Tyra Sanchez: Why Fatherhood Is Fabulous

Left: Tyra Sanchez

“He was as excited about this project as I was,” Flóki said. “He’s always wanted to tell his story in a pure way, and he’s really interested in this being as ‘real’ as possible because he didn’t think that the show depicted him exactly like he is.”

In order to raise funds for the documentary, titled Drag Dad, Flóki and Ross began a Kickstarter campaign last summer. In less than a month, they raised more than $20,000, which, incidentally, nearly matched the amount Ross received as the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2. The sum was enough for Flóki to hire a small crew and begin filming Ross and the 7-year-old Jeremiah in their daily lives as father and son.

“This is a family structure, a family dynamic that people want to know about because it’s so much in the zeitgeist these days.” Flóki says. “Gay marriage, gay adoption, gay parenting. These are issues the nation disagrees about at this point, and it’s important that American households get an in-depth look into being a gay parent and to show that it’s not all that different from their families.

“Does a Wall Street broker make a better parent than a drag queen? I don’t think so. But I’m not making any agenda with this film. Right now, what we want to do is capture James’ and Jeremiah’s life as it is.”

The film’s trailer, which was a segment from a recent performance in New York City, begins with Ross (mostly) out of drag. A black earring dangles next to his headphones as he lip-synchs to “Schoolin’ Life,” a song by Beyoncé Knowles dedicated to those who “didn't turn out exactly how your mom and dad wanted you to be.” Ross flashes a pearl-white grin. He knows the words by heart.

“Whenever I didn’t have someone to talk to, which was pretty much all the time, I listened to Beyoncé’s music,” Ross tells The Advocate. “How do I explain this without sounding crazy? Beyoncé is like a mother to me. Her music has saved my life numerous times. She kept me going.”