Miller Lite is partnering with historian Eric Cervini for the release of ‘Beers and Queer History,’ a brief history guide detailing how bars have played a crucial role in empowering the community to live authentically and freely. ‘Beers and Queer History’ shines a light on ten pivotal moments in LGBTQ+ history where bars and bar culture have been the backdrop.
Cervini, an award-winning historian of LGBTQ+ politics, a New York Times bestselling author, and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Recently, Dr. Cervini launched Queer History 101, a free online curriculum to expand access to LGBTQ+ history. In the guide’s foreword, Dr. Eric Cervini shares the importance of queer bars throughout history:
“Bars were our havens. For most of the 20th century, an era of rampant homophobia and transphobia, many LGBTQ+ folks had no choice but to live double lives. During the day, while at work or with their families, they acted straight. For their own safety, they often concealed their gender identities. But at night, they went to the bars, where––at last––they could be themselves.”
Miller Lite has been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community dating all the way back to the 1970s when the brand sponsored the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. Throughout the 1990s, the brand would show up at PrideFest events and Pride Weeks in New York City. Additionally, Miller Brewing was one of the first companies to offer same-sex domestic partner benefits, since 2000.