'We're Here' Episode 2: Show's portrayal of trans people and their genuine struggles earns praise
The second episode of the maiden season of the series 'We're Here' featured on HBO on April 30. The episode saw Shagela Laquifa Wadley, Bob the Drag Queen and Eureka O'Hara scouting the town of Twin Falls in Idaho to look for their drag daughters who they could mentor for a one night only drag performance.
With just two episodes down, the series has already struck a chord with the audiences. Just last week after the series premiere, fans took on to Twitter to commend the show and even called it the 'Queer Eye for drag'.
This week the episode featured a transgender man named Brandon and his wife Mikayla who were looking to relive their wedding once again, this time with more love and empathy. "Love is Love is Love" and "the only way to be loved is by giving love," was advocated throughout the duration of the episode. They also proved that one cannot categorize 'We're Here' as a drag series because it is more than that. The presence of a trans person and straight people on the show itself is one of the major distinguishing factors that set it apart from the popular 'RuPaul's Drag Race'. That ideal is something drag icon RuPaul has struggled to articulate, coming under fire for making exclusionary comments back in 2018 that “Drag Race” will "probably not" include transgender performers who had undergone gender-affirmation surgery.
The show has many layers to it and the audiences are loving it for many other reasons. After the second episode aired, fans of the show took to Twitter to gush about the show.
"Friends! @HBO’s We’re here is REALLY good. It is full of heart and joy. Thank you @thatonequeen, @itsSHANGELA, and @eurekaohara! Y’all are doing the Lord’s work. #WereHerehbo," wrote a fan.
While another wrote, "We’re Here in HBO only took until the second episode for a trans person to be portrayed as a human being with genuine struggles. I’m here for it. It’s a breath of fresh air in the midst of all this stuff happening outside my front door."
"If you haven’t seen We’re Here on HBO yet PLEASE WATCH NOW!!!! Yes I worked on this show, yes I am biased but I AM CRYING. This show is so beautiful and heartwarming. I’m amazed by everyone and all the work that was put into it. We’re here, we’re queer," wrote another.