RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under star Scarlet Adams has issued an apology after photos of her wearing blackface resurfaced.
On Friday, Indigenous drag performer Felicia Foxx posted the photos of Scarlet to Instagram, criticising the Perth drag queen’s previous racist costumes.
“I apologise in advance as some of this content can be distressing. I deeply feel for every single culture that is disrespected in these pictures,” Foxx wrote.
“MY CULTURE IS NOT A COSTUME‼️
“It makes me sick to my core to see numerous people in the LGBTQ+ community who are profiting off of making a mockery and disrespecting peoples cultures.
“My people and our culture is not a joke for anyone, especially privileged dominating cultures to make a mockery out of us!
“It makes me furious seeing my culture being dismantled, disregarded and s**t on.”
Felicia Foxx slammed Adams for wearing blackface including “two blacked-out teeth on 26 January, Invasion Day”.
The drag queen acknowledged people “make mistakes and grow from them,” but said Scarlet’s repeated use of blackface was “concerning and downright vulgar.”
“Being a proud Aboriginal gay man it’s only right I bring it to everyone’s attention that RACISM is very much alive on the queer scene,” Foxx wrote.
“OUR LIVES MATTER, BLACK LIVES MATTER.”
Warning: explicit language
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Scarlet Adams apologises for wearing blackface
Last June, Scarlet Adams addressed the photos in a Facebook post. The drag queen said she was young, “ignorant”, and “so f**king stupid” when she wore the offensive costumes.
Adams posted a new apology to Instagram last week in response to backlash from fans.
The performer explained that she is “deeply ashamed” of the photos and had “tried to forget them.”
“[But] I’ve come to realise in recent years that taking responsibility and admitting mistakes is an important learning experience,” Adams wrote.
“There’s no way to sugar-coat it. When I was a teenager roughly eight years ago I performed in Blackface/cultural appropriation.
“I was young and I was ignorant. I am no longer that person.”
Adams continued, “For the hurt that I caused, I am so sorry.
“I’m sorry I used my platform to do something that ridiculed people who’ve faced centuries of systemic racism.
“I’m sorry to those who will see those images and are hurt by it now.
“I know I will never understand what it’s like to be a person of colour.
“But I have been hurt before and to think that I made someone else feel that way is an unfathomable thing.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under arrives later this year
This month Stan revealed the drag queens on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under ahead of Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade.
Scarlet Adams is joining Aussies Art Simone (Geelong), Karen from Finance (Melbourne), Maxi Shield (Sydney), Coco Jumbo (Sydney), Jojo Zaho (Newcastle) and Etcetera Etcetera (Sydney).
Also joining the seven Aussie queens are New Zealand queens Anita Wigl’it, Elektra Shock and Kita Mean.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under is arriving in Australia on Stan before the end of the year.
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Never apologise to the mob!