Queer Family Dinner (QFD) is an event that I have grown to love during my time living in Chattanooga. It was one of the first intentionally queer spaces that I found when I moved here and has continued to be an awesome space to seek support and build community.
Queer Family Dinner is a monthly event put on by Soft Animal, an organization in Chattanooga focused on holding events that center around queer joy and community, and the event for November was held on Sunday, the 24th. Each dinner is potluck style and this month’s theme was comfort food. Folks brought everything from mac and cheese and pigs in a blanket to cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies. It was held outdoors and though it is getting a bit colder now, there was a cozy fire that made the setting feel intimate and warm. Folks grabbed food and then got comfortable around the fire to chat and catch up with old friends or to get to know someone new they were meeting for the first time.
Following dinner, the co-founder of Soft Animal, Charity Painter led folks in a sharing circle, a new addition to QFD to provide a space to receive intentional support and a space to be heard. People took turns opening up about how they have been feeling, especially post-election and with the upcoming holidays. Some of the shares were tearful and spoke of fears for safety and anxiety about navigating family dynamics at holiday celebrations. Others shared experiences filled with hope, the beauties of community, and family learning to love them where they are in the ways they can. Everyone in attendance listened attentively and held space for those sharing and there was an overall feeling of love, support, and togetherness.
At the end of the night, it was clear that folks who shared, as well as folks who chose only to listen, had experienced a sort of catharsis together by being vulnerable and sharing their truths. People lingered around the fire, hesitant to leave the safe space created there. This truly symbolizes the importance of a space like QFD. Somewhere queer folx can come and feel welcomed with open arms, be seen and heard, and feel affirmed in who they are. A place to recharge with chosen family and community before going back out into the world and facing whatever is to come.
For anyone looking for a mantra to use as a grounding tool this holiday season in situations that may not feel the most supportive, here is one I took away from QFD:
I am enough. I matter. I deserve to be here.
On December 8 from 5-7 PM ET, Soft Animal will be partnering with Out Here to host QFD. Text (423)825-9423 for details.
TLDR; Queer Family Dinner is a monthly event focused on community building, connection and creating space for queer joy. Check out Soft Animal’s Instagram page (@_soft_animal) for more information on upcoming dinners and other events!
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