Rupaul’s Drag Race. I was super turned off by the idea of watching a show about drag queens. I mean, what can be so great about a bunch of men dressing up like women, right?

And during the earlier seasons there were clips and memes circulating online that were, frankly, entertaining and really made me curious so I decided to give the show a try. And wow, I could not believe how easily it made me realize how much internalized homophobia and transphobia I had even as a gay man! The show really opened my eyes to the side of a community that I claimed to be a part but knew absolutely nothing about. Even my partner who refused to watch the show with me for the longest time and finally gave in expressed the same thoughts and realizations that I had.

It also helped me understand how easy it is for someone who is LGBT-phobic to remain so prejudiced and hateful if there is no exposure or education about the communities and cultures we’re not a part of.

I honestly found peace as a gay man that I didn’t know I was missing. And that may sound a little dramatic but it completely changed how I live my life