It was past The Little Grill Collective’s bedtime. People were laughing, talking about their days at work and discussing politics around the restaurant. Locals were enjoying their evening with a plate of pancakes in one hand and a brew in the other. This past Tuesday, The Little Grill Collective opened its doors past its normal hours to accommodate for “Queers and Beers.”
Every month Harrisonburg arts organization, Old Furnace Artist Residency (OFAR) hosts “Queers and Beers.” The event brings the “guerrilla gay bar” model to the Harrisonburg community. It serves as an opportunity for Harrisonburg’s LGBTQ+ community to gather and connect with one another at local bars and restaurants.
Jon Henry, the head of OFAR, and Jo Benjamin, a member of the board for Shenandoah Valley Equality, brought the project to life. The initial inspiration for the event was the lack of actual gay bars within the Shenandoah Valley.
The Harrisonburg region and the LGBTQ+ community once had a tumultuous relationship. Henry cited past incidences of violence and possible hate crimes and discrimination within the area. Although the climate has improved, according to Henry, the valley still has a long way to go. As opposed to other more metropolitan areas, Harrisonburg has no central Shenandoah Valley specific facilities, centers or services for LGBTQ+ members.
“It’s really hard to find community here and that’s what beers and queers is about, it’s about establishing community,” Henry said.
The Shenandoah Valley does have a region specific group called Shenandoah Valley Equality (SVE) that offers resources and information to the LGBTQ+ community. These resources include lists of therapists who are supportive of the community. According to Jo Benjamin, a member of the board for SVE, it is not uncommon to find “ex-gay” therapists or therapists who view being gay as something that should be cured.
“It was only a couple decades ago that homosexuality was a diagnosis,” Benjamin said.
JMU’s Madison Equality is hosting a week of events called “Dukes Pride” to create a space for the LGBTQ+ community to bring the community together. This will feature events, speakers and performances dealing with LGBTQ+ issues. The mention of “Dukes Pride” week was rampant in conversations at “Queers and Beers” Tuesday.
Initially, “Queers and Beers” only drew in three or four people within members of OFAR’s friend networks. Now, about a year later, it draws in about 30 to 40 people and Henry expects it’s only growing. “Queers and Beers” draws a fairly widespread demographic from the Valley. In the past it has been an intermingling of native Harrisonburg residents, JMU and EMU students.
The event uses the term “queer” as a blanket term for the LGBTQ+ community. The term was once a derogatory term, but now the community is reclaiming the word and giving it a positive and empowering meaning. Everyone in the community has their own unique way of defining it. Henry defines it for himself as being different with a political consciousness.
“It is reclaiming the word … and actually embracing the negativity in a way. Like, actually, ‘We are different. We are going to take apart your hetero-normativity. We are going to take apart capitalism. So yeah, we are a dangerous political contagion—and I think it’s a celebration of that,’” Henry said.
Every month, Henry posts a Facebook event to make people aware of the venue and timing. In the past, it has been held at venues such as The Golden Pony or Beyond. When Henry and others in OFAR plan each month’s event, the most challenging aspect is finding the perfect venue. The most important factors considered when choosing a venue are whether it’s supportive of the LGBTQ+ community and whether it’s affordable and accessible. Henry gauges whether a venue is a safe space for the event based on word of mouth and by communicating with bar owners.
Ben Carnevale, one of the eight owners of The Little Grill Collective, is a regular attendee of “Queers and Beers.” And at last month’s get-together, Henry approached Carnevale with the idea of the collective being a venue for the event and he was more than happy to open the doors to the LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s fun to bring other people into my safe space,” Carnevale said.
There is an underlying political vision behind “Queers and Beers.” Many of the events attendees are community leaders and activists. In the past, OFAR has invited LGBTQ+ nonprofits such as Southerners on New Ground (SONG) and the Virginia Anti-Violence Project to “table” and hand out literature about their causes. SONG is a diverse, regional queer liberation organization working to create social progress in southern rural areas.
JMU Senior Bia Jackson is a “fellow” for SONG. Jackson has “tabled” at “Queers and Beers” in the past and was able to raise awareness about the nonprofit. SONG uses the event as means of introducing those in the LGBTQ+ community to their efforts.
“It’s a good way to meet people I may not necessarily have reach with or would have met before,” Jackson said.
According to both Henry and Jackson, the event’s title is the only “shocking” element about it. The event is very normal.
“I think that people stigmatize us as a community so much that they don’t realize we do day-to-day things,” Jackson said.
Moving forward, OFAR plans on taking two months of the year to host the event at a location not serving alcohol.
“We do want to be aware that we’re not always centering our social spaces around alcohol,” Henry said.
“Queers and Beers” is also open to allies. Henry hopes more JMU students will attend the event. The hope is that “Queers and Beers” will bridge the gap between different demographics in the valley’s LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s a moment for people to really just be able to be their full authentic selves in that moment and not be judged,” Jackson said.