When the actors and creators of Queer Eye When I met Vice President Kamala Harris in her ceremonial office on Thursday, I quickly realized that the impact of the show goes far beyond style advice.
On the occasion of Pride Month, Harris called the series “groundbreaking” for raising awareness among the LGBTQ+ community.
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 premiered on Bravo in 2003 and returned to Netflix in 2018.
Kressley said, “One of the things I’m most grateful for about this show is that so many young people come to me today … and say, ‘Your show helped me come out because it gave me a safe dialogue with my family where I could say, ‘Oh, he’s OK.'”
He even said some of them told him they were the first gay people they had ever met. “I asked, ‘Have you all been on an airplane before?'”
This caused great laughter in the hall – including from the Vice President.
Kressley noted that the intention was not to “change the philosophy of our country, but it was a very subversive thing, because we just came to do good work and be happy warriors.”
The meeting with the Vice President also served as a somewhat belated celebration of the show’s 20th anniversary.
Although Harris spoke of the need to pass the Equality Act, which would add protections for LGBTQ people to civil rights laws, some of the cast members noted how different the atmosphere was at the show’s premiere, with some vendors fearing being associated with a show of that title.
Rodriguez recalled the show’s portrayal of straight and queer people as friends. “The show started on a Tuesday and ended on a Thursday, at least our time with our hero character. They signed up for that, but sometimes they presented themselves as prickly, homophobic, and afraid of us.” But that changed by the end of filming an episode.
Collins spoke of the show’s ability to show “transformation through information with humor and heart.” “It’s really about sharing our stories. I tell you my story, you tell me yours. We see each other’s humanity and we build each other up.”
Collins recalled that they had trouble registering the name “queer” as an LLC in New York, but were told it was not possible because it was considered derogatory.
He recalled that he and his partner, Williams, found themselves in South Boston in what he called a “perfect situation of luck, timing and God.”
They had gone into a mini-studio where people were looking at art and drinking champagne, “and then the room got strangely quiet. In the middle of the room, a woman started berating her husband about his hair and his looks.” “On the other side of the room, incredibly handsome, well-groomed men strolled by, they surrounded the man, pushed the woman aside and said, ‘Mom, we’re not doing that.’ And then they just started loving him.”
Collins said he then turned to Williams and said, “Did you see that? That was like a gay look for the straight guy.”
Part of the discussion revolved around the news of the day – the Supreme Court’s decision to reject efforts to ban the abortion drug mifepristone.
Harris warned in brief comments at the start that the decision was “no reason to celebrate” reproductive rights. She pointed out that federal abortion bans are still in effect. If Donald Trump returns to the White House, his allies will try to “eliminate medication abortion by executive action.”
Van Ness said, “I’ve been living with HIV for over 10 years, and I think it’s a really interesting example of intersectionality when you look at what happened with Planned Parenthood. You can think of Planned Parenthood as someone who provides access to reproduction, and that’s what they do. I also found out I was HIV positive at Planned Parenthood.”
“It’s so important that we think about funding and intersectionality and make sure we protect institutions that protect people,” he said.
Harris recalled her visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic earlier this year, noting, “When all these abortion bans came into effect, clinics had to close even though they offer so many treatments, including HIV testing and screenings of all kinds…” [The clinics] give people dignity. They are trusted. They are in contact with the community.”
Collins noted the shift toward LGBTQ+ acceptance over the past two decades, but also pointed to one of the issues that took center stage this year, mentioning that he and Williams gave birth to their daughter through artificial insemination and surrogacy.
Harris told those in attendance: “We have to be vigilant.” She said: “We cannot take any of this for granted. Let us also be driven by the optimism that we can improve. It’s not just about maintaining the progress we’ve made, it’s about keeping going.”
The conversation naturally revolved around the 2024 elections, as Harris Queer Eye Crew: “There are forces that try to make people feel small and left out. And we have to remind each other that we must never allow our power to be taken away from us, including the power of our voice, our choice.”
Brown noted, “There is a certain apathy at the moment, and one of the reasons I’m here is because I want people to be motivated and engaged again.” He thanked Harris for the meeting, saying, “Anyone who feels like their voice is not being heard should come to the table, and I’m ready to talk to them.”
Collins later told Deadline that with the next election and another Trump term in office, he “fears everything, but honestly, as a father, I fear for the future of my children. I fear that all of their rights will be taken away. I have a daughter who identifies as a lesbian, and for her, I can’t imagine turning back the clock on things that we’ve worked hard for over the last 20 years.”
Towards the end of the half-hour meeting, the conversation turned back to style – and to an assessment of Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. It was not criticism, but praise.
“You are a stunning woman and for him to stand by your side, always looking absolutely flawless and always having confidence and love,” Brown said, before pointing to a video of the second couple that recently went viral.
“He’s going to be so happy to hear that,” Harris said. “I can’t tell you how happy he’s going to be.”