Meet the Founders Behind Rhode Island’s LGBTQ+ Brewery Meetup Club

Shannon Curley and Shay Weintraub representing Queers and Beers of Rhode Island at this year’s RIDEA Craft Beverage Festival. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Curley)

Stop by Moniker Brewery in Providence any Monday night, and you’re likely to find at least sixty happy patrons overflowing the back patio of the W. Fountain Street hangout.

It’s not just that the beer is good, though it’s certainly a draw at this West Side staple. Moniker Brewery is also the home base for Queers and Beers of Rhode Island, an LGBTQ+ meetup group that gathers over lagers and IPAs every Monday night.

“It’s basically like the experience of going to Pride, except we do it every week,” says Shannon Curley, the group’s co-founder alongside Shay Weintraub.

Curley and Weintraub founded the group in January 2022, hosting their first meetup at Narragansett Brewery. After a long pandemic of failing to meet new people, the pair — who both live on the West Side — were interested in creating a new setting where LGBTQ+ people could feel comfortable gathering in person. They’d previously attended a hike organized by the local Queer Hikes group followed by an outing to a local brewery and liked the idea of a brewery as a casual, accessible space.

“It’s not about drinking, it’s about gathering in safe spaces that happen to have beer,” Curley says.

“It gives people something to look forward to on a Monday,” Weintraub adds.

In addition to their weekly meetups — deemed “Monny Mondays” — the group also hosts monthly gatherings at a rotating slate of Rhode Island breweries. According to Curley and Weintraub, participants come from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and the group welcomes drinkers and non-drinkers alike. Initially surprised by its popularity, they’ve come to expect a crowd when choosing meetup locations: Weekly gatherings draw dozens, and a one-year anniversary celebration earlier this year had more than 100 participants.

“Community is so important, and a lot of people don’t know what the concept of community feels like until they have it,” Weintraub says.

A year-and-a-half in, the group has spurred several offshoots, including Queeriosity trivia — bimonthly at Kimi’s Bar — and Queeraoke at Moniker and the Boombox. Curley and Weintraub recently founded the RI Queer Community Project to serve as an umbrella organization for the related subgroups and assist with fundraising for future events. For Pride month, they partnered with Kimi’s, Moniker and There, There to fundraise to expand their activities.

“One of our goals is to give back to more diverse communities,” Curley says.

The next monthly meetup is on Saturday, July 29, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Lops Brewing in Woonsocket. Monday meetups are from 6 p.m. until closing at Moniker. Curley and Weintraub say all LGBTQ+-identifying individuals are welcome, and to look for the Queers and Beers flag.

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