In a recent interview with The Times U.K., RuPaul was apparently left “mumbling” and “tongue tied” when an interviewer asked whether cisgender women would ever be allowed to compete on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Related:RuPaul makes a huge announcement about “Drag Race” in 2020
A producer had to step in to help Ru dodge the question by stating that the show was “inclusive because it’s on the BBC.” Ru later responded via email that she learned “never to say never” … probably because she landed in hot water when she said in March 2018 interview that she wouldn’t allow trans female contestants onto her reality competition.
At the time, she compared trans women in drag to athletes who take performance enhancing drugs, a needless and stigmatizing comparison, especially since her show had already featured a pre-transition trans contestant, Monica Beverly Hillz in season five, and later featured an out trans performer Peppermint in season nine.
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Eventually Ru relented as featured veteran trans performer Gia Gunn in “All-Stars 4,” to little fanfare or ado.
Some people might think that cis women shouldn’t be allowed to compete as female drag queens or (to use an older word) “female illusionists” because they’re already women. But these folks probably don’t realize (or care) that women already compete in drag pageants across the nation as “bio queens” or “real queens.”
Here’s the tea: Winning “RuPaul’s Drag Race” isn’t about passing as female. Heck, some of the contestants look more like cartoons of women rather than actual women. (Bianca DelRio, anyone?) But winning “Drag Race” is more about serving killer lewk, nailing comedy and music challenges and generally being a fierce and authentic performer.
So if women started competing in “Drag Race,” that wouldn’t be an easy ticket to the finals. Not at all.
One can argue that permitting cis women to compete would remove the “queer” element of the show, but there’s something transgressive and progressive about allowing people to compete regardless of gender. And Ru might want to change up her show’s formula a bit, seeing as it now has versions in Canada, the U.K., Thailand and South America.
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Aries3dc
The answer is NO. Also, a show about cis women in drag doesn’t even sound particularly entertaining. It’s important to be inclusive — but TV is about putting things on that others want to watch!
Bob LaBlah
They can’t make it on Youtube so they decided to go for broke and bully Ru into showcasing them. Its just too hard to believe if their audience were that strong some one wouldn’t have offered them a show of their own. I sure miss the days when you were ONE or the OTHER (gay or lesbian) but youtube, facebook, instagram and other venues have killed our community instead of unifying it. You can go back as short time ago as 2005 and see everything has now scattered to the four winds.
rikard_pearson
why WOULD RuPaul say? as you point out he was publicly scourged last time he talked about lines of demarcation. you may also notice the decisions for everything are made exclusively by RuPaul. there are no panel decisions, or voting aside from Miss Congeniality and episode eliminations in All Stars. decisions are as subjective and laconic as he deems fit.
Brian
RuPaul most definitely not make all those decisions by himself. Every decision is the result of discussions with the producers. Those runways take hours to film and a huge chunk of that time is just the queens waiting while production figures out what they want to happen.
Ultimately, I doubt RuPaul really cares who wins or who goes home. He just wants it to make for compelling viewing.
Bob LaBlah
Ru, I stand with you in what you clearly can’t say publicly. I too have tired with these souls who enter the scene DEMANDING (more or less) that THEIR agenda be publicized or else. I knew in my heart it would only be a matter of time before the newly labeled came after you and I was right. I guess next you will be chastised for not bringing on that phony who was a 1970’s Olympian and that anyone with a brain knows he decision was based on money and nothing else. Stand your ground honey and keep in mind you do have enough in the bank to continue your lifestyle without television (you’ll still get the royalties) or should I say without having to worry about COMPROMISING your position because of something you refuse to promote.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
They already have a platform, they are called beauty pagents. Such as Miss USA, American et all.
If Ru caves to this PC garbage, she will destroy the franchise…
Bob LaBlah
It does seem strange they didn’t notice the title says “Drag Race”, huh?
Cam
Translation: Nothing can be LGBTQ because it offends, so they will try to stuff hetero folks into it.
Brian
Yes, I’m sure that’s what they’re worried about after already producing 16 seasons of the show.
Sometimes you really should think before spewing your ShareBlue taking points.
mikes6762
Women dressing in drag as women….. sounds fascinating.
justgeo
To include cic females dosn’t really seem like the base root of drag not Ru’s re-def of the ord but the absolute reality of Drag Queen. Stop trying to be soooo inclusive it just dilutes the rel meaning of things for Christ Sake!!!!!!
Wolfie
It’s called drag for a reason and has a long history dating back to the Greeks. A cis-woman in drag should dress like a man.
ggore
I have been to a LOT of drag pageants over the course of my life, it sometimes seems as if there is etched into granite somewhere that everyone must have a title to be considered legitimate. But in all those contests and pageants, I have NEVER seen a woman compete as a drag queen. Not once! Maybe I am not living in the part of the world where that happens on a regular basis, but I have always thought of a drag queen as a male who endures the agonies of tucking themselves into female clothing to entertain at shows as either comedy or otherwise. That has always seemed to be such an easy thing, but I guess I have been wrong this entire time. But I don’t think so.
QJ201
Would Miss Continental or any other drag pageant allow cis women to compete?
As for trans women… there has been decades long controversy, some pageants are now solely trans if they say so or not (and cis men just stopped entering) and others have stipulations such as “no plastic surgery below the neck” (no implants)
but you don’t seem any of this being dragged through the internet
Jerry
It’s DRAG Race, if I wanted to see cis women, I’d watch Miss America.
Blue Zoo
Dragula has a woman in their competition this season. Well, they identify as non-binary, but they was assigned female at birth. There is also a drag king in their competition. Dragula is a different sort of show, but it’s been very interesting to watch.
GentlemanCaller
It’s drag, which is one gender imitating an exaggerated version of the other. It’s not straight ladies in funny clothes. Why do heterosexuals–who own the world–always want our stuff?
Dream merchant
Including Cis Women’s on Drag race will be the death of drag race. Women drag Queens are nor drag queens. They are women. Drag queens are men impersonating women par definition. And drag race has been a safe haven for gays and trans people. Allowing cis women will destroy this free space for queer people.
Aubrey Calliope
I don’t think a being Drag Queen is gender reliant. It’s about elevating yourself to an alter ego that shines & draws every one to you. That ability is CHARISMA. Drag Race accepts EVERYONE, especially size wise. You would NEVER see that on a Pageant like Miss USA or America. And isn’t that what the World should be? ??