has roots dating back centuries. 

Notably, Oscar Wilde participated in signposting by using hankies or ties of feminine colors to let other homosexual men know that he was one of them. Specific jewelry (almost always earrings), Doc Martens, or embracing an eclectic wardrobe are just a couple of the ways queer people have carried on counterculture in recent years. Coffee is so much more than a drink, it’s a symbol that you are keeping up with your community.

THE LAST SIP

Coffee laid the grounds (pun intended) for the queer community to stand on today. Even if it’s a little silly and doesn’t play the same revolutionary part that it used to, LGBTQ+ folks use it as a symbol of solidarity. It brings us together, literally, whenever someone posts their cup on their Insta Story or a couple of friends catch up at their local café.

Coffeehouses have become a safe space for a lot of queer people of all ages. The warmth and comfort of the queer community can be found in the walls of a café, just like the glitz and glamor of gay clubs have been used to show everyone just how extra and eccentric we can be. Queer people can find sanctuary anywhere, but they’ll undoubtedly have better luck with a drink in hand.