Jesse Tyler Ferguson Says Son Beckett, 4, Finds Drag Queens 'Fascinating': 'Really Exciting to See' (Exclusive)

The 'Modern Family' alum is producing the new short film 'It's Okay' about Drag Story Hour in a small American town

In a time when things seem a little dark, Jesse Tyler Ferguson wants us all to know that it's going to be okay.

The Tony-award-winning actor, 48, produced the new short documentary film IT'S OKAY, which follows two young brothers and their mom as they attend their first Drag Story Hour in North Carolina. Ferguson tells PEOPLE that this particular cultural moment is poignant for him for the film as the country gets ready to head into the next election and for himself as a dad.

"I think representation is so important," Ferguson says. "I mean, the minute we start calling people who are not like us 'other' or 'weird'...I think it's just a very dangerous, slippery slope."

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Related: Jesse Tyler Ferguson Rolls Up His Sleeves to Make Biscuits on Thanksgiving with Justin Mikita and Kids

"And the minute you start segmenting people into tiny groups, subgroups, and saying 'You guys are this and you are guys are that,' and ostracizing different groups of people and not allowing us to all share in our experiences together, I think it's incredibly dangerous."

"And I grew up feeling very outside, being a closeted gay kid in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and not seeing people who were like me or representing the type of life that I wanted to have, whether it be on television or just in my everyday life," he continues.

"I just didn't see a lot of representation. And I think that the minute we start tearing down these walls that separate us and really making an effort to connect with people, whether they're different than us or not, is only going to be a good thing."

For Ferguson, it's incredibly important to help foster a community that emphasizes representation so that his kids can grow up to see their family reflected in the culture they consume.

"It's very important for me as a father of an LGTBQ family to raise my kids in a space where they feel like their family is also of value and are being heard and being seen and to experience the type of art that they want to watch," Ferguson, who shares sons Beckett, 4, and Sullivan, 20 months, with husband Justin Mikita, 38, tells PEOPLE.

Although his kids have yet to attend a Drag Story Hour, Ferguson says that Beckett is fascinated by drag queens.

"He seems them as fascinating creatures almost like fairies and dragons and wizards in the same way that he looks at storybook characters," the dad of two says, sharing that his boys particularly love the book "The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish Swish."

When the time came for his son to meet a Drag Queen in real life, Ferguson says it was like "introducing Beckett to Santa Claus."

Ferguson and his son were in New York City and while walking home from dinner, they passed Nina West, a drag queen from RuPaul's Drag Race, on a red carpet for a fundraiser.

"So I said hello to Nina and Beckett was with me and Beckett was just...it was like you were introducing Beckett to Santa Claus," Ferguson jokes. "I mean, he was like, 'What is this creature?' And the only question he had for Nina was, 'Why are you hands so big?'"

"I love taking him to theater. I love taking him to art. He's a sponge for it and it's really exciting to see," the proud dad continues. "And I think he's responding to it because it's available to him. I love that we live in a city with so much great stuff for kids and so much great art and stuff that isn't been taken away or censored."

IT'S OKAY is now streaming on MSNBC and The New Yorker's digital platforms.

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Read the original article on People.