Hiding Out

“[Hiding Out] brims with drunkenness, sexuality and urgency...a “can’t-put-down” read."  — Washington Post

Actress and playwright Tina Alexis Allen’s audacious and powerful LGBTQ+ memoir unravels her privileged suburban Catholic upbringing that was shaped by her formidable father—a man whose strict religious devotion and dedication to his large family hid a life defined by deep secrets and dangerous lies.

The youngest of thirteen children in a devout Catholic family, Tina Alexis Allen grew up in 1980s suburban Maryland in a house ruled by her stern father, Sir John, an imposing, British-born authoritarian who had been knighted by the Pope. Sir John supported his large family running a successful travel agency that specialized in religious tours to the Holy Land and the Vatican for pious Catholics.

But his daughter, Tina, was no sweet and innocent Catholic girl. A smart-mouthed high school basketball prodigy, she harbored a painful secret: she liked girls. When Tina was eighteen her father discovered the truth about her sexuality. Instead of dragging her to the family priest and lecturing her with tearful sermons about sin and damnation, her father shocked her with his honest response. He, too, was gay.

The secret they shared about their sexuality forged a complicated father-daughter relationship, and the two became trusted confidants and partners in a bond that eventually spiraled out of control. Tina and Sir John spent nights dancing in gay clubs together, experimenting with drugs, and casual sex—all while keeping the rest of their family in the dark.

Outside of their wild clandestine escapades, Sir John made Tina his heir apparent at the travel agency. Drawn deeper into the business, Tina soon became suspicious of her father’s frequent business trips, his multiple passports and cache of documents, and the briefcases full of cash that mysteriously appeared and quickly vanished. Digging deeper, she uncovered a disturbing facet beyond the stunning double-life of the father she thought she knew, exposing a web of family secrets that went far beyond his sexuality.

A riveting and cinematic true tale stranger and twistier than fiction, Hiding Out is an astonishing story of self-discovery, family, secrets, and the power of the truth to set us free.

This unflinching true story is a journey into the heart of a family’s stunning contradictions—
A Devout Catholic Family: The youngest of thirteen children, Tina grew up under the rule of her father, Sir John—a man knighted by the Pope for his religious devotion, whose authority masked a stunning array of secrets.A Shared Secret: When Tina comes out as gay, her father doesn’t condemn her. He confesses a shocking secret of his own, leading them into a clandestine world of gay clubs, drugs, and casual sex.A Dangerous Double Life: Drawn into her father’s travel agency, Tina uncovers a disturbing operation involving multiple passports, briefcases full of cash, and unsettling international dealings that hint at a dark reality.Unraveling the Truth: A raw and unforgettable coming-of-age story about the power of truth to unravel even the most tightly-held deceptions and the complicated path to setting a family free.