RuPaul's problematic views on transgender and AFAB drag queens

By Emma lycett

Image taken from RuPaul's Drag Race

Believed to be the ‘most radical show on TV’, it’s no secret that RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR) has brought drag culture to the mainstream.

A mix between America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway and a hint of your high school variety show, RPDR is part reality TV show and part talent contest, where contestants must battle it out to show the judges they have Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent. With 10 yearly seasons, plus three ‘All-Stars’ seasons, the show has evolved over the past decade and become a staple in gay culture. Every season sees a group of Drag Queens take part in challenges such as the ‘Bitch Ball’, ‘Death Becomes Her’ and the recurring challenge ‘Snatch Game’. Although the talent these queens show is entertainment enough, it’s their personalities, backgrounds and the drama they bring to the program which makes RPDR so popular. However, despite being the grand matriarch on one of the gayest show on TV, RuPaul may be more behind the times than fans would’ve thought.

In an interview with The Guardian, RuPaul stated ‘Drag loses its sense of danger and its sense of irony once it’s not men doing it, because at its core it’s a social statement and a big f-you to male-dominated culture’ and goes onto say how transgender women or AFAB (Assigned female at birth) women wouldn’t be allowed on RPDR. This comment caused controversy in the fan base, especially since RuPaul is a such a monumental figure in the LGBT community. It was especially surprising as a transgender drag queen known as Peppermint placing runner-up in season 9, which aired only a few months before these comments were made. Peppermint came out as a transgender woman on the show which fans admired and supported. There have also been other past contestants who have transitioned after their run on the show such as Carmen Carrera and Sonique. However, the most known transgender contestant is Monica Beverly Hillz, who came out as a transgender woman on the show and who RuPaul spoke to about her transition and place in the drag community during the finale of the 5th season. In the final episode, RuPaul stated that ‘the only requirement for being here is the desire to be America’s next drag superstar’, which contradicts his views that he showed in his recent interview. The outrage in the community prompted fellow drag queens to post on social media to share their views on the subject.

Peppermint simply tweeted emoji’s to show her frustration about the situation

While fellow transgender drag race contestant Gia Gunn had a lot to say on the matter

And the current reigning queen of RuPaul’s Drag Race was not happy with Ru’s comments

While it was clear that fans disagreed with Ru’s comments, he still went on to make a few questionable tweets regarding the matter. One of the tweets stated ‘You can take performance enhancing drugs and still be an athlete, just not in the Olympics’.

This comment fuelled the fire within the community, as RuPaul implied that being a post-transition transgender woman is cheating at drag. RuPaul made it clear that he felt that having women’s features somehow went against the point of drag, which is supposed to be men saying a ‘big f-you to male dominated culture’. This again caused controversy, especially from transgender and AFAB women who class themselves as drag queens. RuPaul himself said that drag isn’t meant to be just men in women’s clothes and that it’s supposed to be ‘hyperfeminine’ and a way to ‘represent our culture’s synthetic idea of femininity’, which surely a woman can do as well. Fans were quick to question Ru’s views on this, especially since he runs the only televised show that allows drag queens to showcase their art.

I spoke to two members of the LGBT community to get their opinion on the subject, one being a transgender woman, and the other being a female drag queen.

I think that regardless of RuPaul’s comments, there will always be issues within the LGBT community due to a certain ‘ignorant brand’ of cisgender gay men. It seems there has always been a culture of ‘it’s better to offend and be selfish than to learn and educate yourself’. Many cis gay men will relate a situation back to their own lives without understanding that their lived experiences are nowhere near as close to the lived experiences of transgender people. RuPaul has this opinion because he is close-minded. It isn’t that he hasn’t been educated on these issues; he has been educated many times by tired transgender advocates. He chooses to ignore the education that is given to him for free because he thinks his opinions within the LGBT community are more worthy than others due to his current status. Anyone should be able to do drag. Drag is an art form, it isn’t something that should be policed and shamed. While I think it’s important to recognise the grassroots of drag performance, it’s also important to understand that many drag artists were black transgender women. Marsha P. Johnson is a fine example of a transgender drag artist, and the film, ‘Paris is Burning’ brings a better understanding of black trans drag artists. Trans women have always been in the drag community and AFAB women should also be welcome.
Kaiya Rose - Transgender woman and leader of Leeds Beckett University feminist society
I think the comments made by Ru were misguided and probably came from a place of not really understanding trans politics or the kind of misogyny women face. As a cisgender (cis) female drag queen, there were already many cis male queens who believe I shouldn't do drag. Ru's comments only reinforced that. I personally think they did more harm to the trans community because trans women have been at the forefront of the LGBT rights movement for decades and belong in the drag scene just as much as anyone else. Trans women have always done drag alongside cis men and they have an unalienable right to do drag. Cis male queens and many drag fans have said to me I shouldn't be doing drag at all and I think having Ru consistently say that my type of drag lacks irony or isn't subversive just opens the door to having men be incredibly misogynistic to me. Ru comes from a different time. He uses the T slur and has a narrow view of what it is to be transgender. As for cis women, I think he has this opinion because of straight-up misogyny. A man telling a woman she can't do something because she's a woman is sexism at its core.
Crystal Palace, @crystal_palace_queen

RuPaul had previously faced backlash due to the phrase ‘she-mail’, a play on the slur shemale, being used in every episode of the show. Although the network changed the phrase in season 6, RuPaul made it clear that he was unhappy with the decision, and it was simply something the network had decided.

However, history didn’t repeat itself this time and RuPaul owned up to his mistakes in what fans are calling a ‘half-hearted’ apology via Twitter.

Whether fans or fellow queens decide to forgive RuPaul for his behind the times opinion on drag is something no one will be able to determine, but hopefully this will be the last time RuPaul dismisses transgender women and AFAB queens again.

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