MEET LIZY
“I always thought Princess Leia was super cool every time she came on screen. Now I realize she was just my first lady crush.”
At first glance, Lizy is perfectly put together and slightly buttoned up. She brings her blue eyes and signature headband everywhere, and usually a minimum of 2 Kate Spade items. She can also come off as a little bit shy.
That is, until, Disney Karaoke is involved. Lizy earned scholarships for Theatre and Academics at Centre College so she certainly knows her way around a microphone. We met her at Disney Karaoke at The Video Archive [now Tiki Tiki Bang Bang] and her sweet nature and kindness came through right away.
A singer who will remain unnamed was bombing on stage. We’ll preface this by saying “Colors of the Wind” isn’t for everyone. Without thinking, Lizy and another woman in the crowd jumped to either side of her and whipped that tune back into shape. They finished the song together, and with the audience cheering, a new friend of Gorilla was made. Lizy and her accomplice Erin [who was a complete stranger] are now the best of friends to this day.
Lizy has a condition called Panhypopituitarism caused by a brain tumor she suffered. And to add another blow, she also suffers from epilepsy [its unclear if the two are related].
Due to her high risk health, she barely left her apartment until she was vaccinated towards the end of the COVID-19 quarantine. With almost a year and a half of isolation, it would be easy to feel sorry for her. But here’s the thing about Lizy, she doesn’t have time for that. She certainly won’t let anything get in the way of helping people like her. She holds an Undergrad degree in Behavioral Neuroscience and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and will be applying for internships soon!
Coming out is a powerful moment for anyone. Lizy’s power was taken when she was outed by a Grad School professor in front of the class, based on the content of a paper she wrote. It took her a while to get over that betrayal by someone she trusted, so it wasn’t until later in Grad School that she began to live as exactly who is inside. When asked of her earliest realization of being gay, she remembers thinking Princess Leia was super cool every time she came on screen. Looking back, that was her first Lady crush.
Lizy comes from a conservative family [especially on her dad’s side] and although they knew on some level that she was gay, they for the most part accepted her. Everyone except Grandmother … that was better left a mystery.
As the pandemic winds down, we’re grateful to be sitting close together in our bar, serving her a cocktail, and learning about and celebrating all the things that make her uniquely “her”. A couple months ago we got to witness her being united with her best friend Ryan and his husband Roi, who’s wedding she had to miss to protect her health. It was the longest, sweetest hug, and an honor to be a part of that moment. Also, Ryan and her “dated” before they realized they weren’t quite straight ;)
Everyone has a story that you’ll never know unless you ask. The next time you see Lizy at any of our bars, give her a smile, a high five or just say hello. The thing about Gorilla is that it’s somewhere everyone belongs. Connections among strangers lead to lifelong friendships, and as we share more stories about our staff and customers, we hope it spreads empathy, understanding, and a way to see things from the perspective of someone who’s different than you.
Gorilla Cinema will make a donation to Lizy’s organization of choice FANDOM FORWARD. Click to learn more about their mission and we encourage you to donate any little bit you can as well! They support LGBTQIA+ and Gender Equality, Racial Justice, Youth Advocacy and more by turning fans into heroes through action.