Almost a year ago, songwriter, producer, and music artist Leland and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” executive producer Tom Campbell began working on the latest “Rusical” or mini-musical for the 16th season of the Emmy-winning reality competition program. A staple of the series, Leland had written numerous Rusicals centered on everyone from Madonna to The Kardashians, and, in theory, this year would be no different. Little did Leland or Campbell know how prophetic their decision to spoof the movie “Footloose” in the appropriately titled “Wigloose” would be.
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There had been signs that state legislatures in conservative states would enact laws attempting to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ citizens in 2023. When “Wigloose” was written, no one thought these laws would spread so fast and to so many states. By the time the “Wigloose” episode aired in mid-March, Tennessee had shocked the world by adopting a “drag ban” law (a Federal judge overturned it in June). In fact, this year alone, over 75 laws have been passed restricting the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and, most notably, trans-identifying citizens. The situation is so dire, that the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for the first time in its 43-year history.
In this context, the “Wigloose” of “Drag Race” episode turned out to be timely to a fault. Set in 1984 and in the fictional small town of West Bumtuck, U.S.A., Heaven Bacon (played by contestant Loosey Laduca) arrives to find that drag is a no-no. Like its initial inspiration, Heaven and his classmates rebel against the conservative forces attempting to ban drag in their town forever.
As RuPaul Charles noted, in an exclusive video you can watch embedded in this post, “Last summer when we filmed ‘Wigloose’ it was a work of fiction. But when it aired this spring, the story of a town that outlaws drag had become a harsh reality. In response, World of Wonder and MTV have created the ACLU Drag Defense Fund to defend and ensure our rights. To date, the Drag Defense Fun has raised over $1.4 million.“
The songs, direction, and choreography of the episode also are worthy of an Emmy nomination or two (or three).
During an Emmy event earlier this month, “Drag Race” winner Sasha Colby along with fellow contestants Marcia Marcia Marcia, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Aura Mayari, Salina EsTitties, and Luxx Noir London performed the songs “Built on Drag” and “Wigloose.” You can watch that performance along with a Q&A featuring the cast, Leland, Campbell, choreographer Miguel Zarate, “Drag Race” judge and producer Michelle Visage, and Christine Parker, a Staff Attorney in the LGBTQ, Gender, & Reproductive Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California.
Oh, and yes, the real Kevin Bacon was a fan of “Wigloose” giving Laduca multiple shout-outs and reminding everyone that “drag is a right.”