Stamford School Board President Appears On MTV's 'Drag My Dad'

STAMFORD, CT — As president of Stamford's Board of Education, Andy George is always looking to send an encouraging message to the city's youth. Last month, he took it to the extreme by appearing on MTV's newest show with his son, Brendan, but viewers may not immediately recognize them. The two were featured in an episode of "Drag My Dad," in which both men were dressed in drag by professional designers and makeup artists.

According to George, the idea originated with his son, a 23-year-old Stamford High School alumnus who is an aspiring actor in New York City and has come across opportunities with MTV before.

"[Brendan's] a good salesman," George said, "so he convinced me it would be fun to do as a bonding experience."

Beyond that, George also thought it might be a good way to spread an important message to others.

"Given my position as president of the Board of Education, there's probably a message that can be sent to other youth," George said. "If you'll watch the video, you'll come to realize that my son... did have these concerns about sexuality and felt, in some way, trapped. So, there's an underlying message that’s it's OK to have these questions and it's better to discuss them and get them out, rather than build up anxiety internally and then wind up with a bigger problem."

The episode was filmed in April and released on Facebook last month. What sets this episode apart from others is the fact that both George and his son got to dress in drag, as it is usually just the dad who takes part in that aspect of the show.

"The series tends to focus on dads and sons who have more of a conflict," George said. "That's not the case with [us]. I guess that's why they decided to put Brendan in drag too, which is unusual. In other episodes, the sons just sort of help them make up their dad's drag...but we weren't trying to solve a relationship problem. Our relationship is good."

Their loving relationship is on display a number of times in the episode.

"The whole time, my dad has been beside me," Brendan George said at the end of the episode. "Now, as I'm continuing to figure out what queer means to me, here he is. This means a tremendous amount that I get to share this experience with him, and I'm sure we'll spend a long time reflecting on it."

George said the most challenging aspect of dressing drag was wearing high heels.

"They were very unstable," George said. "I had to walk around and sort of practice, because the outfit they had me in really did drape down to the floor. So it became a case of not wanting to step on my own outfit."

At one point during the episode, both men glued long nails onto their fingers and attempted to race each other to locate their phones in a bag filled with items. George said this proved to be a challenge, as he kept losing nails while rifling through the bag.

"It was funny," George said. "I guess I have an appreciation for people who are in drag, or even women who like to wear extra long nails, and some of the problems they have."

The episode culminates with the two revealing themselves in full drag to each other and their family. George said the experience of seeing himself in full drag for the first time was "a bit shocking," however, he seemed to quickly become comfortable during the reveal portion of the episode.

"I'm on the runway now, everybody's cheering and I feel beautiful," George said in the episode.

In all, the two enjoyed the experience and had a lot of fun. George was especially grateful to have had the opportunity to learn a little more about what his son experienced internally during high school.

That said, George said he does not currently have plans to dress in drag again.

"Let's put it this way: they asked me if I wanted to keep the costume, and I said no," George said with a laugh. "I don't think I'll have any future use for it."

View the full episode of "Drag My Dad" on Facebook.