RuPaul’s Drag Race star Nina West is helping Disney celebrate Pride.
Airing Sunday, June 27, at 8:00 p.m., the House of Mouse will launch its queerest fantasy yet with a star-studded musical, This Is Me: Pride Celebration Spectacular. In addition to West, the special will feature her Drag Race sister Jackie Cox and other LGBTQ superstars like Todrick Hall, Haley Kiyoko, and Alex Newell, who will perform classic Disney songs through a queer lens all in the hopes of reframing classic tales to inspire a new generation of families growing up with the Disney library.
“I love this company,” West said of Disney. “I love what it’s done for me throughout my life and the inspiration it’s given me, the lessons it’s taught me. From a film like Old Yeller (1957) to In Search of the Castaways (1962) to Frozen 2 (2019), I’m very grateful for all these kinds of stories and lessons.
“It’s a nostalgic love, too,” she continued. “It’s been handed down from my mom and dad and my grandma and here I am. I get to represent a new face of what Disney looks like, and that’s really powerful and humbling.”
This is Me was directed by Ann Marie Pace and produced in partnership with Disney Music Group and the Disney PRIDE Employee Resource Group. The special will raise awareness for GLSEN, an organization that works with young people and aims to make schools safer for LGBTQ youth.
West is well-known for her acts of family-friendly outreach and activism to expose drag and the LGBTQ community to children. In 2019, she released the children’s music EP, Drag is Magic, and hosts the weekly read-along series, Story Time with Nina, on her Nina’s Kids Club YouTube channel.
Earlier this month, West partnered with Nickelodeon for a music video explaining the colors of the Pride flag to kids called “The Meaning of Pride.”
“Pride is just like the Fourth of July,” West said. “There are some great family picnics, and there are some great evening activities and nightlife. Let’s not try to overcomplicate this: Everything can exist in the world, and I think families should have access to being able to celebrate Pride and celebrate their families and say, ‘Look how beautiful we are, too.'”
This is Me: Pride Celebration Spectacular will be available to view on the Disney+ YouTube and Facebook pages.
