Liam O’Leary (Liamodearme)
This Australian YouTuber is adorable. His reviews of RuPaul’s Drag Race episodes are fun and energetic. It’s disappointing that his points have been taken out of context this year. I think talking about race is such a tricky thing anymore. People in general have become so tribal, but also so sensitive that when someone smells a hint of what they perceive as racism, they are ready to jump on it. I get why they are like that, in as much as I can get it. I don’t understand the world from the same perspective. I have what in our culture is the ‘benefit’ of fair skin. My actions are rarely scrutinized. But I also don’t think it’s useful to direct that outrage toward a YouTuber who may have been looking at the world through the lens of his white privilege, but who also did not say anything directly negative about any group of people. We have to be able to discuss the shows we love honestly. And it only took a few episodes for others to question The Vixen’s approach with the other queens. It was never about race.
All that said, I love Liam. He’s the type of LGBT person I am excited to have in the world. My generation is still somewhat guarded about who we are as people. We learned what it was to be queer from those who had things a lot worse, who had buried their friends, or who had been arrested for being themselves. We were coming of age in a changing landscape where Ellen Degeneres’ sitcom character was able to come out as a lesbian on a Primetime sitcom. It was revolutionary, even if there was a backlash. The door had been obliterated and hoards charged through. And now we have people like Liamodearme. His YouTube channel is so unapologetically LGBT that it gives me hope that there is a bright future for this world. I’m trying to let go of some of the shame I grew up with; it’s hard, but I’m trying.
Half a Dozen Drag Queens