In the wee early days of Drinking Liberally Nashville, the waitstaff at our watering hole would occasionally pull me aside with puzzled looks on their faces. "Um, someone was asking about what kind of group you have," they'd begin. "Is it, like, a dating service?"
I was taken aback the first time I was asked the question, but less so as our chapter grew and thrived. Because, of course, no, we are most emphatically not a dating service.
But let's face it: where else are you going to find a large group of people, all of whom are intelligent, interested in the world around them, and seeking connections with like-minded others? You could do a lot worse than to pick a partner from a pool like that.
So it is with great delight and no small amount of amusement that I join the rest of the Drinking Liberally family in congratulating the first round of DL weddings, which have taken place in the Atlanta and Cincinnati chapters! I've seen members socialize outside of DL, and I've seen members date, some casually and some long-term, but this is the first we've seen of DL regulars realizing that we make pretty decent life partners and deciding to take the plunge together.
DL was never just about its most reductive essence. Yes, it's a bunch of liberals in a bar. But it's also people's refuge from their buttoned-up workplaces. It's their Welcome Wagon in a new city. It's their friendly face when they're traveling. It's their book club (Reading Liberally), their movie group (Screening Liberally), and their comedy central (Laughing Liberally). It's where you can be sure you're going to find a friend who shares your interest in being a part of a progressive community built on social networking, and where, if you're lucky, you might just find yourself Loving Liberally and transforming your whole life.
Congratulations to our newlyweds; may your beer be cold and your glasses full!
- Amie Loyer, DL Field Organizer and Nashville City Leader
