I made a point of looking up the day after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Way up.
I sat in my office, peering at several picture frames above my desk. The frames feature political cartoons from 2004 when the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy became a hit on the Bravo network. In one cartoon, the Fab Five prepares to help George W. Bush, who wears a shirt that says: "No Gay Marriage." In another, two gay men enter a wedding chapel while a priest screams, "Immoral!"
Not so long ago, this was the ultimate political battleground. Gay marriage seemed like an impossible dream – until it wasn't. Anger, fear, and intolerance are old staples of American society. Still, in the 2000s, our society began to turn the tide thanks to new voices, grassroots courage, and a willingness to listen to others so that they might listen to us. I was proud of Queer Eye for being a part of that critical moment.
A dozen years later, in 2016, Donald Trump was elected to the White House for the first time, fueled by "American carnage" and regressive thinking. Like so many, I was stunned and furious. We had made such great strides; how could we slide backward? What kind of hatred lay in store for the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth? I felt swallowed up by the old, traumatic feelings of my religious upbringing when my 11-year-old self would kneel at his bedside and earnestly pray, "Dear God, please don't make me gay."
The backsliding grew worse.
Also in 2016, legislators in South Carolina voted into law an infamous "bathroom bill" that sought to restrict public bathrooms for trans people. It was cruel and malicious. I wanted to fight, to meet hatred with hatred. Instead, thanks to discussions with my creative partners and the brilliant minds at Netflix, we devised a better idea: We'd listen. We'd do that with a rebooted version of Queer Eye, visiting so-called "red states" and learning where people were coming from. This journey ultimately began in Georgia in 2018, where a brand new Fab Five confronted men and women, old and young, gay and straight.
They transformed lives through the series' five categories – and then pushed further with difficult conversations about sex, trauma, guilt, loneliness, homophobia, religion, and race. In one episode, culture expert Karamo Brown sat down with police officer (and MAGA Republican) Cory Waldrop to discuss the chasm between Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. This conversation captured the attention of viewers two years before the murder of George Floyd.
The casting of the new Queer Eye embraced the diversity in the LGBTQ+ community, featuring a gay man with Muslim and Pakistani heritage (Tan France), a gay Black man (Karamo Brown), as well as grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness, who came out as nonbinary in 2019. They represented an eclectic new mix of human experiences. This included the men and women whom they helped, like a trans man recovering from top surgery in the second season. The Fab Five helped viewers understand gender-affirming surgery and why it was crucial for someone's sense of identity. It felt like we'd tapped into a new mode of understanding, and that the future ahead would be bright.
And yet, by November 2024, I was in my office, looking up political cartoons from 20 years ago, which suddenly felt more timely than the unread emails on my computer monitor. I had been focused on the future, including a new season of Queer Eye and a national Fab Five tour organized in celebration. Instead, I was drawn back to the past.
Trump's victory and his upcoming second administration unearth the same dark feelings that have plagued me time and again. So many LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide face growing fear and uncertainty. How painful it is to think of my younger self, sitting in a Southern Baptist Church in the middle of Ohio, as my parents and preacher felt empowered to roll back the clock once more. How frustrating it is to see people of privilege divide us between man and woman, straight and gay, and even between gay and trans. It is demoralizing to see people give up or even give in. In times of crisis, we know what others genuinely believe by how they behave and what they embody.
And yet, we won't find solace in those dark feelings. From 2004 to 2016, there has been a steady pattern: When we listen to others, they listen back. That must be the mission. Progress moves in fits and starts. There are wins, surprises, and moments when we falter. But the mission always remains the same. Pursuing the mission in the face of setbacks is, in fact, the most crucial part.
Over nine seasons, I've traveled the country with Queer Eye and seen what people of every stripe can bring to the table. This table also includes those who voted for Trump. There are reasons we need to hear why they elected him again. Those will only be learned through conversations we have with his supporters. My team and I will be doing precisely that, whether it's through the stories on Queer Eye or meeting folks across the country as the cast goes on tour. We all have an obligation here to meet each other where we are, learn, and listen to stand together.
Listening will be uncomfortable. But there's an opportunity for us to discover revelations that expose each other's humanity and allow others to listen back. This beautiful chaos of difference can become the impetus of real change. So, I challenge all communities and the upcoming administration to uplift and model a country for all Americans.
David Collins is the creator of Queer Eye and co-founder and executive producer of Scout Productions. The cast of Queer Eye are kicking off their first ever tour, The Fab Five Live! in February.
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