New and old faces chatted while at the “Brewed this Way” meetup inside of Scribbles Coffee Company, providing trans and queer individuals a safe space on April 26.
Evelyn Stallbaum, the founder of the group “Brewed this Way” created the trans social event centered in coffee shops to fill the need of having queer spaces outside of bars.
“Coffee has always been a big part of my life ever since high school,” Stallbaum said. “I’d go and walk to my local cafe and hang out with my friends for hours and then move on, so I was like, ‘Okay, this is a space that feels very comforting to me, and very comforting to a lot of other people.’”
The hope is to create a casual environment where people can talk freely and drink coffee without having to stay up long into the night.
“I have a fair amount of folks in my life who are sober, and I wanted to create an environment where they could feel included,” Stallbaum said. “And I also wanted an environment that was more friendly for people who don’t like crowds or who get overstimulated.”
For the free event, all people have to do is show up at a select coffee shop advertised on the group’s Instagram. No sign ups are required.
The meetup happens at least once a month with usually 15 or more people attending. While it’s currently based in Kent, within the next couple of months, it plans to expand to the West Side of Cleveland due to high interest.
“It feels really chill, like a mixer type thing,” said Amber Green, a digital media production major. “Show up, talk to people if you want, or don’t, you can sit in a corner and watch and just be like, ‘Hey, look, trans people! Visibility, cool!’”
“Brewed this Way” started off in October 2024 with Stallbaum reaching out to local businesses in order to host the first event. The group is now made up of two people, Stallbaum and Emilia Green, who had joined in January.
Emilia Green is a 27-year-old medical technician who helps with organizing the event and creating flyers. She also works for trans organizations in Ohio.
“I’m just trying to do what I can to build community in a state that is sometimes very heavily backhanded,” Emilia Green said.
Advertisement for “Brewed this Way” is done mostly through their Instagram page. The group has also been advertised through local organizations, including the LGBTQ+ Center at Kent State and Trans Joy Akron.
Maddie Lynn, an Akron University student who studies clinical mental health, was a first time attendee who had first heard of the event from a trans crafting social group in Cuyahoga Falls.
“We got a flyer from a local LGBTQ group we’re a part of, and they sent us a flyer for Scribbles Coffee,” Lynn said. “It’s been really nice, we’ve met a lot of different people.”
While most of the people who attend are from Kent, there are people who come from outside of the city, too, including: Canton, Akron, Cuyahoga Falls and Brunswick. The highest turnout from the event was over 25 people.
Amber Green also believes the less organized nature makes it more inviting due to not needing to register or use a student ID to get into an event.
“I feel like a lot of the stuff on campus is really good for the people it works for, but being so organized at Kent, I feel like it does gatekeep people who don’t go directly to the university,” Amber Green said.
The event allows for trans people in Ohio to see they are not the only ones who exist, and it is hoped that it will continue to grow outside of Kent, Emilia Green said.
“Having safe spaces is important, especially when people are afraid to present as themselves in public,” Emilia Green said.
Sascha Aleksich is reporter. Contact her at [email protected].