Free Beer Tomorrow
Julia Applegate & Luster Singleton, Directors. FREE BEER TOMORROW pays tribute to Ohio’s longest lesbian-owned-and-operated bar. In Columbus, Jack’s/Summit Station is fondly remembered as a welcoming and well-respected Ohio lesbian bar that served as a beloved social hub. In 1971, Petie Brown, a trumpeter and young lesbian, got a part-time bartending job at Jack’s A Go-Go. Word spread fast that a lesbian was behind the bar, and soon Jack’s began attracting lesbian women in scores. Ten years later, Petie rounded up every penny she had and bought the bar, renaming it Summit Station, and established it as a safe space for lesbians and friends.
The film includes fascinating interviews from the varied patrons of the bar, running the gamut of tap dancers, professional women’s football players, feminist activists, bartenders and drag kings, and explores lesbian culture in an era where bars were one of the few safe-havens from an oppressive and homophobic world. 78 min. CC
“With early documentary screenings already receiving standing ovations across central Ohio, “Free Beer Tomorrow” has the potential to serve as a bridge — helping younger generations understand these spaces’ importance while revealing resilience strategies from older LGBTQ+ people that could benefit other populations.” – Kioshana LaCount Burrell, Ohio State University