Inhabiting a marginalized identity means working harder to be heard—Queer Wave Coffee fights to promote the voices of the marginalized and give space to the queer community in coffee.
BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Photos courtesy of Cheyenne Xochitl Love (FKA Dani Goot)
A few months ago, we covered Queer in Coffee, an event for members of the coffee community to come together and amplify the voices of queer and marginalized coffee professionals. Queer in Coffee organizers RJ Joseph and Ellan Kline talked about creating spaces for coffee pros to feel welcome and accepted, along with providing a platform to boost community events and allocate resources. “If you’re creating a community event or organization, get in touch and we’ll help in whatever ways we’re able to; we can amplify your posts, lend you our Code of Conduct and/or help you tailor it to your needs or create your own, or even support financially in some small way if possible,” RJ said in the article.
In the wake of Queer in Coffee getting off the ground, a new, like-minded entity called Queer Wave Coffee (QWC) announced its arrival. “QWC is a safe place and support hub for not just those that work in the coffee industry. It’s a safe place for anyone that finds themselves with challenges in their workplace, on the street, in their family. It’s a place to be heard and a place to listen,” shares Cheyenne Xochitl Love (FKA Dani Goot), creator of QWC. Cheyenne is an industry legend—she’s been in the coffee industry for almost two decades and currently works as head of coffee strategy for Bellwether Coffee, a small start-up in Berkeley, Calif. But Cheyenne began seeing the problems that baristas—particularly queer baristas—face trying to make their voices heard as she began transitioning last year. “I am 43 years old and started transitioning almost a year ago. I have been in the coffee industry over 20 years and have identified as male up ’til last year,” Cheyenne says. “It’s been very challenging to walk out into the world as I am professionally. There is a bit of a anxiety with cold-calling potential accounts along with seeing colleagues that don’t know I have started transitioning.” And her transition prompted her to take action. “I have always seen and heard the challenges queer folx, women, POC, and all marginalized folx have in our industry. Once I started my transition, I felt compelled to do something to not only help others, but myself as well.”
QWC isn’t necessarily a specific event or group, but almost like a banner or signal to other queer coffee professionals who are looking for a supportive group; Cheyenne will speak up for you if you need it. “One of my many privileges is that I’m an extrovert. I can’t keep my mouth shut. This is a privilege that I have to use,” Cheyenne says, and she has been vocal about issues of discrimination and marginalization that queer folx face everyday. “QWC is a safe place and support hub for not just those that work in the coffee industry. It’s a safe place for anyone that finds themselves with challenges in their workplace, on the street, in their family. It’s a place to be heard and a place to listen. To be heard and to speak are two fundamental things we can do to break down the patriarchy.”
Cheyenne has been thinking a lot about creating safe workspaces recently. “Lately there has been a lot more than just ‘a bit of anxiety’ that I have been facing going out into workplaces professionally. It’s been extremely challenging to face the day, from being misgendered to not taken seriously. I realize that it isn’t me with the problem, but those that are scared of what they don’t know. Finding ways to show we are humans just like everyone else,” she shares. QWC is a platform to share these anxieties, find solace, and take action collectively.
Right now, Cheyenne and RJ, along with Breezy Sanchez, an artist and barista in Denver, have released shirts with the QWC logo. “These shirts were produced with the sole purpose to bring in money for future Queer in Coffee events. I would love to see other coffee communities use this logo to help raise money for queer-related events in their own communities. This is not only for queers obviously, but to support our existence in the community,” Cheyenne says. And if you’re interested in doing something—anything—with QWC, just ask. “I want QWC to exist for whatever reason it needs to. I’m not here to dictate that or give it any strict guidelines. Think of it like the Critical Mass movement (bicycles), which has no leaders. A anarchistic movement that anyone can be a part of and participate in. Their goal was to create awareness of cyclists on the road, the destruction that the oil industry creates, and anything else you wanted it to mean.”
Get in touch with Cheyenne at queerwavecoffee@gmail.com—and keep her in the loop about other groups or organizations doing the same work because Cheyenne wants to work with you! “I have also been searching for other industries’ leaders/organizers that are queer to start a bigger organization where we can all learn from each other—a collective of industry leaders in and out of the service industry.” You can buy a QWC T-shirt by emailing Cheyenne, and keep up on events on Instagram.
