RuPaul Incites Outrage With His Transmisogyny And Comments About Openly Trans Contestants On ‘Drag Race’
On Saturday, RuPaul’s Drag Race host RuPaul started a firestorm when he said in an interview with the Guardian that women who perform in drag and transgender women who are physically transitioning would probably not be allowed on 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,” RuPaul said. “So for men to do it, it’s really punk rock, because it’s a real rejection of masculinity.”
He added: “You can identify as a woman and say you’re transitioning, but it changes once you start changing your body. 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.”
During the interview, he specifically spoke about Season 9 contestant Peppermint and spoke about her body, as well. He noted that she was allowed to compete because she had not yet gotten breast implants when she signed up for the show.
“She was identifying as a woman, but she hadn’t really transitioned,” Ru said.
Since then, he’s come under fire for his view. With the Twitter-sphere expressing their outrage, previous contestants such as Gia Gunn and Monica Beverly Hillz have also responded.
“I know I have a lot of trans friends who already perform and would make fierce competitors on the show,” Hillz reportedly said. “We’re really missing out on the important and powerful stories of trans women who have had to fight against not only homophobia, but transphobia, even in the drag world. Now this would make for some good reality TV.”
“Makes me so sad that our own leader doesn’t even see us as valid competitors in a world that’s supposed to be ‘all inclusive,’ Gunn wrote on Instagram. “I’ve felt this was the case for many years but now it’s presenting itself in the flesh and showing its true colors. Only #girlslikeus can do something about it!”
Following his interview, RuPaul doubled down on his comments and incited even more outrage when defending his opinion in a tweet comparing trans drag queens to athletes using performance enhancing drugs.
Since then, the backlash has been strong among his followers. It was apparently enough to encourage him to tweet an apology.
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9 Comments
Mandy
March 06, 11:31Following in the footsteps of Dolce and Gabbana, are we RuPaul? ??
Vhar.
March 06, 13:28I actually agree with RuPaul.
Malik
March 06, 14:37Please don’t say it out loud or you’ll get an article too.
Dunder
March 06, 14:51I have never watched his show and don’t know much about him asides his career as a drag queen but I don’t mean to offend anyone when I say that I agree with him on this one. This argument is similar to the one I have had about Caster Semanya competing against women (she is female and identifies as such) though her biology is different or trans women fighting women born female in the MMA as if they don’t have the upper hand genetically. With today’s science and tech, genetics cannot be masked fully and in these situations, inequalities exist because you simply can’t pop enough supplements to measure up.
We are all equal and all members of the same community but my understanding of this is that just like in sports, men and women compete separately because of these genetic differences and the physical characteristics that they amount to- even if they are the same gender, they are also divided by weight, ability (or disability) and level of experience. The existence of these divisions does not mean exclusion or suggest a caste system.
I want to stress again that exclusion in sports does not suggest apartheid. The reason people are punished for doping is that they attempt to elevate themselves above a leveled playing field. If these acquired differences (as a result of taking performance enhancing substances) matter, we cannot ignore the genetic, congenital and biological conditions that also have the same effect. Fairness and a truly leveled field is what makes victory valued and makes all competitors worthy opponents.
If I have used any terms to describe a particular group that seems disparaging or wrong, I apologize for hurt feelings- my intention was to get the point across and it should not take away from the points raised. I’m open to being corrected.
Bee
March 06, 15:45Exactly.
Coming back home, RuPaul’s competition is for “men who act like women.” I believe that trans women identify as women and therefore do not qualify for the competition–because they aren’t men. They are “women who act like women,” and that obviously isn’t fair.
Dunder
March 06, 15:51Gbam! Trans women are women.
Wytem
March 06, 19:04As politically incorrect as this may seem, I actually agree with Ru Paul on this.
ROCK
March 06, 19:33We are getting to a different form of oppression.
One where someone cannot express his own thoughts and feelings.
I actually understand where rupaul is coming from.
yazz soltana
March 08, 00:06Hell no ,,,drag race is not specifically for men….
Its just exaggerated feminity….