AS SOMEONE WHO has been well-embedded in Ireland’s LGBTQ community since I was a teenager, I had major concerns about what my relationship with the community might look like if I stopped drinking alcohol. Much of today’s queer culture has been shaped by bars, clubs and pubs, which previously represented the only safe place that the community could convene, connect and express themselves.

We were reminded of this last month, when The George celebrated its 40th birthday, which was enthusiastically celebrated by the community and allies alike. Throughout the celebrations, it was noted that The George opened eight years before the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland, reminding us that the past isn’t as distant as we’d like to think.

The George, Dublin. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

In the subsequent decades after decriminalisation, as attitudes towards the LGBTQ community have shifted, there are still people in the community who experience a significant amount of shame and stigma while coming to terms with their identities.

Many LGBTQ people sympathise with this, knowing firsthand that alcohol can temporarily alleviate those feelings. Even those who have parted with that inner turmoil still voraciously consume alcohol, because in a space that’s designed to let you be yourself, there’s something exhilarating about pushing the limits of how much you can abandon your inhibitions.

Alcohol and substance abuse are major problems within the LGBTQ community, with the community more likely to drink to excess than heterosexual and cisgender people, as noted by Drink........

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