ABOVE: Openly-gay Pastor Noah Hepler and the Fab Five, photo via Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Atonement’s Facebook page.
On the first episode of the latest season of Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” the Fab Five help a Philadelphia pastor find inner acceptance and self-empowerment.
30-something Noah Hepler is introduced to viewers as a timid introvert who enjoys overindulging in “cake, Klondike bars and bacon.”
Hepler also serves as head pastor at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Atonement, a.k.a. “the quirkiest church in Fishtown.” He was nominated for a Fab Five makeover by members of the church council.
Hepler has been an openly gay man for 13 years and has struggled to embrace his sexuality during the early part of his life. He was raised in a homophobic community that excluded and condemned his LGBTQ+ identity.
“I was taught that queer people were wrong and probably going to hell,” Hepler said.
Hepler married a woman, came out and later got divorced. Because of this, Hepler shared that he carried guilt within himself for not coming out sooner and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community within his congregation.
“I wasn’t at the forefront of people leading the church into greater acceptance,” Hepler said. “I have a severe case of imposter syndrome.”
Hepler hoped that the Fab Five could help him find the confidence to push past the insecurity of his early struggles and become a more effective leader within his church.
“Our mission this week is to help Noah take the ‘past’ out of ‘pastor’ and find faith in himself,” Jonathan Van Ness said.
Antoni Porowski, the food and wine expert of the Fab Five, showed Hepler and a group of local LGBTQ+ community members how to make a skillet cornbread. The purpose of using a group setting for this cooking demonstration was to help Hepler feel more comfortable in his skin while being around new people.
“For his congregation to grow, outreach is imperative,” Porowski said. “He can be a leader just by leaning into who he already is and knowing that that’s enough.”
Tan France, the fashion expert of the Fab Five, took Hepler to a local clothing store to find simple, classic pieces that would elevate Hepler’s personal wardrobe and highlight his best features.
“I want you to look sexy,” France said. “I don’t know if I can say that to a pastor, but I want you to.”
Bobby Berk, the interior design expert of the Fab Five, renovated the sanctuary and community lounge of Atonement Lutheran, as well as created a living space within the church that Hepler can live in while his house undergoes renovation.
While on the way to a flag store, Hepler expressed to Berk his desire to rectify the emotional harm that has been inflicted upon many LGBTQ+ individuals through the distortion of religion.
“The church is quick to try to fix things without owning the damage that was done [to queer people],” Hepler said. “And we need to do some real apology and real reconciliation around that.”
Karamo Brown, the culture expert of the Fab Five, introduced Hepler to Bishop Guy Erwin, the first openly gay bishop of the Lutheran faith, and Pastor Megan Rohrer, the first openly transgender pastor in the Lutheran church, to help him find solidarity and begin the process of resolving some of his past regrets.
“I keep running a negative script about myself in my head, because I didn’t step up within the larger story of the queer community,” Hepler said. “I haven’t gotten over it.”
Erwin, in turn, reassured Hepler of the significance of his presence within the world of Christianity.
“We are communicating constantly God’s love to other people,” Erwin said. “And to do so as an out gay pastor…who you are preaches, and people need to hear that.”
Van Ness, the grooming expert of the Fab Five, took Hepler to a local barber shop to get a haircut and trim his beard. Van Ness also took it upon himself to clean up Hepler’s eyebrows.
“This is looking so good, I’m about to become the preacher’s wife,” Van Ness said.
At the end of the week, Atonement Lutheran held a special service in honor of the church’s 125th anniversary. During the service, Hepler shared his coming-out story with parishioners as a way of ushering in a new era of inclusivity within the church.
“Before this week, I continued to carry a lot of guilt and shame and now I can see how much that was getting in my way of actually helping others,” Hepler said. “My calling is still pastor, but I feel inspired to step forward and tell my story.”
Fans of the show have been responding positively to Hepler’s story online.
Watched the first episode of the new season of #QueerEye and I really needed that boost of joy and hope. Pastor @noah_hepler is such a gem ❤️🧡💛💚💙
— e (@stoner_em) June 6, 2020
@noah_hepler just watched your episode of #queereye 🙌 if I were to come back to religion at my age it would be to a pastor and church community like your own.
Thank you for healing a community of people hurt by teachings that don’t accept them for their beautiful selves.
— Leigha Chenoweth (@Just_Leigha) June 5, 2020
Other makeover heroes for this season include Gen Z activist Abby Leady, who the Fab Five help channel her passion and energy toward self-care, and entrepreneur Rahanna Gray, who the Fab Five help refine her dog grooming business. Pediatrician and full-time mom Lilly Yi is given some assistance by the Fab Five in finding a balance between her work and home lives.
All ten episodes of Queer Eye Season 5 are now available for streaming on Netflix.
