For Marti Gould Cummings, donning a wig and makeup is how he expresses his activism, his politics and everything else he's ever wanted to say.
"I have terrifying, painstaking, anxiety-inducing stage fright," he told WNYC's Jami Floyd. "But then the minute I hit that stage, it's like — gone. And I'm in a different universe."
Gould Cummings is one of eight drag queens featured in the new documentary series "Shade: Queens of NYC" premiering Thursday.
Executive Producer Mike Kelton said he made the show so people inside and outside of the LGBTQ community can relate to drag queens and be inspired by them.
"I wanted to share Marti's story and all these girls' stories because as a young gay kid growing up outside of Westchester in upstate New York, I was terrified to tell my parents I was gay," Kelton said.
He said the show depicts drag queens as normal, flawed and human. "To see that is an unaltered, uncartooned version of gay people," Kelton told Floyd. "I think that's what we need most of right now."
The series premieres on Fusion TV at 10:30 p.m., featuring Gould Cummings, who uses his real name as his stage name; plus drag performers Brita Filter (Jesse Havea), Chelsea Piers (Justin Nako), Holly Box-Springs (Nathan McManus), Jada Valenciaga (William Bailey), Jasmine Rice LeBeija (Chris Yoon), Paige Turner (Daniel Kelley) and Tina Burner (Kristian Seeber).