A few weeks back, I helped coordinate a book reading at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood, my socially liberal Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. The author, Dr. Lucas Hilderbrand, read and discussed his non-fiction book, The Bars Are Ours: Histories and Cultures of Gay Bars in America, 1960 and After.

Lucas is a film professor at UC Irvine and has authored several other books. He is also the partner of my daughter Rachael’s partner’s cousin, Ernesto, which is how I learned of Lucas’s book in the first place. Knowing that our church has been a safe haven for gay men for decades, I thought there might be an audience for this thoroughly researched, entertaining book that offers insight into gay bars, a primary sanctuary for gay men over at least the past six decades.

I had warned Lucas that the turnout might be low; however, I was delighted to see that thirty-five of our parishioners, gay and straight, chose to stay for Lucas’s book reading after coffee hour. I was also pleased to discover what an able speaker Lucas is, keeping the audience engaged for over an hour.

One of my favorite stories that Lucas told pertained to the gay bar he visited on a three-month research tour. Turns out that bar is located in Denton, Texas, which is not far from where I lived in Texas until my early 40s. The bar, which closed in 2017 after thirty-eight years, was named Mable Peabody’s Beauty Parlor and Chainsaw Repair. That name should tell you pretty much everything you need to know, but to read more, go to lithub.com and type Mable Peabody’s Beauty Parlor and Chainsaw Repair in the search bar. You will not be sorry.

I am proud that our church offers a safe space for all people. Our mission statement reads: “We are called by God to be a holy place where love is found, where all are named, and where hearts are freed to change the world.”

Amen.

If you want to read Lucas’s book, it can be found wherever books are sold.

Thank you, Lucas and Ernesto, for also participating in our Mass before the book talk. You are always welcome.