World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato just snatched another trophy to add to their mountain of Emmys.
The just picked up The Hollywood Reporter’s Impact Award at the Banff World Media Festival in Canada and the spoke about the efforts to restrict drag performances.
Bailey said during an informal conversation led by THR‘s editorial director Nekesa Mumbi Moody,
Those Republicans, they want to be drag queens.
We’re at this tipping point in American politics.
Today is a pretty profound day, a former president being arraigned….”
Barbato added that Trump’s arraignment was another example of
…anything to get people to look someplace else in the culture wars and drag is a big shiny object to deflect.”
Bailey said the targeting of drag performances has only grown in size,
I do think what happened in 2016 fundamentally shifted what’s going on in the country. And the idea that it went away in 2020, that was a delusion…
They’re just growing and amassing. And we ignore it at our peril.”
Why should anyone be invisible? Visibility can only be objectionable to people who aren’t used to seeing certain people and then suddenly see them and they’re [like],
‘Oh, I don’t like that.’”
Barbato said,
We’re queer.
We’ve been queer for a very long time, since the beginning of time. And last century, when we started making stuff, we always made what we wanted to make.
Back then, we didn’t think of ourselves as niche. We saw what we were interested in as what we were interested in.”
Bailey, who recently authored the book ScreenAge: How TV Shaped Our Reality, From Tammy Faye to RuPaul’s Drag Race said,
Everything is niche, until it’s a hit. …
The need to create something for mass appeal has kind of gone away.”
With a list of other credits a mile long, their 30+ year collaboration with RuPaul has cemented their pioneer status for boosting visibility and creating opportunities members of the LGBTQ community.
RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise is now in 17 countries worldwide. Barbato said,
The reason this franchise is successful is because of the drag queens themselves.
They’re just amazing artists.
They’re built for television, and it’s shocking they weren’t on television for so long.”
But with all their success, Bailey told the Banff panel,
World domination is not a good idea.”
However, they would love to expand the franchise and see,
Drag Race China, Drag Race Russia, Drag Race Afghanistan, Drag Race Iran;
…people everywhere can live their lives as themselves.
And it’s a pipe dream. But I do believe the show serves a larger purpose.”
Can I get an amen up in here!? ConDRAGulations, gentlemen!
World of Wonder Co-Founders to Receive The Hollywood Reporter’s Impact Award at Banff World Media Festival (Exclusive) https://t.co/SdX2V3VZqJ
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 25, 2023
