| Advertisement |
March 8 (UPI) -- In conservative Amish country, Pennsylvania, four drag queens are coming together on a mission to plan a wedding and change some minds along the way. In TLC's Drag Me Down the Aisle wedding special, which premieres Saturday, performers of RuPaul's Drag Race fame Thorgy Thor, Bebe Zahara Benet, Jujubee and Alexis Michelle have three weeks to plan bride Emily's wedding to her husband in Lancaster.
Advertisement
Thor, born Shane Galligan, of Season 8 of Drag Race and Drag Race All Stars 3, thinks the show could have a deeper impact.
"I think this show is actually going to be a catalyst toward many other states making the right decision to allow two people that love each other to show it and be protected by the same rights, and there's nothing wrong with that," Thor told UPI.
Churches across the country still wrestle with supporting the LGBT community, with gay conversion therapy still practiced, and more recently, the Methodist church voting to tighten its ban on gay marriage and clergy.
"I think just through the show we're going to relate to a lot of people who may have been in opposition [of] or [have] a negative idea of gay marriage," Thor said. "It really is about love. And that's it. So people will catch on."
The bride at the focal point of the special comes from a conservative family, and Thor noted that some pushback occurred initially.
"Emily's dad is Christian and he works for the church, so you could just imagine that kind of mindset, and then these loud drag queens come in," Thor said. "It's always a little bit of a struggle."
In the end, Thor said she grew to love Emily's father and took him for a spin on the dance floor at the reception.
"It's just about being fabulous. And having a good time on your wedding. And letting the experts take over no matter what they're wearing," Thor said.
Throughout the makeover and rehearsal process, the drag queens presented as women in full drag. However, on the day of the ceremony, they decided to wear traditional male attire.
"We all wanted to show up in wedding gowns and sit in the back and scream, but we thought, 'Maybe not appropriate?'" Thor said. "We decided to dress down because we didn't want to pull attention away from her; it really is about her day and we're there to help her."
To prepare Emily for her big day, Thor said, they had to get the bride out of her shell.
"She needed a little kick in the butt just to bring her essence out. So we kicked her butt for a couple of days, and we finally realized she was like a butterfly. We opened her cocoon and we helped her feel her best," Thor said. "When she opened her shell, she was hilarious, talkative; she couldn't wait to share her life's story with us."
In the trailer for the special, Thor said Emily needs to find her "inner queen" and explained, "Drag is not about becoming a different person. It's really is about channelling the essence of who you really are inside."
Thor elaborated on what she said in the clip, saying, "[Drag] helps you almost as an armor against the world to feel better about yourself and maybe more confident."
"I always feel like in and out of drag, I'm the same person," Thor said. "I'm always in a good spirits. I always have fun. But I just feel like I look more fabulous when I'm dressed in some fabulous costumes."
Thor has known her co-stars for years from Drag Race and said they could not get along better, though they did have conflicts at times.
"Sometimes, we have very strong opinions because we're all professionals in our own way," Thor said. "And there's nothing wrong with having arguments. But at the end, somebody wins, and it's usually me."
Pulling more than heart strings
Thor plays the violin and viola and isn't new to the wedding circuit.
"Besides, you know, dressing up like a fabulous queen, I also have run my own string company for 10 years prior, so I've played about 2,000 weddings in my lifetime," Thor said.
She has also performed in prominent venues such as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Thor said she'd love to plan a wedding in Carnegie Hall "and have like a 300-piece orchestra." Her vision: "The bride and groom come down, like lowered down on swings."
On getting married herself, Thor says she loves the idea of being wed, but doesn't think it would fit her life at this point.
"I live a duel life, you know? I am two people, so I am married to myself," Thor said. "And I'm also a Gemini, so I'm two people to begin with, so when I'm Thor instead of Shane, that's another two people. So I have four personalities to deal with!"
Thor is on a 36-city tour with the Hater's Roast with other previous contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race. The TLC special Drag Me Down the Aisle premieres Saturday at 9 p.m.
