The ‘We’re Here’ Queens Fought Drag Bans and Anti-Gay Hate
When We’re Here debuted in 2020, a global pandemic prematurely curtailed the first season. Now entering its fourth year, the HBO docuseries faces a different existential threat: anti-LGBTQ+ legislation impacting states like Tennessee and Oklahoma.
Not only are four new hosts joining the We’re Here family, but they are venturing to only two places this season: Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Bakersville, Oklahoma (and their surrounding areas). The new line-up of Sasha Velour, Priyanka, Jaida Essence Hall, and Latrice Royale lead the show’s mission to spread a message of love and connection in divisive times. They are taking over from the three drag queens who hosted the previous seasons, Eureka, Bob the Drag Queen, and Shangela, who used the transformative power of drag to embolden queer people who live outside the big-city liberal bubble.
While previous seasons of the series revealed the challenges of small-town living for members of the LGBT+ community, We’re Here has now changed its focus as the cultural landscape has become more dangerous. It is why spending three episodes in one place is so effective; the series is looking to the future.