Judy: It's been a year of
increasing anti-lgbtq sentiment,
in the United States.
Threats and attacks on drag
events and queer spaces,
including the deadly attack in
Colorado Springs last month.
All of this while new data from
the Trevor project, a nonprofit
that aims to prevent lgbtq
suicide, found more than 50% of
transgender and non-binary youth
in the U.S. Seriously considered
suicide this year.
Amna nawaz has our look at how
many in the queer community are
working to bring acceptance and
joy, despite the pain.
Amna: States proposed a record
number of anti-lgbtq legislation
this year, with more already
planned for 2023.
A few of those bills have
specifically targeted drag
events.
Most recently in Texas, where a
second bill introduced in the
state legislature aims to ban
minors from attending drag shows
and restrict drag artists and
transgender people from public
performances.
But despite conservatives and
the far-right attempts to shut
down drag, those within the
lgbtq community are keeping it
alive and visible.
Eureka O'Hara is a drag star
doing just that, a former
contestant on "Rupaul's drag
race" and co-host of the HBO
series "We're here."
Eureka O'Hara joins us now,
welcome to the newshour.
Thank you for joining us.
Eureka: Yes.
Thank you for having me.
Amna: So the show we're here
goes into small towns across the
country to put on a drag show.
For anyone who who hasn't had a
chance to see it yet just
, explain to us a little bit
what is the mission you and your
co-hosts are on?
Eureka: I mean, I think the
mission mostly is to put a
spotlight on small town queer
existence and support.
The biggest part of our show is
that we tell stories of either
these queer people or their
allies and their experiences in
these situations and living in
this space.
And what we do is we put on a
one time drag show that we put a
performance on around our story.
We invite that town and the
people living there to come and
And what we do is we show those
people maybe how much support
they have that they don't
realize.
Sometimes we do get pushback, so
people get to see what the real
pushback and discrimination is
that's happening in these towns
for these people as well.
So we get to kind of live, you
know, a little bit of their life
and see what it is like to exist
queer in their community.
Amna: So this third season
starts off in Texas, and before
you even got there, you faced a
huge backlash.
There were anti-lgbtq messages
and homophobic and transphobic
rhetoric, threats of violence
online.
Has that always been there or
was this response something
different?
Eureka: You know, we've always
gotten a little pushback because
I think that when you come into
such a non-liberal area and a
place that is not used to having
something so out there and
visibly queer, that we do get a
little pushback.
But I do feel like recently,
more than ever, due to political
support and outward speaking
people of power against lgbt
people, that people are being
more vocal and more visibly
discriminatory.
Amna: When you go into these
spaces, what does that mean for
you and your safety?
Eureka: Well, honestly, it just
makes us take more precaution
for our safety.
We had to have security more
than ever.
But also, it gives us more of a
drive to exist and more of a
drive to do what we're doing.
You know, at the end of the day,
like without us becoming more
visible and without us pushing
past all of this negative
rhetoric, we are only hurting
ourselves if we don't push even
harder.
So all it does is give me more
strength and more will to
continue the work that we're
doing and continue to show
positive visibility for not just
queer people, trans people, but
of course, also drag
entertainment.
At the end of the day, that's
what we are.
And I realize that drag is
becoming more visible, but I
also feel like they're using
drag and that legislation to not
necessarily target drag people,
but more so shadow target trans
people, which are the people
that are going to be more
directly affected by some of the
imagery or the presenting
yourself as the opposite sex of
your cis born gender, which is
really the biggest issue, I
think, because at the end of the
day, drag has existed even
before it was legal.
You know, it's kind of that
rebellious act is what drag is
all about.
It's about, you know, the the
standing up and representing a
part of yourself that you were
always told to hide.
Amna: There are number of
Republicans, self-described
conservatives, who argue that
drag is something to be feared.
We've heard this before for some
far right voices.
They say that it indoctrinates
and sexualizes children.
What do you say to people for
whom that message resonates?
Eureka: Well, I think that
people automatically are being
brainwashed with fear tactic and
that's often what happens when
it comes to people trying to get
people on their side when they
have an opposing opinion from
the norm.
To say that you should fear
drag, it makes no sense.
I mean, most drag queens don't
necessarily want to work or
perform for children.
Not all drag queens want to do
that.
There are some situations where
we do drag story hour or we
allow all ages to come to a drag
brunch show during a daytime
event.
But it's all within legal
standing.
And of course, again, that's a
parental right, whether or not
they allow that child to attend.
And if you have a queer child
that doesn't get exposed to
difference and lgbt parts of
their community, I feel like
it's a parent's right to give
them an opportunity to be around
people that are more like them,
to learn from that environment.
It's not something that we're
petitioning or going on missions
for to like convince and teach
children the differences in
queer existence and
heteronormative existence.
That's not our agenda.
Amna: Eureka, before I let you
go, I have to ask you, you are
yourself are from a small town
in Tennessee, which is not
unlike many of the towns that
you go into now on this show on
HBO.
What has drag meant for you?
What place does it hold in your
life?
Eureka: I mean, for me, it
taught me how to be my authentic
self.
It gave me confidence to exist
in a world where, as a 6'4",
overly flamboyant, young, queer
male at the time growing up, I
didn't understand who I was or
where I existed or belonged in
the world.
And drag gave me a reason to
belong.
And it gave me a reason to
exist.
And it gave me a platform for
myself to be that person, for
other people to learn who they
can be and fight for what they
are, and their confidence in
existing can do for them
emotionally, spiritually.
You know, I'm just like anyone
else.
I believe in god.
I pay my taxes.
I take care of my family.
I have a niece and nephew that
don't have their parents.
Me and my twin sister take care
of them.
I make sure that they go to
school, that they have
everything they need, school
supplies.
My niece is actually recognizing
herself as bisexual, and these
laws could potentially affect
her in the future.
So that's putting me in fear.
You know, are my children --
because they are my children in
my heart -- are they at risk
because of your opposing opinion
and the laws that you're trying
to push?
That's my fear.
Amna: That is eureka O'Hara,
co-host of the HBO series "We're
here."
Thank you so much for your time.
Eureka: Thank you.