LGBTQ+ Individuals Find Help and Hope in Alcoholics Anonymous

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July 8, 2022 – In A.A. you will find a community of kindred folks from every walk of life and “of every stripe.” For people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ), A.A. extends a helping hand, an open heart, and a life-saving program of recovery to any person seeking help with a drinking problem. Irving, an A.A. member, shares, “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking. I was no longer fearful that my sexual orientation would be an issue—that I had to keep some big, dark secret. I had a true desire to stop drinking. That was all that mattered. People in the meetings didn’t care that I was gay. We had the same purpose—to stay sober. I was always greeted warmly and told every time to ‘keep coming back.’”

An A.A. member who is non-binary said, “Toward the end of my second year, I found another alcoholic who identified as I did. We would drive to the city together for an LGBTQ+ A.A. meeting. We got hooked up with some of the A.A.s there and began to develop a revitalizing network of support.” (From “The Need to Identify,” AA Grapevine magazine, October 2021).