➤ WE’RE HERE, from p.22
high heels), but he can also identify
with what his brother has gone
through, and prove his acceptance
and support. At one point Olin almost
backs out of the show, but after
his boffo drag performance, he
breaks down in joyful tears. And,
as a viewer, so did I.
The Drag Mothers help folks undergo
miraculous transformations,
and I asked Bob if this experience
has transformed him as well.
“I would say yes,” Bob replied.
“I do have a much more profound
respect for these small towns and
the queer people who keep their
community afl oat.”
Warren explained that when
they came up with the show’s
title, “WE’RE HERE,” it was like
a lightning strike because it was
precisely what they wished to communicate.
It pays homage to AIDS
activist groups from the 1980s and
90s like ACT UP and Queer Nation,
who chanted “We’re here! We’re
queer! Get used to it!”
“It gives us enormous pride that
we’re able to honor those who came
up with that slogan by putting it
onto a series that showcases exactly
what everyone’s been fi ghting
for — visibility and respect,” Warren
said. He added that he wants
these people to “live their lives as
honestly, as genuinely, as openly
as possible.”
What sets the docuseries apart
from other drag-themed fare is the
artful production values. Under
the guidance of showrunner Peter
Le Greco, the cinematography
is stunning, beautiful, and often
haunting.
“HBO’s given us the tools to
make this a very premium show,”
Ingram said. “We aim to achieve
the grounded, cinematic documentary
storytelling style of ‘Paris
is Burning,’ one of the most iconic
documentaries of all time. And
that’s a very high bar.”
Many of the “WE’RE HERE”
crew are also LGBTQ. Occasionally
a member of the “Glam Squad”
appears on camera, applying eye
liner, or showing a sketch of a
fabulous outfi t, to one of the Drag
Kids.
“There’s a commonality of purpose
that I think elevates everybody’s
work on the show because
we know, if we do it right, it’s going
to change people’s lives,” Warren
Bob the Drag Queen and Faith.
said. “It’s going to open people’s
eyes not through preaching, but
from pure demonstrations of love.”
What was it like when COVID
struck in March 2020?
“Soon after we got to Spartanburg,
the world started to shut
down and nerves got really high,”
said Ingram. “So we made the unfortunate
decision to halt production.
I remember standing in front
of the entire cast and crew and just
bawling because it was so emotional.”
“It was really scary,” Bob said.
“This was before there were COVID
tests and before anybody knew
what COVID really was. Once we
got shut down, I felt like, well, it’s
a wrap. This is it. We can’t do anything
now.”
When they were given the opportunity
to fi nally resume production,
they knew they had to return
to Spartanburg.
“We couldn’t just leave our Drag
Kids behind,” Ingram said. “They
were very grateful that we did go
back.”
Warren agreed. “It’s literally a
dream come true for these Drag
Kids to fi nally have the ability to
dress like this and tell their own
story and have gay people surrounding
them. It changes their
lives.”
“It’s like a giant hug from the
community,” said Ingram. “In the
LGBTQ community, we are often
isolated in these silos. The lesbians
hang out together, the gay guys
hang out together, the trans people
hang out together, but we never get
together as all of us. And for some
reason, drag is one of those things
HBO/JAKE GILES NETTER
that unites us all.”
The Selma episode was especially
powerful because it explored the
relationship between Black civil
rights and LGBTQ civil rights.
“I love, on an intellectual and
emotional level, to feel the intersectionality
of gay rights and trans
rights with Black civil rights,” said
Warren. “We’re all part of the same
fabric and we’re stronger together.”
Bob concurs. In the Selma episode,
he states that the Black
struggle is the queer struggle.
“A lot of times people talk about
queerness and they really align it
with whiteness, which is erasure,”
Bob said. “It’s not taking into account
that, every step of the way
there have been fi ghts for civil
rights for Black people and civil
rights for queer people. And a lot
of times there are the exact same
people.”
According to Warren, the folks in
these towns are gobsmacked when
the show chooses to feature them.
“No one believes they’re special,
no one,” he said. “They just can’t
believe that we would choose Twin
Falls, Idaho, or Del Rio, Texas.
It’s because everyone is special,
everyone can tell their story, and
everyone can affect others. And
that’s really the whole point of
the show is having people interact
and make contact with those they
would never otherwise. We show
how love and connection really
does matter.”
While their claims of the therapeutic
benefi ts of transformation
and release from performing in
drag are all from fi rsthand observation,
it may actually be backed
by science. A recent spate of books
and articles about trauma suggest
that interventions like being active
within a supportive community,
breaking out of your comfort zone,
and participating in a physical activity
can actually reorganize your
brain makeup and help break the
adverse patterns caused by past
trauma. Indeed, it’s not a stretch
to say that being silenced or maligned
due to non-traditional gender
or sexual identity is a form of
developmental trauma.
When I suggested to Bob that, in
a way, he was delivering a kind of
therapy through drag, he insisted
he’s no licensed therapist.
“We’re just listening to them and
connecting on a human level,” he
said. “Honestly, the only things I’m
an expert in are drag and comedy.
Outside of that, I’m just a person
having a very human experience
in the world.”
Surprisingly enough, sometimes
it’s the allies who experience a more
intense catharsis onstage than the
LGBTQ folks.
“We’ve seen in a number episodes
that the straight people
who do drag cherish that moment
of fun and release in a way that
we don’t necessarily see from the
queer people,” said Warren. “Their
performance gets stronger and
stronger as it goes along, and they
don’t want it to end.”
WE’RE HERE | HBO Max | Season
2 premieres October 11
GayCityNews.com | October 7 - October 20, 2021 23
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