We Need To Talk About This Important Aspect of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

The big picture

• Drag Race All Stars 9
  brought four firefighters for the famous makeover challenge.
• The firefighters were from four different fields, but all were connected to the LGBTQ+ community through important relationships.
• RuPaul's Drag Race
  highlights the importance of allies by showing the LGBTQ+ community's open support for the program.

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9 has been pushing the queens to become stronger by challenging them to Maxi Challenges. In the latest episode, the queens not only had to makeover into a firefighter, but they also had to form a trio and write and perform a verse in a new twist on the girl group challenge. And since the queens work in pairs, some of the queens also made new looks for the makeover theme! Regardless of the difficulty of the challenge, the show celebrated the importance of allies. The firefighters entered the Sala Werk and put aside their fears of being judged for participating in drag. Inviting these men allows the world to understand how integral allies are in supporting the LGBTQ+ community. The conversations the firefighters had with the queens were full of openness and acceptance. The makeover challenge is always an emotional episode, but seeing these heroes give it their all and support the queens is what Drag Race is all about!

RuPaul's Drag Race has been a staple of reality television since the show premiered in 2009. Hosted by a multi-hyphenated artist RuPaul, RuPaul's Drag Race has brought the art of drag into the mainstream. With multiple international releases and an All Stars spin-off, RuPaul's Drag Race has grown beyond its queer-focused fan base. It has been a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and people showing their art to the world. The term chosen family is an important part of the queer community, and it's a term emphasized in the show. When it comes to creating a chosen family in the world of drag, it can mean expanding a drag family and having a drag child. And every season RuPaul's Drag Race, there is a group of drag kids that are born. Turned on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9, four more drag babies were born, and they couldn't have been more fabulous!

Emotions run high during 'Drag Race' makeover challenge

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9 it's been a season of minimal drama. With raising money for charity as their main goal this season, the queens are playing well but have pushed themselves to go harder. Just four episodes in, the makeover challenge has arrived, but it came with a twist. Ru invited four handsome firefighters to be dragged for the first time. This time, the queens had to pair up with another queen and put their man in drag. Oh, and then they had to act like a cohesive girl group. These firefighters, everyday heroes, were eager for the opportunity to explore the art of drag, but more importantly, each had a reason for being there. His connection to the LGBTQ+ community came to the fore in a night of celebration.

The four makeover themes that entered the Werk Room came from four different fields. Adam, from Grand Rapids, Ohio, is the father of a pansexual daughter who is married to a trans man. Brad Lee, from Los Angeles, California, found a chosen family in the EDM world, where he has many LGBTQ+ friends. Nathan, from Denver, Colorado, previously worked as a go-go dancer in a gay club. Not only did he feel welcome in this world, but he felt comfortable dancing for gay men every night. Anaré from Atlanta, Georgia was the only gay man in the quartet. Their presence helped challenge the stigma attached to this this very male profession has gay men working in it. His presence for this challenge helped to show how masculine men are eager to go all out and try to drag to show others that he is liberating and liberating. They were able to bond with the queens almost instantly and were more than willing to go the extra mile to meet the challenge. Nathan was more than willing to get on, while Anaré did everything and allowed her teammates to shave their eyebrows. This is commitment!

For a mainstream audience, seeing these men step out of their comfort zone and willingly leave it on stage may not seem like much, but it is. They allow people to learn that drag can be for anyone and how to stand in solidarity with the queer community in a time of need. Much of the discussion as the queens donned firefighter faces revolved around real-world struggles regarding drag bans. It's easy for queens to get frustrated and wonder why others don't get it. Seeing the straight men in the room show an equal amount of disdain showed that there are people who have educated themselves about the situation. And they want to be there for the cause.

When it came to Adam's story, he revealed that for him he was there to support his daughter, but his own mother refused to attend his wedding due to her personal convictions. There is something to be said about conditional love, from both sides of the coin. As disappointed and upset as his mother was not to come to his granddaughter's wedding, he was there to support his daughter no matter what. Having a dad like Adam on Drag Race can inspire queer people watching, that maybe he is not afraid to come out to his family, that there is hope. There is someone in their lives who will be there to support them.

In recent years, RuPaul's Drag Race, in both the flagship show and the spin-off show, has featured many people who have come on the show to guest judge, make a cameo, or serve as a makeover partner because they are real, proven allies. Many high-profile celebrities have come on the show not just because it's their favorite reality show, but to show their support for LGBTQ+. Whether it's someone like Melissa McCarthy or Kyra Sedgewick, took a few moments during their appearance to state how much they admire them and share how they inspire them. Melissa McCarthy shared that she owes a lot to drag queens, as they taught her back in the day, doing her own form of drag. Kyra Sedgewick proudly shared that when she was a child she took her son to a drag show.

Being a public figure and openly celebrating an art form that is predominantly queer shows that they seem willing to march shoulder to shoulder when times continue to be tough. Often times during RuPaul's Drag Race: Untuckedcelebrities will visit the queens to talk to them. The way they offer their support to the queens really takes the alliance to a whole new level. These relatable conversations, giving them advice and support on how to deal with the world they're about to enter after the show is something you don't see on other reality shows.

The queer community is strong together, but we are even stronger with our allies.RuPaul's Drag Race help everyone realize that drag is for everyone. LGBTQ+ people, whether the show's queens or the fans watching, are doing the hard work, but allies are standing by. Bringing in our allies is crucial Drag Race, and the larger image. The bigger the show grows, the more important that message remains. Thanks RuPaul.

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9 airs new episodes on Fridays on Paramount+ in the US

Watch Paramount+