“I think we can start with acknowledgement of each other…Letting people know that you see them can have such a profound effect on people [in a way] you don’t even know,” they said. “Or even little stuff like when you go into a store and see a little, tiny rainbow sticker where you see all the credit cards? Even a little thing like that, I would think, ‘Okay, I feel like this is a place I can be safe in,’ because of this tiny little gesture that other people might not have even noticed. I think that using whatever privilege you have to show that you are an ally is another thing [people] can do as well.”

“Well, I wasn’t shocked because luckily with RuPaul’s Drag Race I’ve been lucky enough to travel all around the world and see just some truly, I mean, in the, in the smallest of towns. I mean, I, I actually did Selma Pride a couple of years ago, so I wasn’t shocked to find that there was queer acceptance, but I also wasn’t shocked when Akeelah told me that there were people who weren’t accepting in this space as well because I’ve dealt with that and I’ve had those experiences as well,” he continued. “Being from a small town I know that there are [queer] people there–I’m one of them. So more than anything, I was happy to get a chance to shine a light on or amplify the voices of the queer people and the allies in the towns, so you will know that you’re not alone. That’s why we’re calling the show We’re Here because we want people to know that we’re not hiding in the shadows and [for] people out there who are like-minded, [we] want you to know that you’re not alone. We’re here. We’re with you.

Bob’s experience as a southerner helps him meld with Eureka and Shangela, who are also from small southern towns. Together, he can immediately relate to the issues the participants are facing in their daily lives.

Photo: HBO

“Eureka’s from Johnson City, Tennessee, I am from Columbus, GA and Shangela’s from Paris, Texas. And I think that as part of why we were selected for the show is because we are all from small towns and we do have the experience of what it’s like to be a queer tradition in a very small town,” he said. “…I was one of those southerners who really felt the need to leave the south…but maybe that was also from my trauma response–growing up queer in the south had me feeling like I had to get out of there. I think it’s been really beautiful to see people in these towns thriving being themselves, being accepted, and I do think it’s a direct result of of shows like We’re Here, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Pose, Legendary. I think it’s a direct result of it. [It’s] exposure.”

We're Here