RuPaul has issued an apology for controversial statements he made about drag and the transgender community.
The drag icon faced a backlash after telling The Guardian he “probably wouldn’t” allow a post-transition queen to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“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. So for men to do it, it’s really punk rock, because it’s a real rejection of masculinity,” he said.
Several trans contestants have competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race including Gia Gunn, Carmen Carrera, Jiggly Caliente, Monica Beverley Hillz and the show’s first openly trans queen, Peppermint.
“You can identify as a woman and say you’re transitioning, but it changes once you start changing your body,” RuPaul told the publication.
“It takes on a different thing; it changes the whole concept of what we’re doing. We’ve had some girls who’ve had some injections in the face and maybe a little bit in the butt here and there, but they haven’t transitioned.
“I don’t like to call drag ‘wearing women’s clothes’. If you look around this room, she’s wearing a shirt with jeans, that one’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt, right? So women don’t really dress like us.
“We are wearing clothes that are hyperfeminine, that represent our culture’s synthetic idea of femininity.”
Several past Drag Race contestants were among those who expressed their disappointment and anger at RuPaul’s dismissal of transgender drag performers.
Gia Gunn, who appeared on Season 7 of Drag Race and came out as transgender in 2017, tweeted, “Although I do feel the separation from being a drag queen and now a trans woman, there should not be any reason to be ‘not accepted’ when it comes to the art of drag.
“If you are a fierce artist, you’re a fierce artist and should be judged based on your art. NOT your gender identity!”
Drag Race’s season nine winner Sasha Velour tweeted, “My drag was born in a community full of trans women, trans men, and gender non-conforming folks doing drag.
“That’s the real world of drag, like it or not. I thinks it’s fabulous and I will fight my entire life to protect and uplift it.”
Although I do feel the separation from being a drag queen and now a trans woman, there should not be any reason to be “not accepted” when it comes to the art of drag. If you are a fierce artist, your a fierce artist & should be judged based on your art. NOT your gender identity!
— Gia Gunn (@GiaGunn) March 5, 2018
My drag was born in a community full of trans women, trans men, and gender non-conforming folks doing drag. That’s the real world of drag, like it or not. I thinks it’s fabulous and I will fight my entire life to protect and uplift it.
— Sasha Velour (@sasha_velour) March 5, 2018
RuPaul issued an apology for the comments, writing that transgender people are “heroes.”
“Each morning I pray to set aside everything I THINK I know, so I may have an open mind and a new experience,” he tweeted.
“I understand and regret the hurt I have caused. The trans community are heroes of our shared LGBTQ movement. You are my teachers.”
He added in a separate tweet, “In the 10 years we’ve been casting Drag Race, the only thing we’ve ever screened for is charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. And that will never change.
Each morning I pray to set aside everything I THINK I know, so I may have an open mind and a new experience. I understand and regret the hurt I have caused. The trans community are heroes of our shared LGBTQ movement. You are my teachers. pic.twitter.com/80Qi2halN2
— RuPaul (@RuPaul) March 5, 2018
