Home » Bartending News » OUT FRONT — LGBTQ+ Leaders Behind the Bar
BARTENDER® Magazine is proud to celebrate talented professionals in the LGBTQ+ community this month and all year long. Today, we are highlighting their insights and stories in hopes of inspiring others in the industry to highlight the diversity and resilience that make our community so vibrant. These bartenders are shaping the modern bar landscape, bringing creativity, innovation, and authenticity to every pour.
Here are our highlighted bartenders:
Antonette (Tone) Arasa (she/they), San Francisco, CA
Michael Aredes (he/him), New York, NY
Everett Clark (he/him), Charlotte, NC
Kayla Dowell (she/her), Los Angeles, CA
Kitty (she/they), New York, NY
Trevin Hutchins (he/him), San Francisco, CA
Liam Lavandowska (he/him), Minneapolis, MN
Lo Logsdon (they/he), Brooklyn, NY
Daddy Long Legs (he/she/they), Chicago, IL
Erica Luera (she/her), Anaheim, CA
Chu Martinez Bordones (she/her), New York, NY
Melina Meza (she/her), Los Angeles, CA
Ramsey Musk (he/him), Chicago, IL
Crystal Rios (she/her), Phoenix, AZ
Stuart Weaver (he/him), Denver, CO
We have asked Stuart Weaver to make an intro and appreciate his continued support and advocacy.
Stuart Weaver:
Every June, I find myself reflecting on the past year, and I’m always met with a mix of emotions. Pride is about celebrating our accomplishments. It’s about honoring the generations who fought for our rights and freedoms. It’s about visibility, education, community, and continuing the work toward equality.
But each year, I notice how quickly that energy fades once the parades end and the rainbow flags come down. While June provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and showcase our community, that commitment should not be confined to a single month.
I’d love to see the industry show the same level of support for queer bartenders and queer spaces year-round that it does during Pride Month. While I’m grateful for the visibility June can bring, queer people should not only be celebrated when it’s marketable. Rainbow washing is very easy to recognize. Real support happens behind closed doors—in hiring practices, leadership opportunities, workplace protections, financial investment, and the decisions companies make when nobody is watching.
Representation and visibility matter because they create pathways for people to feel seen, welcomed, and capable of succeeding in this industry. They remind the next generation that there is a place for them here. They help build communities where people can connect, thrive, and feel genuinely supported. I want to see more of that: more intentional support, more opportunities, more protection, and more celebration of queer bartenders—not just during Pride, but every single day of the year.
The good news is that there are people across our industry already doing this work. Leaders like Erin Schaeferle through Queer Industry Night, Michael Aredes with Noche Traviesa, Daddy Long Legs with DNA Haus, and Chris Cabrera through his continued outspoken advocacy and celebration of queer culture in bars, and the many LGBTQ+ bar owners and managers hosting queer-oriented events and educations are all helping create stronger, more connected communities. Their work reminds us that visibility is not the finish line—it’s the starting point.
For those doing the work of advocacy year-round, Pride also provides a platform to share their stories, discuss difficult subjects, elevate new voices, and help shape the future of our industry. It’s an opportunity for queer leaders to mentor those coming up behind them, demonstrate what is possible, and build avenues for the next generation to succeed. The conversations that follow explore visibility, representation, leadership, advocacy, and the challenges that still remain. They are intended not only to support and empower queer people within our industry, but also to help allies better understand how they can turn support into meaningful action.
Thank you to Bartender Magazine for creating this opportunity, for being a year-round ally, and for helping amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ leaders behind the bar.
“I think that it’s very difficult for people to realize that anyone is part of a smaller group of people has something to offer aside from how they identify. As we move through the year, and hit pride in June, we see these people push forward, but outside of that they are not given the spotlight. In a landscape like we are in today in the United States, it is more important than ever to give a megaphone to the voices that need to be heard. Outside of just being a queer person, so many people in the community have a million different talents and abilities that could be pushed forward and highlighted. By working hard to create safe spaces within our venues outside of our venues in our community, we are better able to protect and lift the other up across the board.” – Michael Aredes
“Visibility and representation are important for all communities, but are often lacking or dulled by rainbow washing; the hospitality industry isn’t excluded from this. While genuine marketing goes beyond campaigns and symbolic gestures, businesses have, and the people working within have to create spaces that make guests and employees feel genuinely welcomed. While the hospitality industry exists to make people feel welcomed and included, authentic representation helps build and strengthen workplace culture to reflect that the company policies of safety and everyday experiences are seen and heard.” – Tone Arasa
“My identity as a queer person has deeply shaped the way I approach hospitality, leadership, and community. I know what it feels like to be ignored, underestimated, mocked, or made to feel like you don’t belong. Those experiences taught me how important it is to truly see people, recognize discomfort, and create spaces where guests feel welcomed, safe, and genuinely cared for. To me, hospitality is about more than serving drinks—it’s about making people feel at home and giving them permission to fully be themselves.
“As a leader, I try to create that same sense of belonging for my team. I want the people I work with to feel supported, protected, and empowered to be unapologetically who they are. I encourage my team to champion the causes and communities that matter most to them, and I do everything I can to help them grow, succeed, and feel valued.
“Community means everything to me because I would not be where I am today without the support, honesty, mentorship, and love of the queer community around me. I believe strongly in paying that forward—uplifting queer voices and helping create more visibility and opportunities for this generation and the next generation of queer bartenders.” – Stuart Weaver
“Seeing a wide range of representation behind a bar is always endearing. It usually indicates that a broad scope of vibrant voices and perspectives exist. Diversity is a sign of good taste – and that will inevitably translate. ” – Erica Luera
“I think it goes back to just visibility in general. The more we see people like us, the more comfortable and accessible things become. Walking into a bar with queer bartenders puts our community at ease. It was that long ago that we were target and rounded up for gathering in bars etc. Visibility means moving forward and changing the narrative. ” – Ramsey Musk
“Visibility, community, and representation matter deeply for LGBTQ+ folks in this industry because it’s built on human connection. Bars and restaurants have historically been some of the few spaces where queer people could safely gather, express themselves, and find community, so it’s important that the people behind those spaces feel seen and valued too. Representation also creates possibility. Seeing LGBTQ+ leaders in hospitality shows younger/emerging professionals that there’s room for them to succeed authentically without having to hide parts of themselves and it creates more inclusive experiences for both staff and guests. Being a queer first-generation Mexican woman in this industry has shaped the way I lead, mentor, and build programs. I care deeply about creating environments rooted in respect, education, collaboration, and genuine hospitality where people feel supported and empowered to grow. The more diverse voices we elevate in hospitality, the stronger and more creative our industry becomes.” – Melina Meza
“Because my own identity is expansive and nuanced, I feel that I lead with empathy and flexibility. We don’t all fit in the same small box in our identities, so why would we all fit in the same small boxes in the ways that we work? I try to approach my teams and communities with fewer assumptions and more grace for our unique paths.” – Lo Logsdon
“As a QIPOC, I feel that I have a civic duty to show up for Indigenous, queer, and the service industry, respectively. We all have shared experiences, stories, culture, and work opportunities to collaborate on. It’s important to remain visible in a community that you are contributing to, if that be behind the bar, leading or team, or being a representative of something bigger. ” – Tone Arasa
“Themes of “chosen family” are prevalent within the bar world and queer community alike. In the drag scene – there’s what are known as “Houses”… typically consisting of a matriarch figure, and the “children” who she takes under her wing. I lovingly refer to teammates that I’ve trained or mentored as my “kids”. I protect them, challenge them, and upbuild them to the best of my ability. I’m Mother. I love to see my House thrive.” – Erica Luera
“My identity has shaped the way I approach hospitality because, since I was a kid, I understood what it feels like when the world is not always kind to you. For different reasons, not every room felt soft, safe, or welcoming. So in a way, I learned early that I wanted to become the kind of person who could bring warmth into a space. Behind the bar, I try to be the best version of myself through a smile. Not only when people are watching, not only when it is easy, but especially when it is not. I believe in being kind when a guest is rude, because maybe they are the person who needs it the most that day. I believe in being kind when a coworker feels down, because one small gesture can change the energy of their whole shift. That is how I understand hospitality and leadership. It is not just about making beautiful drinks or running a smooth service. It is about creating a place where people feel seen, cared for, and safe enough to be themselves. My identity has taught me that kindness can be quiet, but it can also be powerful. And behind the bar, I try to lead with that every day.” – Chu Martinez Bordones
“Owning who I am has allowed me to be more intentional about helping people feel seen, comfortable, and included. Behind the bar, I care a lot about creating an atmosphere that feels warm, welcoming, and genuine for everyone. And that radiates from behind the bar to the guests, and I believe that you can feel it.” – Kayla Dowell
“As a Black trans man from the south I have faced countless discrimination that significantly impacted my career in the hospitality industry. Despite those obstacles , I use those experiences as motivation to persevere. My journey has made me a strong, empathic, wise and resilient leader. My mission is to continue to grow while passing on knowledge and opening doors so that the next LGBTQ+ person doesn’t have the same struggle as mine. ” – Everett Clark
“My biggest dream is to see more bars with paid medical leaves. This would be great for everyone, but especially for trans people who are seeking medical transition. I don’t want to have to throw a party for my top surgery!” – Lo Logsdon
“I would love to see more LGBTQ+ focused programming and cocktail education. I’m grateful for the people in our community who are already spearheading this — Erin Schaeferle who created Queer Industry Night (QIN) and Heather Hoffman who started Queer Cocktail Week here in San Francisco. Their passion is helping create more space, visibility, and connection in our industry.” – Trevin Hutchins
“I would like to see so many more of us celebrated and highlighted outside of the month of June. We have ideas, talent, and bills to pay 365 days a year. I’d also like to see more people in higher positions speaking up in advocacy and protection of LGBTQ+ individuals. Across the world, Trans, Non-Binary and GNC individuals are the targets of massive political campaigns to eradicate our existence. If you can call on our voices, bodies, and talent in the month of June, then you should have no problem defending my right to exist.” – Daddy Long Legs
“The biggest change I’d like to see is a dismantling of what someone needs to look like. The expectation that people are thin, white, with no piercings or dyed hair is outdated and based in classist and racist ideologies. People come in all shapes, colors, and sizes with many different ways of celebrating their bodies, especially in the queer community where we love to make ourselves more exciting.” – Liam Lavadowska
“I would like to see LGBTQ+ inclusion in the bar and spirits industry go beyond Pride Month and become part of everyday culture. Support should not disappear once June ends. Simple changes like consistent representation in campaigns, inclusive workplace policies, and year-round support for LGBTQ+ staff and events would make a real difference. Bars and brands should create spaces where people feel respected and comfortable being themselves at all times, not only during seasonal celebrations.” – Crystal Rios
“I’d love to see more LGBTQ+ people in leadership, creative, and decision-making roles — Running bars, opening bars, starting businesses. Creating these hubs and spaces where people can be themselves, queer or not.” – Kayla Dowell
“Historically, bars have played an essential role in queer culture. They were among the few places where LGBTQ+ people could gather openly, find community, express themselves safely, and build chosen families in a world that often excluded them. I believe bars and hospitality spaces have a responsibility to create environments where people feel safe, welcomed, and genuinely seen—not just tolerated. They can serve not only as places for queer people to find community, but also as spaces that educate others, foster empathy, and build understanding through shared experiences. These Third Spaces are incredibly important to the future of our communities. In a time when so many people feel isolated or disconnected, bars have the unique ability to create real human connection and belonging. That’s something I’ve worked very hard to build at Lady Jane: a space that feels open and inclusive to all people while still unapologetically embracing queer culture and community. I truly believe spaces like these help create a more compassionate, connected future for everyone.” – Stuart Weaver
“I believe bars and hospitality spaces have a real responsibility for queer people because bars have always been more than just places to drink. They are places where people gather, celebrate, heal, flirt, dance, cry, talk, and sometimes find parts of themselves they were afraid to show anywhere else. For queer people especially, a bar can become a chosen home. It can be the first place where someone feels free to dress the way they want, love who they love, use their real name, or simply exist without explaining themselves. That kind of safety is powerful, and it should be protected with intention.” – Chu Martinez Bordones
“Bars and hospitality spaces have a responsibility to create environments where people feel comfortable being authentically themselves, free from judgment about their identity or expression. That includes simple but meaningful things like respecting pronouns, fostering inclusive team culture, and making sure opportunities are accessible to everyone – in hiring and creative spaces, whether that’s developing cocktails, contributing ideas, or program representation. Creating genuine community also means making sure every team member feels heard and valued. I always encourage my bar teams to speak openly about ways we can elevate our programs and service standards together. Just because I may have more experience doesn’t mean I’m always right, and I think being open-minded and willing to pivot based on others’ ideas is an important part of strong leadership and true hospitality.” – Melina Meza
“It’s unrealistic to believe that every hospitality space can be a safe space for everyone. And maybe this is a hot take, but I don’t want amazing hospitality everywhere. What makes hospitality meaningful is that spaces have different points of view, personalities, and communities. What feels like a safe or welcoming space for one person may look completely different for someone else. If every bar or venue tried to be everything to everyone, we’d end up with a homogeneous — and frankly bland — hospitality landscape. What I do believe is non-negotiable is a baseline of respect. Every hospitality space has a responsibility to treat people with dignity and care, even if the experience or environment isn’t designed for every guest.” – Trevin Hutchins
“I think creating community and safe spaces for queer people is the natural and obvious reason why hospitality spaces exist in the first place. At its root, hospitality provides shelter, food, drink, and warmth to all who enter a space. It allows people to exist, to connect, to gather. Whether commiserating or celebrating, we flock to these spaces to find comfort in being humans together in a shared room. Even the person sitting alone in a corner nursing a beer and staring at their phone — there’s a reason why they chose to sit at a bar and not sip on the same warm can for an hour at home — because they still get to be part of the larger ecosystem in their own way, even if it’s not as actively engaging with the rest of the inhabitants of that space. That’s part of the reason why I really appreciate the rise of No/LowBV options becoming more prevalent in bars and hospitality spaces as well. I don’t think I need to touch on data points referencing the correlation between substance use within the Queer community — that’s a different article entirely. But I will say as someone whose had their own struggle with their relationship to alcohol and had a community to lean on that checked them on it — it’s been a blessing. There are a lot of parallels between the journey it took to rehabilitate my relationship to drinking and the journey of navigating my queerness. The common denominator that stood out to me the most was the way members in my community stood up in both cases and helped guide me through with pressure intentionally applied in places to help me find myself but the patience to let me get there at my own pace. I think at the end of the day, that’s what curating a safe, hospitality driven space is all about — allowing folks to find their footing and a place to belong. It’s not about showing up perfect, but showing up with the mindset and taking the actions that show we’re striving to be better to ourselves and each other.” – Kitty
“In my view, as an employer you are responsible for the livelihood of your staff and LGBTQ+ people have a unique set of needs. In order to create a safe space there should be team education on inclusion and tolerance. Additionally there should be an interference protocol or system in place in case a situation arise that targets a queer person. Owners and operators should also make sure there’s a level playing field for staff to have equal opportunities for advancement and access to resources. ” – Everett Clark
“My advice two younger queer bartenders would be to speak up for yourself when you feel like something is wrong. Take the time to listen as well instead of becoming defensive. When something is truly wrong and your gut feels it, your gut is probably right. Don’t let anyone diminish who you are because of who you love or how you exist in the world. Also, bring the people around you together. We all want to be successful, we all want to feel like we are secure, but by building up your own community and giving them a space to feel like they are able to stand tall and strong, we all continue to rise.” – Michael Aredes
“My advice is to put yourself out there because if you aren’t showing up for you, then how can any one else? Ask for help. Reach out to your peers and don’t put anyone on a pedestal. We’re all doing the same things in different capacities; release any pressure that makes you feel like you can’t do what someone else is doing or that your ideas aren’t good enough. Remember that you yourself are the only proof of concept that you need. Be open to community and support looking like many different ways. Education is important. Always be open to learning more – even things unrelated to hospitality.” – Daddy Long Legs
“Be loud. Be yourself. Take up space and put yourself in the rooms you want to be in. Treat those around you with kindness and respect. Take no shit, stand up for those who don’t have the voice. Be a good person, learn from your mistakes. Ask questions and always say thank you. Go out into this weird world and show em who you are. Give em hell and do it with a smile. ”- Ramsey Musk
“My advice would be to be your authentic self and never feel like you need to change who you are to succeed in hospitality. The right people will value your talent, personality, and perspective for exactly what they are. Build connections with people who support and inspire you, and do not be afraid to take up space confidently. This industry is built on human connection, and authenticity is what makes those connections real. Most importantly, keep learning, stay passionate about your craft, and remember that you deserve to work in spaces where you feel respected, comfortable, and able to fully be yourself every day.” – Crystal Rios
“All the world is a stage dive, and all the world loves a clown. People are looking for connection, entertainment, and a space removed from the world outside the walls of the bar/restaurant, so give it to them. Play the role, tell the jokes, take a pie to the face and then at the end of the night, take your bow and let the curtains fall. ” – Liam Lavandowska
“It’s going to sound very old school but: Do no harm, take no shit, and stay true.
“It’s what’s given me focus and direction in my career. People pleasing isn’t the same as doing no harm, that’s something I learned after burning myself out trying to say yes to everything and fulfill every need in the misguided perspective that that made me a better, more reliable member of my community. Do what you can to be mindful and intentional about the way you help others but also — you need to listen to them when they tell you what they actually need. Sometimes you’re actually hurting their chances of learning on their own and growing even if your intention is to help them through a difficult task. We all have to learn in our own way. Even unintentional harm is harm done and we can sit with and learn from that too, then become better from it once we’ve made amends. Take no shit — that doesn’t mean fight everyone who tells you something different from what you want to hear. That means work on your ability to practice discernment. If someone is constantly talking over you, taking credit for your work, leaving you without the space to exist, belittling your efforts to grow — get the fuck outta there! You’re worth more than someone so small-minded and self-centered; that’s no environment to grow in a healthy way. As someone who admittedly has a problem with authority, it’s funny to me that I’m now in a leadership position. And it hasn’t been easy. There have been plenty of managers and owners that I didn’t get along with because they were either not willing to listen or engage in the conversations I wanted to have with them — those places weren’t for me. There have also been managers, owners, and mentors who have helped build me up and got me to where I am now — but those also took a lot of hard conversations and sit downs where I had to process the reality of where I needed more work. Some of those conversations were harder than others, but it was something that I knew would help me be a better bartender and leader in the long run, even if it didn’t feel great to sit with at the moment. So learn how to practice discernment so you don’t lose a learning opportunity or worse — confuse abuse for something that’ll make you stronger.
“Stay true. To yourself. To your goals. To your values. In a world of endless noise and stimuli — everything is moving so fast and there’s no shortage of get rich/famous/good quick schemes. Real growth takes time, dedication, intentionality, and work. There’s no substitute for that. In that sense, why try to emulate anything or anyone else? Your people will find you, your community — the one that’s real, the one that matters — will never pass you by — if and only if you are resonating in a way where they’re able to recognize what you bring to the table. Again, it’s about alignment. When you figure out who you are and what you value, things will fall into place. You may not be the most popular person in the room, but you will have more substance to what you do, and that gives you depth. There’s no shortcut or AI model that can replicate that. Your voice will resonate in a way that makes people want to listen, your presence will attract likeminded people to your cause, and you will be able to feel confident in the relationships you create as ones you can rely on. I’m grateful to have the platform I have now and I’m blessed to experience the success that I do– but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all the people who have been there and supported me through it all before I was “somebody”. Find people who keep you grounded but also uplift you, people who keep you tethered to reality without punching holes in your dreams. In a 13+ year career spent working in dives, clubs, restaurants, cafés, and cocktail bars — I’ve been blessed to have friends and mentors who have stuck with me for the majority of it. Most of the time, they’re the ones who actually remind me that it’s okay to celebrate these successes instead of getting lost in the pursuit of perpetual growth.” – Kitty
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FIRST ANNUAL · JUNE 2026 · NATIONWIDE
Presented by BARTENDER Magazine
Sponsored by Tanqueray