We're here" is the start of a declaration, one that famously continues, "We're queer. Get used to it." It's a rallying cry, born in the midst of a devastating epidemic. Popularized by Queer Nation at the height of the AIDS crisis, it's a message both celebratory and serious. The same defiant blend of joy and tears also propels the new reality series "We're Here," a broad-ranging, remarkably relevant plea for love and respect. Because what we need right now are some drag queens to help us reach across the aisle and find some all-American common ground.
The premise of "We're Here," which premieres April 23 on HBO, may lull you into thinking you've got it all figured out before you've even watched a minute. In each episode, "RuPaul's Drag Race" veterans Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O'Hara and Shangela Laquifa Wadle roll into a small town in their full regalia, set up shop for a few days and train a group of new local drag daughters to stage a special performance. If it sounds like "Queer Eye," but make it drag and make it MAGA states, well, it is. It also has a way of upending expectations that even the Fab Five never did.
They work with straight people who are allies, and with ones who are trying to unlearn their homophobia. And at every stop, they both show and see that America isn't neatly and furiously red or blue. Yes, a local may call the cops at the first sight of men in heels, but another will gush in recognition when someone from "Drag Race" saunters through the door. Some of the townspeople may express reluctance to attend a drag show, but honestly, wasn't it a tough sell to get your parents to even go to a restaurant before the stay at home orders began? Likewise, maybe a mom will find herself estranged from her daughter after the girl comes out. But maybe a trucker hat-wearing grandpa will reply, when invited to his grandson's drag performance, "You couldn't keep me away. Whatever he wants to do, I'm all for it." I think my favorite moment in the whole show may come from the nonchalant man on the street who, when asked how large the gay population in his community is, pauses a moment before estimating the town is probably about half and half. Read more via Salon