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Vinny’s deeply straight, conventionally masculine dad will inspire audible “awws” when he helps his son decide between glittery silver combat boots and furry, Pepto Bismol pink platforms covered in googly eyes. “One brother says, 'I’m inspired by Nabela because she makes me want to dance even more.' I’m not crying, you are.”īut there are plenty of wholesome, heartwarming moments, too, so we recommend watching with a tissue box close at hand. It’s utterly heartbreaking to hear the 12-year-old say that the lack of acceptance makes her feel “invisible” compared to her cousins. One storyline centers on Nabela’s grandmother refusing to come see her perform. They’re candid about the struggles their families have encountered, like being shunned by friends and relatives, worrying for their kids’ safety, and feeling ill equipped to guide their aspiring drag queens on matters of fashion and makeup. While the parents featured in Generation Drag are, for the most part, incredibly accepting of their children, they are open about the fact that it wasn’t always that way.

The second episode introduces Noah, a soft spoken 16-year-old trans girl who goes by the drag name Poptart, and Bailey, a 15-year-old trans boy whose drag persona is called Nemo. Jameson’s mother, Robin, founded Dragutante. There’s also Jameson, aka Ophelia Peaches, a 17-year-old who currently uses he/him pronouns but is experimenting with gender fluidity. In addition to Vinny, the show stars 12-year-old Nabela, a trans girl from a conservative Catholic Mexican family whose drag name is Dunkashay Monroe and who is obsessed with RuPaul’s Drag Race (several of the kids credit Mama Ru with getting them hooked on drag).

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It’s also about their families as they navigate raising LGBTQ+ kids who want to explore drag, many of them having to learn to break free from their comfort zones to be the parents their children need.

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The six-part series follows the drag kids as they prepare to perform at Dragutante, a nonprofit event in Denver that brings LGBTQ+ youth from all over the country together to meet others who share their passion for drag. It’s one of many vulnerable moments we get with Generation Drag’s incredibly generous young subjects as they share their love of drag as well as the realities of their day-to-day experiences as queer teens and tweens. Just the slight tiny look is what can easily throw off the fun I have.” “But there are times when I don’t want to be seen in the wrong way. It’s good to be seen,” he begins reluctantly. However, during a shoe shopping trip with his supportive but adorably clueless dad midway through the first episode, Vinny opens up about the discomfort he feels when people stare at him in the mall. His drag name is Vinessa Shimmer-“she is just a force you cannot reckon with”-and he describes himself as “sassy, flamboyant, and fun.” He’s known he is gay since he was 7 years old, when he realized he was uncomfortable in traditional boy clothes and would rather dress in a way that reflects his personality: “very cute and pink.” Vinny is one of the five young people featured in Generation Drag and in his interviews, he never falters in this sense of self-assurance, punctuating his words with a snap of his painted nails. “Honestly, when I first wore one, I immediately thought, ‘This is me and you better like it,’” Vinny says, mindlessly combing his fingers through the long platinum locks of one wig.

And most importantly is Vinny’s array of candy-colored wigs sitting atop mannequin heads on his dresser and window sill. With its appropriately powder pink walls, the small room bears the typical trappings of adolescence-a lofted bed littered with stuffed animals, a backpack hanging on the wall, donut stickers peeling on the side of a dresser.īut then, betraying a sense of fabulosity that evades most seventh graders, there’s also the proudly displayed high heel collection of a young Carrie Bradshaw in the making.

Generation Drag, Discovery+’s new docuseries about teen and tween drag performers, opens with 12-year-old Vinny showing a camera crew around his bedroom, which he has dubbed the Pink Palace.

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