While today’s LGBTQ youth may not necessarily appreciate just how easy it is for for their generation to be openly queer, that expected acceptance has not always been the standard.
In honor of Pride Month this June, World of Wonder has teamed up with ABC News to create the documentary “Late to the Party: Coming Out Later in Life” in order to help tell the stories of older folks who were not afforded the luxury of being out of the closet from a young age. Ahead of Friday night’s airing, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” executive producer Randy Barbato told TheWrap all about why this doc is so crucial at this point in history.
“The value of visibility is more important now than ever. I think that with the ongoing cultural changes we’re experiencing now, the topic is even more important,” he shared. “Every coming out story has a lesson for us and acknowledging other people’s journeys — often the hurt or the pain or even just recognizing someone else’s heart — becomes an important way for us to continue progressing.”
“We are living during incredibly politically divisive times, and so much of that divisiveness is just tools,” Barbato added. “When you get to know someone who’s different than you are, when you get to hear someone’s story, that’s the way we connect with with one another. Being able to make a film about people’s coming out stories is just a way for people to better connect with one another.”
While the WoW co-founder never had a specific coming out moment himself, he’s well aware of the stigma associated with being gay in America: “It’s depressing how homophobia has stood the test of time, but I’m still optimistic about the future.”
“Late to the Party” features stories from across the country with participants ranging in age from 43 all the way to 90. The doc is presented by Pulitzer Prize-winning host Charles Blow and was directed by Emmy Award winner Jeremy Simmons, who also executive produced with Barbato and Fenton Bailey for World of Wonder. Melia Patria was EP for ABC News Studios, with David Sloan as senior EP.
“A lot of the stereotypes and the challenges of coming out, whether it was 50 years or today, aren’t that dissimilar. They were just more intense,” Barbato explained. “For many people, it’s definitely not as difficult to come out now as it was 50 years ago, but homophobia has not changed that much and the way people have directed their hatred is not that different.”
“Some younger people don’t always understand why it might take someone so long to come out, but that’s sort of irrelevant because everyone’s coming out story is so important and so valuable and there’s always a lesson to be learned,” he added. “I don’t think we should ever judge anyone. I am going to cheer as loudly, or maybe even more loudly, for a 90-year-old coming out than for a 20-year-old.”
Ultimately, the goal of “Coming Out Later in Life” is for Barbato & Co. to reach an audience who may not think they have anything in common with the queer community — especially amidst so much intentional political divisiveness.
“Here we are in Pride Month, and it is a Pride Month unlike any other I’ve experienced for a very long time. It has felt for the past several decades that every year Pride has gotten bigger. It felt like progress, gaining momentum, moving forward — and we have arrived now at a point where that is not the case,” he said. “We are so blessed to have a partner in ABC and to be able to make this film and to share it with so many people. We’re really lucky.”
“We need a documentary like this because it’s great to know who your neighbors are,” Barbato concluded. “I guarantee if there’s not a gay guy or a gay woman living on your street, there’s one in your neighborhood, and it’s just great to know who they are and to realize how much you have in common.”
“Late to the Party: Coming Out Later in Life” airs Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on ABC before streaming next day on Hulu and Disney+.
