Support Black-owned businesses, support Queer-owned businesses, and support Queer Black people. Thankfully, you can do all of the above if you support Shea Couleé’s Pride beer.
Now, we know the game by now. Every June, every company and their mother will come out with Pride-themed merchandise in order to get a piece of the gay dollar. After all, they acknowledge how powerfully LGBTQ people’s finances are. But what if companies helped direct that powerful money towards helping our own? That might be the case when it comes to Shea Coul-Alé.
Shea Couleé is having a great June so far. Not only is her face currently on national television screens through her competing on Drag Race: All Stars 5, but she’s also celebrating an interesting marketing opportunity.
Recently, Shea Couleé announced a partnership with Goose Island Brewery Co. The company released a Pride-themed beer. And, the company has decided to name the beer after Shea Couleé. Thus, Shea Coul-Alé was born.
This isn’t the first time that Goose Island Brewery Co. has created LGBTQ or even Drag-themed products. The Chicago-based company once did a “Drag A Beer” project, which is coincidentally how the company originally linked up with Shea Couleé. From there, the drag queen sensation and beer company decided to work on a new product together. This includes Shea Couleé’s boyfriend naming the product.
Now, is this a promotional stunt like many that came before it? Yes, let’s be real about that. But thankfully, this product isn’t a quick cash grab with little-to-no soul behind it. As Shea Couleé told Pride, all the profits from the beer will go towards TransTech Social Enterprises. That organization, which gives trans people vocational training and organizes job placement, was created by Pose and American Horror Story star Angelica Ross.
“I picked TransTech Social Enterprises because I’ve been friends with Angelica Ross for a long time,” Shea Couleé explained. “She used to live here in Chicago. When I was coming up as a young, baby queen, I was always so moved by her activism and her engagement with the community in the way that she’s always actively working on ways to give back and uplift and amplify trans women.”
Shea Couleé then added, “When we started talking about having there being a charitable aspect to the beer, TransTech is honestly the first thing I thought of. When I think about charity and I think about building community, it’s really about reaching out to members of our community that are most vulnerable. Having the opportunity to give trans people vocational training, helping them work on their resumes to get better job placements, and overcome a lot of discrimination that they face when trying to get jobs. I think that really is a great opportunity to give back in a really meaningful way.”
If you’re looking to support Shea Couleé, Angelica Ross, and trans people looking to educate and uplift themselves, you can donate to TransTech Social Enterprises. And/or, you could buy a can of Shea Coul-Alé. Either way, trans folk win.
Source: Pride
