UNVEILING MAJESTY | Short Documentary
Huntsville, Alabama | Film Short
Documentary, LGBTQ
Legendary drag queen, Majesty Divine, faces the harsh modern reality of being an out and proud middle school teacher in Alabama when a homophobic TikTok goes viral. This film explores her struggle with death threats as she tries to make Alabama a better place for the LGBTQ+ community.
UNVEILING MAJESTY | Short Documentary
Huntsville, Alabama | Film Short
Documentary, LGBTQ
1 Campaigns | Alabama, United States
284 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$21,828
Goal: $30,000 for production
Legendary drag queen, Majesty Divine, faces the harsh modern reality of being an out and proud middle school teacher in Alabama when a homophobic TikTok goes viral. This film explores her struggle with death threats as she tries to make Alabama a better place for the LGBTQ+ community.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Outside of Alabama, our state is often used as a punchline to a joke or it's interchangeable with "stupid," "dumb," or "redneck." The truth is that it's a complex state full of colorful and complicated people who choose to live in Appalachia.
One legendary figure is drag queen Majesty Divine. She spent more of her life using her thick Southern drawl to teach middle schoolers in Alabama how to add and subtract during the day but at night, she transforms into a gorgeous drag performer. Her life came to a screeching halt when a homophobic TikTok of her went viral. Death threats and doxxing attempts reached her home, workplace and inbox. To feel safe, she left her teaching career, her dream she had since she was a child. Now, she leans into supporting the ever-growing LGBTQ+ community in Huntsville, AL.
We use her story as a jumping-off point to explore the under-discussed LGBTQ+ Alabama history with Invisible Histories, a non-profit whose mission is to archive that very community. We partnered with several historians and archivists to tell this story.
Plus, you'll see an intimate look into the blossoming LGBTQ+ community from veteran drag queens who have had to navigate being queer artists in a place that can be hostile towards them.
Majesty Divine’s story is intertwined with that of her community—a place where queer people have always existed, created, and thrived, even when the world wasn’t watching.
Majesty's viral moment brought her a new kind of visibility, but it also illuminated the dangers that come with being a queer public figure in the Deep South. By telling her story, this documentary is preserving the experiences of queer Southern life that would otherwise fade into obscurity.
Working closely with experts like Joshua Burford from the Invisible Histories Project, "Unveiling Majesty" digs deep into the archives of Alabama's queer past, combining this rich history with present-day struggles, triumphs, and performances to create a lasting cultural artifact.
The film moves between the present and the past, highlighting the continuity of queer experiences in the Deep South. With every story Majesty Divine tells, she is contributing to a living archive—a testament to the fact that queer people in Alabama have always been here and will continue to be here.
"Unveiling Majesty" is about capturing the essence of queer joy, survival, and community building in Alabama. Majesty’s performances, her charisma, and her connection to her audience are central to the film, as is the rich tapestry of queer Southern life she is helping to preserve for future generations.
By combining contemporary storytelling with historical context, this film will serve as a valuable cultural resource that future historians, scholars, and queer people can look to for inspiration, knowledge, and validation. In a world where LGBTQ+ histories are often erased, "Unveiling Majesty" ensures that these stories—Majesty Divine’s story—will live on, preserved in both the hearts of her community and the broader historical record.
"Unveiling Majesty" is more than just a documentary – it’s a vital piece of storytelling for the LGBTQ+ community in the Deep South. Your support will help us amplify the voices of those fighting for equality in a place where their very existence is often under threat. This is a story that deserves to be told, and with your help, we can ensure that it reaches the audience it needs to.
Your contribution will directly fund production costs, including equipment rental, post-production services (like editing, sound design, and color correction), travel expenses for interviews, and archival research. But beyond the practical, your contribution helps build something bigger: a creative, queer-forward community. We’re partnering with local artists, businesses, and nonprofits to ensure this film is made with the heart and authenticity it deserves.
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Contributing to this project isn’t just about making a film. It’s about investing in a movement. This film aims to challenge stereotypes, promote understanding, and celebrate the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community in the Deep South. It’s about preserving a history that is too often erased and amplifying voices that are too often silenced. By supporting "Unveiling Majesty," you’re helping to create a platform for stories that will inspire and educate, showing that queer people not only survive but thrive, even in the face of adversity.
Every contribution, no matter how big or small, brings us closer to making this film a reality. Together, we can ensure that Majesty Divine’s story – and the story of countless other queer Southerners – is seen and heard by audiences around the world.
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Megan Plotka serves as the director and producer of “Unveiling Majesty.” She is a broadcast journalist and award-winning filmmaker with deep ties to the Deep South and this story. She felt empowered to use her filmmaking skills to tell this story after seeing her drag performer friends afraid to express themselves and her trans friends afraid to go out into public.
Plotka has experience telling LGBTQ+ stories in the Deep South as a co-director of the acclaimed documentary "CANS Can't Stand" (co-directed with Matt Nadel, published by The New Yorker), which follows a group of Black trans women in New Orleans fighting to repeal Louisiana’s unjust Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS) law. "CANS Can't Stand" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Emerging Filmmaker Showcase and has screened at Outfest (Audience Award), NewFest (Audience Award), Provincetown (Special Jury Prize), and Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. While creating documentaries, she has worked as a digital and broadcast journalist in Alabama and Louisiana.
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He will serve as the director of photography. His work focuses on masculinity, the American South, and threats to democracy. He is an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer and has worked for VICE, Al Jazeera, PBS and more. His work has been supported by The New Yorker, ITVS, DOC NYC and more. His current feature documentary, “Iranian Hillbilly” was a Southern Documentary Fund 2022 production grant recipient and the winner of New Orleans Film Festival 2022 South Pitch. He is a 2023 CAAM Fellow and 2023 PBS Wyncote Fellow.
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Mimi Universe is a dynamic New York City-based actor, comedian, and producer, celebrated for her uplifting wit and magnetic stage presence. Whether performing in comedy clubs across the city, lending her voice to engaging audiobooks on Audible, or creating endearing content for her growing social media audience, Mimi captivates with humor and heart.
Originally from Nashville, TN, Mimi brings a deep sensitivity to the struggles faced by marginalized communities in the South. As an outspoken advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, she uses her platform to amplify voices and shed light on the injustices experienced in these regions, channeling her passion into both her art and activism
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Matt Nadel, a seasoned producer and director hailing from Florida, acts as the consulting producer. He has been supported by the Catapult Film Fund, Monroe Fellowship from the Tulane University Center for the Gulf South, and Solomon Fellowship in LGBT Studies from Yale. Matt's work has screened at more than a dozen film festivals and has been featured on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
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Jillian Plotka will use her skills as an accomplished member of Boston University’s Film and TV program as a Consulting Producer for “Unveiling Majesty.” She played many roles on BUTV10. She created a TV show, The News, for the college TV station. She was a Producer and Head Writer for the show. Before that, she was a Head Writer, First Assistant Director and Co-Producer for the longest-running soap opera in the U.S., Bay State. Since graduation, she’s used her creative skills to develop marketing strategies for advertising companies like Casual Precision and BarkleyOKRP.
Our associate producers are the Southern artists who brought this crowdfunding project to life! They helped build the graphics you see, the message that's carefully crafted and the outreach.
.jpg)
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Your contribution will go straight into the documentary. The majority of the funding will go towards labor costs, which means paying the incredibly talented artists who will shoot and edit the film a living wage. Other costs include equipment rentals, like cameras, lenses, lights and more. Plus, we need to pay for archival footage to ensure that we tell a thorough history of the LGBTQ+ community in Alabama. Other costs include post-production service to make sure we have a polished product, that includes sound mixing, a colorist and more.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION! YOU ARE ALLOWING SOUTHERN ARTISTS TO TELL OUR STORIES!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Archival Footage
Costs $1,000
We need to have access to archival footage from different entities to show the LGBTQ+ community's ties to Alabama history
Labor costs
Costs $19,500
We need to pay our crew fair wages for their work capturing the images and sounds of "Unveiling Majesty"
Equipment Rentals
Costs $2,000
Help us bring the documentary to life with camera, sound and lighting equipment rentals
Post-Production Services
Costs $4,000
We are making a polished product. This will allow us to pay for an editor and composer as well as color correction and sound mixing.
Meals & Travel Expenses
Costs $1,500
Help us feed our crew during our long days of filming and help us get our experts and crew to location for shoots!
Filming Insurance
Costs $1,000
We want to make sure we insure our equipment and gear to protect them for any kind of mishaps
Contingency Funds
Costs $1,000
Stuff happens that you don't expect! Help us make sure we have all of our bases covered when we meet the unexpected
Share this update!
About This Team
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Outside of Alabama, our state is often used as a punchline to a joke or it's interchangeable with "stupid," "dumb," or "redneck." The truth is that it's a complex state full of colorful and complicated people who choose to live in Appalachia.
One legendary figure is drag queen Majesty Divine. She spent more of her life using her thick Southern drawl to teach middle schoolers in Alabama how to add and subtract during the day but at night, she transforms into a gorgeous drag performer. Her life came to a screeching halt when a homophobic TikTok of her went viral. Death threats and doxxing attempts reached her home, workplace and inbox. To feel safe, she left her teaching career, her dream she had since she was a child. Now, she leans into supporting the ever-growing LGBTQ+ community in Huntsville, AL.
We use her story as a jumping-off point to explore the under-discussed LGBTQ+ Alabama history with Invisible Histories, a non-profit whose mission is to archive that very community. We partnered with several historians and archivists to tell this story.
Plus, you'll see an intimate look into the blossoming LGBTQ+ community from veteran drag queens who have had to navigate being queer artists in a place that can be hostile towards them.
Majesty Divine’s story is intertwined with that of her community—a place where queer people have always existed, created, and thrived, even when the world wasn’t watching.
Majesty's viral moment brought her a new kind of visibility, but it also illuminated the dangers that come with being a queer public figure in the Deep South. By telling her story, this documentary is preserving the experiences of queer Southern life that would otherwise fade into obscurity.
Working closely with experts like Joshua Burford from the Invisible Histories Project, "Unveiling Majesty" digs deep into the archives of Alabama's queer past, combining this rich history with present-day struggles, triumphs, and performances to create a lasting cultural artifact.
The film moves between the present and the past, highlighting the continuity of queer experiences in the Deep South. With every story Majesty Divine tells, she is contributing to a living archive—a testament to the fact that queer people in Alabama have always been here and will continue to be here.
"Unveiling Majesty" is about capturing the essence of queer joy, survival, and community building in Alabama. Majesty’s performances, her charisma, and her connection to her audience are central to the film, as is the rich tapestry of queer Southern life she is helping to preserve for future generations.
By combining contemporary storytelling with historical context, this film will serve as a valuable cultural resource that future historians, scholars, and queer people can look to for inspiration, knowledge, and validation. In a world where LGBTQ+ histories are often erased, "Unveiling Majesty" ensures that these stories—Majesty Divine’s story—will live on, preserved in both the hearts of her community and the broader historical record.
"Unveiling Majesty" is more than just a documentary – it’s a vital piece of storytelling for the LGBTQ+ community in the Deep South. Your support will help us amplify the voices of those fighting for equality in a place where their very existence is often under threat. This is a story that deserves to be told, and with your help, we can ensure that it reaches the audience it needs to.
Your contribution will directly fund production costs, including equipment rental, post-production services (like editing, sound design, and color correction), travel expenses for interviews, and archival research. But beyond the practical, your contribution helps build something bigger: a creative, queer-forward community. We’re partnering with local artists, businesses, and nonprofits to ensure this film is made with the heart and authenticity it deserves.
Contributing to this project isn’t just about making a film. It’s about investing in a movement. This film aims to challenge stereotypes, promote understanding, and celebrate the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community in the Deep South. It’s about preserving a history that is too often erased and amplifying voices that are too often silenced. By supporting "Unveiling Majesty," you’re helping to create a platform for stories that will inspire and educate, showing that queer people not only survive but thrive, even in the face of adversity.
Every contribution, no matter how big or small, brings us closer to making this film a reality. Together, we can ensure that Majesty Divine’s story – and the story of countless other queer Southerners – is seen and heard by audiences around the world.
Megan Plotka serves as the director and producer of “Unveiling Majesty.” She is a broadcast journalist and award-winning filmmaker with deep ties to the Deep South and this story. She felt empowered to use her filmmaking skills to tell this story after seeing her drag performer friends afraid to express themselves and her trans friends afraid to go out into public.
Plotka has experience telling LGBTQ+ stories in the Deep South as a co-director of the acclaimed documentary "CANS Can't Stand" (co-directed with Matt Nadel, published by The New Yorker), which follows a group of Black trans women in New Orleans fighting to repeal Louisiana’s unjust Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS) law. "CANS Can't Stand" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Emerging Filmmaker Showcase and has screened at Outfest (Audience Award), NewFest (Audience Award), Provincetown (Special Jury Prize), and Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. While creating documentaries, she has worked as a digital and broadcast journalist in Alabama and Louisiana.
He will serve as the director of photography. His work focuses on masculinity, the American South, and threats to democracy. He is an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer and has worked for VICE, Al Jazeera, PBS and more. His work has been supported by The New Yorker, ITVS, DOC NYC and more. His current feature documentary, “Iranian Hillbilly” was a Southern Documentary Fund 2022 production grant recipient and the winner of New Orleans Film Festival 2022 South Pitch. He is a 2023 CAAM Fellow and 2023 PBS Wyncote Fellow.
Mimi Universe is a dynamic New York City-based actor, comedian, and producer, celebrated for her uplifting wit and magnetic stage presence. Whether performing in comedy clubs across the city, lending her voice to engaging audiobooks on Audible, or creating endearing content for her growing social media audience, Mimi captivates with humor and heart.
Originally from Nashville, TN, Mimi brings a deep sensitivity to the struggles faced by marginalized communities in the South. As an outspoken advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, she uses her platform to amplify voices and shed light on the injustices experienced in these regions, channeling her passion into both her art and activism
Matt Nadel, a seasoned producer and director hailing from Florida, acts as the consulting producer. He has been supported by the Catapult Film Fund, Monroe Fellowship from the Tulane University Center for the Gulf South, and Solomon Fellowship in LGBT Studies from Yale. Matt's work has screened at more than a dozen film festivals and has been featured on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Jillian Plotka will use her skills as an accomplished member of Boston University’s Film and TV program as a Consulting Producer for “Unveiling Majesty.” She played many roles on BUTV10. She created a TV show, The News, for the college TV station. She was a Producer and Head Writer for the show. Before that, she was a Head Writer, First Assistant Director and Co-Producer for the longest-running soap opera in the U.S., Bay State. Since graduation, she’s used her creative skills to develop marketing strategies for advertising companies like Casual Precision and BarkleyOKRP.
Our associate producers are the Southern artists who brought this crowdfunding project to life! They helped build the graphics you see, the message that's carefully crafted and the outreach.
Your contribution will go straight into the documentary. The majority of the funding will go towards labor costs, which means paying the incredibly talented artists who will shoot and edit the film a living wage. Other costs include equipment rentals, like cameras, lenses, lights and more. Plus, we need to pay for archival footage to ensure that we tell a thorough history of the LGBTQ+ community in Alabama. Other costs include post-production service to make sure we have a polished product, that includes sound mixing, a colorist and more.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION! YOU ARE ALLOWING SOUTHERN ARTISTS TO TELL OUR STORIES!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Archival Footage
Costs $1,000
We need to have access to archival footage from different entities to show the LGBTQ+ community's ties to Alabama history
Labor costs
Costs $19,500
We need to pay our crew fair wages for their work capturing the images and sounds of "Unveiling Majesty"
Equipment Rentals
Costs $2,000
Help us bring the documentary to life with camera, sound and lighting equipment rentals
Post-Production Services
Costs $4,000
We are making a polished product. This will allow us to pay for an editor and composer as well as color correction and sound mixing.
Meals & Travel Expenses
Costs $1,500
Help us feed our crew during our long days of filming and help us get our experts and crew to location for shoots!
Filming Insurance
Costs $1,000
We want to make sure we insure our equipment and gear to protect them for any kind of mishaps
Contingency Funds
Costs $1,000
Stuff happens that you don't expect! Help us make sure we have all of our bases covered when we meet the unexpected
Share this update!