Cops Were Called on Bob, Shangela, & Eureka While Filming 'We're Here'

While drag artists, and the LGBTQ+ community at large, have come a long, long way in terms of representation in recent years, there are still pockets of the world where being openly and visibly queer is met with ignorance and hostility. And according to one of the stars of HBO's latest reality docu-series We're Here, that's unfortunately what happened to them while they were filming an episode of their show.

“In Missouri, there’s a scene when the police get called on us," A Star Is Born actress and All Stars 3 finalist Shangela told Gay Times in a recent interview about an upcoming episode of We're Here that is set to take place in Missouri. "A gentlemen didn’t want us outside of his store promoting our upcoming drag show. We were like, 'Really? The police?'"

She continued:

"What we’ve realized is that this is the experience of drag entertainers and queer people in primarily conservative places. This is not anything new or unfamiliar to them."

While obviously this incident, which apparently made into the series, is extremely unfortunate, especially since the queens were doing nothing wrong, Shangela remains optimistic that shows like We're Here will help further even more acceptance of queer folks in smaller, rural, and less diverse parts of the world.

"...People around the world, whether they’re queer or not, will be able to identify with a lot of these stories," she told Gay Times. "Hopefully, they’ll get a greater understanding about the need for us to be more connected."

"The six-part unscripted series follows small-town residents as they’re recruited and trained to participate in a one-night only drag performance," reads We're Here's official description. "In each episode, former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara, and Shangela Laquifa Wadley will help prepare their "drag daughters" by teaching them how to step outside of their comfort zones."

New episodes of HBO's We're Here air weekly, with episode 2 premiering April 30.