The attached audio is from SDPB's daily public-affairs show, In the Moment, hosted by Lori Walsh.
The drag queens and producers of the HBO series "We're Here" travel to small-town America to spread love, connection, and self-expression through the art of drag. The premiere of their episode from Watertown, S.D., is set for Monday.
Stephen Warren is a co-creator and executive producer on the series.
“South Dakota is not a place that you'd normally associate with queer life. And Watertown in particular, is a town that not many people have actually heard of," Warren said. "So, we want to show what is it like to be in a small town in a state that isn't necessarily associated with queer life.”
The show partnered with Watertown Love, a nonprofit providing support to LGBTQ individuals and allies.
Warren says the response to the show has been overwhelmingly positive, and it makes him hopeful.
“When people can walk in someone else's shoes, we all have the same feelings. We all have the same fears. And that instead of labeling somebody, oh, this is a gay person, this is a queer person, this is a trans person, instead of doing that, you realize we're just all people," Warren said. "We're making connections in this show with people that would otherwise not make connections, and that it's so important, especially in this incredibly polarized world, and country, that we're living in right now. To actually realize we are all the same and that we all want the same things."
The episode air this Monday at 7 p.m. Central on HBO. Episodes are available to stream on HBO Max.