Drag star and cannabis connoisseur Laganja Estranja has opened up about her gender identity.
The 32-year-old entertainer, who competed on season 6 of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2014, came out as transgender in a new Entertainment Weekly interview, explaining the 10-year process it’s taken to get to this point.
“There are so many other women around me who’ve inspired me to come forward today, and it’s because of their fight and their struggle that I’m able to really do this and say that I’m nervous, but I’m not scared,” she said. “I’m not going to live my life in fear anymore.”
“I do want to be able to express this at all times,” Laganja continued. “I just got my haircut — a very feminine cut — and in one week already, my life has changed. I’m able to come off stage and take my makeup off and still see a beautiful woman in the mirror. It’s powerful.”
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She also mentioned she decided to come out publicly prior to beginning hormone therapy, and wanted folks to remember that every trans person’s story is different.
“Glam doesn’t make you a woman; it makes you a woman to people outside, in the world…gender is performative, and what we wear is an extension of what we feel on the inside.
“That’s the real truth here: once this is out and once people know, I’m going to be more free to explore what it means to be a woman on the inside. The dressing part? I’ve got it down, but that’s not what makes you a woman.”
After the article was published, Laganja posted on Instagram:
“I have so many emotions running through me at this current moment, so I promise I will make a more detailed post later. But FIRST, I want to thank all of you for the overwhelming amount of love and support I am receiving right now.”
“I feel so empowered that I don’t have to hide in the shadows as I make this journey… I want to thank all the trans brothers and sisters that came before me who fought so that my coming out could be joyous! I am so proud to identify as TRANS and to be living my truth. Happy PRIDE, you are beautiful as you are”.
Leash
Good for her!
Catholicslutbox
Not one bit surprised.
but congratulations.
Cam
So her being honest about who she is enraged you because……she told people??
Cam
Good for her, she seemed “Unsettled” during drag race, hopefully this will help her feel more comfortable in her own skin.
HankHarris
Happy for her, and I agree. She was my least favorite competitor in all of drag race. I hope this gets her peace.
Centrism
This is terrible for the trans community. They don’t need any more loons in their ranks. They already have enough.
lykeitiz
My comment was less harsh than yours, but somehow didn’t make it through.
Hmmm……..
Leash
Oh pssh don’t be dramatic! I mean you post mean-spirited sh*t like that, but it’s not like the gay community can cancel your subscription ……or can we?
@lykeitiz good. 🙂 sounds like we can live without your valuable input
Centrism
@Leash What gay community? You can’t cancel me from a community that doesn’t exist anymore. Everyone is claiming to be a trans, non-binary, pansexual, polyamorous, hypersexual sl*t machine! Who is also, like, queer af *giggles*
*Roll eyes*
Keep supporting gay erasure and the destruction of the community because you hate being *~mean~*
Leash
But I love being mean! :/ Towards people who deserve it. And you calling Laganja a loon is helping how exactely?
Maybe the community you claim is not existing anymore simply hides from you because of your questionable opinions, ever thought about that?
Gay erasure lol, by who? Transwomen? You clearly have issues if you think that and if you’re trolling: I hope me giving you a little bit of attention today is doing something for you and that you recover from whoever hurt you.
Centrism
@Leash You’re a sheep and don’t know how to think critically. All you do is recite PC talking points, even when they’re nonsensical. Keep clapping like a dope for the community’s destruction.
Cam
The same right wing troll account that always defends or does a deflection to protect anti-LGBTQ bigots will ALWAYS come in to attack an out of the closet LGBTQ person.
You’re consistent, but your troll game is still sad and weak.
MissTerri
Poor old Senile Cam!!!!!!!
Centrism
@Cam No, I criticize stuff I have problems with. The community is in a sorry state at the moment and has been completely overrun by extremists. Support for LGBT rights has been declining because of this nonsense. I’m not a sheep who is going to cheerlead everything GLAAD tells me to and destroy everything the gay community has fought decades to build.
Cam
@MissTerri
Awwwwww, you managed to stay out of this screename until you needed to defend one of your other screenames.
Precious, your troll game is sad and weak.
Cam
@Centrism
And the right wing troll account keeps trying to push lies. Actually, support for LGBTQ rights is up. But see, your troll game is to pretend that if people come out and actually push for rights, that’s a bad thing, so of COURSE you keep trying to push out this lie.
Now quick, switch back to one of your other screenames to defend yourself. LOL
Centrism
@Cam GLAAD itself has produced studies showing a decline. Google it. Are you saying GLAAD is anti-LGBT? Similar findings have been found in the UK. It’s particularly true amongst young people.
Crystix
::Sips Tea::
Trash
::Sips Tea::
Cam
@Centrism
Awww, the right wing troll account keeps trying to lie but can’t back it up with a link.
Shhhhh, it’s ok precious, we understand.
Centrism
@Cam If I post a link, it will get caught in moderation limbo, you know that. Google “LGBT support decline” if you actually care about facts. But I already know you don’t.
Leash
@centrism
The GLAAD/The Harris Poll study you are referring from 2019 shows that support for equal rights is stable.
– 80% of non-LGTBQ americans support equal rights. (consistent % since 2016)
– 49% of adults are classified as “allies” (53% 2018).
– 36% of young people (18-34) are more uncomfortable with LGBTQ people in personal situations. (29% 2018)
I don’t think the numbers are THAT bad, 2019 Trump still was in office which may have helped to create this situation.
GLAAD thinks that “The sharp and quick rise in DIVISIVE RHETORIC both in POLITICS and in CULTURE is now having a negative influence on younger Americans (…) LGBTQ people and allies must urgently address today’s cultural crisis by being VISIBLE and VIGILANT.”
The Harris Poll thinks that “(…)In this TOXIC AGE, tolerance––even among youth––now seems to be parsed out.(…)
But what has all of this to do with Laganja coming out as trans?
You simply ASSUME that the decline is justified by the LGBTQ community being “ovverrun by extremist”. But you don’t explain what you mean by that, what is it that the community does that is too extreme for you?
So what do you want us to do? Be nice and quiet? What bootlicking corward solution is that? And you call me a sheep 😀 Even if we assume support is declining because we are too loud (and not because of politicians who use us as a scapegoat to get easy votes by railing people against us): You get nothing by being nice and quiet. (also see: Stonewall)
Centrism
@ Leash I honestly don’t know if I want to scream or cry reading your post. I’m not being rude or sarcastic. I’m being serious. How can you be this lost in your echo chamber? How can you possibly think that what TRAs are currently pushing is a good idea? I’m not talking about transition for those with classic signs of early and long-term gender dysphoria. I’m talking about:
-The explosion of rapid-onset gender dysphoria amongst straight teens girls.
-Insisting that terms like vagina and breastfeeding be replaced with ‘front hole’ and ‘chestfeeding’
-Dropping dysphoria requirements to be trans.
-The embarrassing rise of the de-transition movement
-Endless new identity labels and pronouns with no scientific basis to back them up.
-Pushing trans women into female sports where they often crush cis women in competitions
-Insisting that gays, lesbians, and straight people are ‘genital fetishists’ unless they agree to have sex with trans people.
I could go on and on. The agenda is too extreme and WE’RE LOSING YOUNG PEOPLE!!! That’s the group we’ve always been the strongest with. That means future generations that will make up the majority of the country one day are becoming less accepting, not more. That’s alarming. BTW, it wasn’t just a one-year drop. Support amongst young people peaked in 2017 and has been declining since.
BaltoSteve
To be brutally honest, I have never actually liked her as a performer. Something about her has never clicked with me. I had always felt something wasn’t quite right. And yes, I know that since it’s my feelings, it may have been something with me. Now I wonder if her not being her authentic self is what I was sensing. Guess we’ll see.
lykeitiz
I’m going to try this again. Still don’t know why my first attempt was refused.
I’m all for living one’s true self and congratulate her on her journey, but I fail to see why it is news.
From personal experience, at least since the ’80’s, the drag queens I have known have included about 30% trans individuals.
Today’s woke culture acts and speaks like they have invented everything, and have no issue telling everyone else that their opinions are facts. As someone else here mentioned, THIS is not helping LGBTQ advancement.
Cam
So let’s see, she should have just kept lying in interviews rather than simply stating a simple fact.
And the fact also that support for LGBTQ rights is increasing seems to have been missed by you, except for the fact that two other screenames (MissTerri and Centerism) have both tried to push the same lie and we know those are two troll screenames for the same account.
hmmmmm
GreekKeys
“I became a woman when I cut my hair.”
Centrism
How can one not cringe at a comment like that? I mean…yikes!