Drag Queens Tackle Sexual Expression and Religion in Gospel of Eureka

Narrated by multiple-genre artist Mx Justin Vivian Bond, Gospel of Eureka is a heartfelt, often humorous documentary set in Eureka Springs, Ark., which is home to both a vibrant LGBTQ and drag community and to devout evangelical Christian residents.

The sophomore feature from Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher (October Country), Gospel of Eureka explores how the denizens of Eureka negotiate differences around religious beliefs, gender expression, and sexual freedom through drag performance and political action.

The film is necessary story for divisive times. Variety called ot "a needed shot of all-American optimism ... Mosher and Palmieri prove a town doesn't need to be perfectly aligned. It just needs to agree there's a universal right to personal liberty."

An exclusive clip from the film below illustrates how the queer citizens of Eureka invoke humor to cope with religious prejudice that's been used to otherize them. One drag queen, Ginger Styles, the reigning Miss Pop Up Camper, who hails from Daisy, Okla., performs a gleeful and pointed "You Can't Pray the Gay Away." Meanwhile, a couple of queens backstage perform a faux exorcism to cast out their inner queer.

Gospel of Eureka opens in theaters today.