Historically, bars have been places for people to gather, drink, and meet with like people. Much like the 19th century immigrants who found commonalities and comfort within the walls of ethnic taverns, the LGBTQ+ community has also traditionally found comfort, safety, (some) normalcy, and a sense of belonging in these taverns, or third spaces. But for many, that simply does not happen. While some people have found a sense of belonging, others have found bars as social spaces to be unwelcoming and unsafe. 

Join Team USA athlete Chris Mosier and Liz Garibay, Chicago Brewseum Executive Director, as they discuss coming out, alcohol, fitting in, finding a sense of belonging and creating social change through the lens of group affiliation and social spaces. 

A vibrant part of Chicago’s cultural scene, Liz Garibay got her start as a spry intern at the Field Museum at the age of 15. In the late 90s Liz began exploring history and culture through the lens of alcohol where her work has served as a model for other museums and scholars and helped spearhead a new field of study. With time, her innovative approaches to public education created opportunities for positions at various museums where she’s curated exhibitions and programs while traveling the country giving lectures at cultural institutions and centers of higher education including Harvard University.  In 2014 she founded the Chicago Brewseum, America’s first non-profit museum dedicated to telling the global story of beer. She serves on the Steering Committee of the LGBT Fund of the Chicago Community Trust and is also on the inaugural Board of Directors of the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, founded by Garrett Oliver.

Chris Mosier is a trailblazing hall of fame athlete, coach, and activist for inclusion in sports. In 2020, he made history by becoming the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials in the gender with which they identify. Prior to that, in 2015 he became the first openly trans man to make a Men's US National Team. Following the national championship race, he was instrumental in getting the International Olympic Committee policy on transgender athletes changed, and in June 2016 he became the first trans athlete to compete in a world championship race under the new rules. He has been called "the man who changed the Olympics" by the BBC and New York Magazine. Chris is a six-time member of Team USA, representing the United States in the sprint triathlon and the short course and long course duathlon, which is a run/bike/run event, a two-time Men's National Champion, and a Men's All-American. Chris is the founder of TransAthlete.com, the go-to source for information about inclusion of transgender athletes in sport.

Thanks to Athletic Brewing Company for supporting this event.