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When the cast and creators of Queer Eye met with Vice President Kamala Harris in her ceremonial office on Thursday, there was very quickly a reminder that the show\u2019s impact was far greater than style guidance.<\/p>\n
Marking Pride Month, Harris called the series \u201cgroundbreaking\u201d in that it raised the consciousness of the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n
She met with executive producers David Collins and Michael Williams, current cast members Karamo Brown and Jonathan Van Ness, and original cast members Carson Kressley and Jai Rodriguez. The show launched on Bravo in 2003 and then returned on Netflix in 2018.<\/p>\n
Kressley said, \u201cOne of the most grateful things I have for that show is that so many young people come up to me today \u2026 and say, \u2018Your show helped me come out because it allowed a safe dialog with my family to say, \u2018Oh, he\u2019s OK\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
He even said that some had told him that they were some of the first gay people they met. \u201cI was like, \u2018Have you all been on an airplane?’\u201d<\/p>\n
That drew big laughs in the room \u2014 including from the vice president.<\/p>\n
Kressley noted that the intent was not to \u201cchange the philosophy of our country, but it was a very subversive thing, because we were just coming in an doing good work, and being joyful warriors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The meeting with the vice president also was to celebrate, a tad late, the show\u2019s 20th anniversary.<\/p>\n
Even as Harris talked of the need to pass the Equality Act, which would add LGBTQ protections to civil rights laws, some of the cast members noted how different the environment was at the show\u2019s launch. Some vendors feared being associated with a show with that title.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez recalled the show\u2019s depiction of straight and queer people as friends. \u201cThe show started on a Tuesday and ended on a Thursday, at least our time with our hero character. They signed up for it, but sometimes they presented as prickly, homophobic, scared of us.\u201d But that would change by the end of an episode\u2019s shooting.<\/p>\n
Collins talked of the show\u2019s ability to show \u201ctransformation through information with comedy and heart.\u201d \u201cReally, it is about the sharing of our stories. I tell you my story, you tell me yours. We see each other\u2019s humanity and we lift each other up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins recalled that they had trouble registering the name \u201cqueer\u201d as an LLC in New York but were told they could not because it was considered derogatory.<\/p>\n
He recalled that he and Williams were in the south end of Boston in what he called a \u201cperfect storm of luck, timing and God.\u201d<\/p>\n
They had walked into a mini-studio where people were looking at art and drinking champagne, \u201cand this weird hush came over the room. In the middle of the room, some woman just started berating her husband\u201d over his hair and appearance. \u201cAcross the room, for unbelievably handsome, well-coiffed men came strolling across and they surrounded the man and pushed the wife aside and said, \u2018Mamm, that is not what we do.\u2019 Any they just started loving on him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins said that he then turned to Williams and said, \u2018Did you see that? That was like queer eye for the straight guy.’\u201d<\/p>\n
A part of the discussion extended from the news of the day \u2014 the Supreme Court\u2019s decision that rejected efforts to ban the abortion drug mifepristone.<\/p>\n
In brief comments at the outset, Harris warned that the decision was \u201cnot a celebration\u201d for reproductive rights, noting that state abortion bans are still in place and warning that Donald Trump\u2019s allies would seek to \u201celiminate medication abortion through executive action\u201d should he return to the White House.<\/p>\n
Van Ness said, \u201cI have been living with HIV for over 10 years, and I think it is a really interesting example of intersectionality when you look at what has happened with Planned Parenthood. You think of Planned Parenthood as someone who provides reproductive access, which they do. I also found out that I was HIV positive at Planned Parenthood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so important that we think about funding and intersectionality and making sure that we protect institutions that are protecting people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Harris recalled her visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic earlier this year, noting that \u201cwhen all of these abortion bans happened, clinics had to shut down, and they provide so much care, including HIV testing, screenings of every sort. .. [The clinics] give people dignity. They are trusted. They are in touch with the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins noted the shift toward LGBTQ+ acceptance over the past two decades, but he also referred to one of the issues that has been front and center this year. He noted that he and Williams had a daughter through IVF and gestational surrogacy. Collins and Williams are separated, but co-parent their daughters and remain partners in their production company.<\/p>\n
Harris told the gathering, \u201cWe have to be vigilant.\u201d She said, \u201cWe can\u2019t take any of these things for granted, and also let\u2019s be fueled by the optimism that we can get better than we are, and it is not only about maintaining the progress that we have achieved, but let\u2019s keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conversation naturally turned to the 2024 election, as Harris told the Queer Eye crew that \u201cthere are forces that are trying to make people feel small and outside. And we have to remind each other then, don\u2019t ever let anyone take your power away, including the power of your voice for your vote.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown noted that \u201cthere is a certain apathy right now that we are seeing, and one of the reasons I am here is I want to see people be reignited and be re-engaged.\u201d He credited Harris for the meeting, as she is \u201csaying anyone who feels like maybe your voice isn\u2019t being heard, come to the table and I am willing to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later, Collins told Deadline that when it comes to the next election and another Trump term, \u201cI fear everything, but honestly I fear as a father for my children\u2019s future. I fear for all the rights being taken away. I have a daughter who identifies as a lesbian, and for her, I can\u2019t imagine to have the clock turned backwards on things we worked do hard for the past 20 years to make happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Near the end of a half-hour meeting, the conversation turned back to style \u2014 and an assessment of Harris\u2019 husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Far from a criticism, it was praise.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a stunning woman, and for him to stand by your side and always look deeply impeccable and always have the confidence and love,\u201d Brown said, before noting a video the recently went viral of the second couple.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will be so happy to hear that,\u201d Harris said. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how happy he will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
View this article at Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kamala Harris Meets With \u2018Queer Eye\u2019 Creators And Cast To Talk Of Show\u2019s \u201cGroundbreaking\u201d Impact On LGBTQ+ Acceptance: \u201cWe Have To Be Vigilant\u201d: When the cast and creators of Queer Eye met with Vice President Kamala Harris in her ceremonial office on Thursday, there was very quickly a reminder that the show\u2019s impact was far
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