While the series may be coming to a close, that doesn’t change the fact that We’re Here.
The history making HBO reality series We’re Here recently announced that its most recent season would also be its last. Spanning four seasons, We’re Here brought groundbreaking representation to rural America, showcasing the art of drag and the beauty in being open minded.
The series, created by Stephen Warren and Johnnie Ingram and directed and executive produced by Peter LoGreco, followed RuPaul’s Drag Race alum as they travelled across the United States to inspire and teach their own “drag daughters” how to step outside their comfort zone for a once in a lifetime drag performance for their community.
The docuseries, which earned 4 Emmys, 3 GLAAD Media Awards, and a Peabody Award, demonstrated a powerful truth: people often fear what they don’t understand. By introducing drag queens and other queer and trans people to communities in anti-LGBTQ areas, the series helped start meaningful conversations, showing that, at our core, we are all just people.
The queens, Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela, and Eureka O’Hara in seasons 1-3 and Priyanka, Sasha Velour, Latrice Royale, and Jaida Essence Hall in the 4th season initiated powerful conversations, often risking their safety to fight for their right to exist in places with anti-LGBTQ legislation. They even were courageous enough to perform in states where they are trying to ban drag.
@streamonmax Tennessee, they’re here. #SashaVelour #JaidaEssenceHall #Priyanka #WereHere #HBO ♬ original sound – Max
In season 4 episode 1, as an act of protest, the queens planned to march to the Tennessee state capitol dressed in full drag. They were warned that they could actually get arrested if they did this.
@hbo The power of drag. #WereHere #HBO #JaidaEssenceHall #Priyanka #SashaVelour ♬ original sound – HBO
“Going into the state capitol in full drag is very, very, very risky,” Priyanka said. She even states that if she were to get arrested, she’d likely get kicked out of the country. “But to inspire one person to live out and proud is worth it for me.”
The queens were met with backlash time and time again. There were often threats of violence, like the time they put together a Drag Story Hour for kids in the premiere of season 3.
@hbo Courage prevails. #werehere ♬ original sound – HBO
“I just didn’t expect something as innocent as reading a children’s book to children would get people so riled up that they would call and make threats against the store,” Shangela stated.
The queens understand better than anyone why it’s so important to have these shows accessible to everyone.
@streamonmax Drag has something for everyone. #WereHere #SashaVelour #Priyanka #JaidaEssenceHall #HBO ♬ original sound – Max
“We need to have all-ages drag shows,” Sasha Velour explained. “People of all ages begin to realize that they are queer themselves. I was desperate to see drag when I was a teenager. To see that queer adults had a future and had a place where they belong.”
They were often met with hate from religious groups, especially while traveling through the U.S.’s “Bible Belt,” which includes Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, the Upstate region of South Carolina, and East Texas. But the queens never backed down from a fight.
@hbo That is not tolerance. #WereHere #HBO #SashaVelour #Priyanka ♬ original sound – HBO
“To us, this sounds like hatred. And to me, that is not the Christianity I’ve learned about, that is not tolerance,” Velour said to a hateful objector.
@humanbyorientation There’s power in numbers 💪 and we’re not going anywhere. #WereHere #HBO #LatriceRoyale #Priyanka #SashaVelour #JaidaEssenceHall #FeelYourPride #Pride2024 @Latrice Royale @Queen Priyanka @Sasha Velour @Jaida Essence Hall @HBO ♬ original sound – Human By Orientation
“In the time of adversity, that’s when you have to speak up and speak out the most,” Latrice Royale shared.
However, there was nothing that could stop the queens, and their new drag daughters, from putting on an unforgettable show. Watch Eureka and drag daughter Gabriela deliver an emotional performance of “The Village” in St. George, Utah.
The queens never failed to make an impact on the lives of those participating in the show. In the two-part season 3 finale, the queens worked with Jaime Jara, the mother of an 11-year-old trans girl named Dempsey from Florida.
With all of the anti-LGBTQ legislation and hate taking place in Florida, Jaime took this opportunity to show her unconditional love and support for her daughter, and set an example for parents of trans children everywhere.
In the second episode of season 3, Bob’s “drag daughter” was a young gay man from Jackson, Mississippi named De’Bronski, who was struggling to accept his identity. Despite his fear, De’Bronski’s rendition of Dreamgirls‘ “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” ended up being one of the most iconic performances on the entire show.
@hbo The best performance a drag mother could ask for. #werehere ♬ original sound – HBO
In 2021, 2022, and 2023, We’re Here won the GLAAD Award for Outstanding Reality Program. At the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, the queens were joined by Jaime and De’Bronski, to talk more about the impact of the show. Watch their speeches below:
“I couldn’t be more grateful for having this platform to share my story,” De’Bronksi said in his acceptance speech. “[There are] more stories out there that need to be told. [There are] young people in danger in Mississippi and we’re dying. We’re crying for help. I’m so thankful to have these amazing people to help me put my story on a platform to show others that we are here and I’m gonna tell y’all something …I’m not going nowhere.”
Jaime said that “elevating LGBTQ stories is so crucial right now,” adding, “one of the most empowering moments of my life was taking the stage in drag to perform with my daughter and hearing the thunderous applause in honor of her.”
GLAAD recently spoke with the season 4 cast and crew of We’re Here. “We were able to create a show that’s not only entertaining but highlights really important stories that are really close to home for the LGBT community,” Ingram said. “We are stronger in numbers, when we unite; the L’s, the G’s, the B’s, the T’s, the Q’s, everyone together, we are a force to be reckoned with.”
Jaida Essence Hall shared that, “I think it’s important that we all know that it’s okay for you to express yourself in whichever way you choose. Even if that starts out being something as simple as painting your nails or doing a fun hair color or trying something different. Allowing yourself to be free and who you are, only opens up more little doors and those doors get bigger and bigger and bigger. And next thing you know, you might be a drag queen!”
Priyanka talked about why she was excited to work with queer people in these small, conservative towns, “The answer is not escaping. The answer is; ‘how do we just be more integrated into our normal day-to-day society where I want to be? Why do I have to run away?’ And I love that that’s what the show can capture.” Read more here.
Watch GLAAD’s 2022 interview with the cast here:
And check out GLAAD’s recent interview with We’re Here star Priyanka:
Co-creators and executive producers Johnnie Ingram and Stephen Warren took to Instagram to announce that the series would be coming to a close.
View this post on Instagram
All episodes of We’re Here are streaming now on Max.