There's no reason for me to tell lies, the road for Transgender contestants on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' continues to be a rocky one. Breaking the 'Cis-tem' one at a time, we must remember those killer queens who served unapologetically before Season 13's landmark revamp and rethink. One way or another an element of Trans Drag has been present on the 'Race', we just needed to wait for these queens to transform themselves into their truth first. Carmen Carrera came through to move mountains, after her time on Season 3 her thoughts about certain aspects of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' came to light in a big way! 'You've Got She-Mail?' Carrera campaigned for this catchphrase to be removed from the show, coining the phrase as 'problematic'. Monica Beverly Hillz, became the second queen to come out as Transgender after Kylie 'Sonique' Love. Hillz also campaigned alongside Carrera to reform the language featured on the show that needed to go! The queens that embody 'Trans Excellence' continue to grow! Who's next? Come on through, B! Gia Gunn came through for us during Season 6, she slayed her season as she brought fresh tilapia to the runway! Returning within her truth for AllStars 4, there was no stopping Gia's Kabucki theatrics for that talent performance! Peppermint broke down boundaries during her time on her season, becoming the first openly Trans-Woman before the season aired. Now a Broadway sensation, there's no stopping NYC's Peppermint! Crashing the 'Cis-tem' during the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Gottmik walked into the 'Werk Room' as the first (AFAB) Trans-Man to represent in the competition during Season 13. Ru changed his words, to may the best 'Drag Queen' win! 'Ooh Girl, You've Got Female!' Who said that? AllStars 6 came through with two forms of 'Trans Excellence' in 2021, both Kylie 'Sonique' Love and Jiggly Caliente didn't come to play games! Both living their truth and serving up 'Female', both icons were fiercely representing the Trans family! We require a 'Drag King' or ten! Come on RuRu, be the change!
¡Hola hola hola! World Of Wonder Plus and Spain's ATRESplayer announced that Spring 2021 would bring the first season of 'Drag Race España!' Prior to the first episode I had been listening to a lot of Spanish Drag music, discovering several Spanish queens before the line-up was announced. Hosted by Spanish Drag superstar, Supremme De Luxe, I was so excited to see such a polished and established performer take the role as the Spanish RuPaul! 'The Macarena' was told to 'Sashay Te Vas' first, her English skills were great but the judges told her 'Adiós' much too soon! Hailing from Las Islas Canarias, 'Drag Vulcano' wanted to keep those familiar platforms on! The Spanish Volcano queen was told to walk away second in the competition. INTI, one of my photo featured queens originally came from Bolivia! As an Indigenous Non-Binary Trans competitor, this Quechua born queen broke down every emotional barrier with their passion for life and Drag! Much too soon, INTI took themselves out of the 'Race!' Ay madre mía! Zorras ES!Fourth in line for the chop, 'Arantza Castilla La Mancha' the Spanish 'Hannah Montana' served up her own hometown, Queso! 'Hugáceo Crujiente' served their own kind of interpretation of Drag, another queen to breakdown barriers with their style! Crujiente painted the perfect Spanish art masterpiece! Moody and cold, 'Dovima Nurmi' certainly broke the ice during her lip-sync surrender to 'Sagittaria' during the sixth week of the 'Race'. Deep down 'Nurmi' showed her love for her sisters as she 'Sashayed Away!' Night of a thousand who? Rosalía? I knew who that Spanish pop sensation was! At the moment we have the final four contestants who've served us a lot so far! 'Pupi Poisson' stands out as the 'funny queen' with a seasoned reign, I am rooting for that Madrid icon! Tienes to la cara? Serving beauty and face, 'Sagittaria' gave us her version of a Spanish favourite, una deliciosa crema catalana! 'Carmen Farala' served us 'Serpent Realness' during the 'La Venemo' runway spectacle! Come on through, 'Killer Queen!' ¡Eres espectacular!
Fancy A Slice? During my time living in Birmingham, I do remember a certain 'Ginny Lemon' hosting their own 'Pick n Mix' with a £100 prize up for grabs! From Worcester, this Non-Binary icon would coin their 'Hometown Look' on RuPaul's Drag Race UK, Season 2! Worcester, what? I'm talking about Worcester sauce! Before Ginny bounded into the UK 'Werk Room' they tried their hand at becoming an X-Factor icon in 2018, for me they will always stand out as a winner for that television talent show appearance! We wanted a few more 'slices!' Cue January 14th 2021, deep in the third UK Lockdown, we were re-introduced to Ginny Lemon as they bounded into the UK 'Werk Room!' Of course, we wanted several slices! Bringing Binary to the forefront, both Ginny and Bimini Bon Boulash unleashed their mantra for 'Non-Binary Rights!' Ginny allowed us to know why their style has always been 'Lemon Yellow' because it is one of the colours on the 'Non-Binary' flag. It was a worthy conversation to have! Cleanse those chackras!
Ginny Lemon gave us her brand with full authenticity, they didn't need to be sexy nor did they need to conform to the 'look' certain Drag Race queens are known for. Lemon did listen to RuPaul and the other judges critics, bringing a pink number to the runway, that breastplate was a once in a lifetime for our Gin! Nobody would be allowed to keep them hangin' on, bidding a fond farewell as Sister Sister got into the lip-sync! Tayce quoted 'she's only gone and BenDeLaCreme'd herself!' Babs, they were knackered! Deep in isolation, Ginny Lemon went on to release two new singles because they needed to earn the money to pay the bills! 'I Am Over My Overdraft' and 'I'm So Offended' as their first post-Drag Race projects! The lyrics from Ginny Lemon's Tonic personified our Post-Brexit feeling, being stuck on this island! Narrating their own motives as to why they competed on DRUK S2 in the first place, increasing their booking fee was one of the reasons because they expressed to Exposed's Joseph Shepherd. It was spicy!
For three nights every year, the continent of Europe comes out in all of their music inspired Drag for the world to celebrate their kooky national performances at the Eurovision Song Contest! No other show aside from RuPaul's Drag Race personifies Drag like the Eurovision does every year! From busty Polish maidens churning butter to full-on Bond style Drag beauty, there's no end to the camp nature that Europe's most outrageous singing competition brings! 'Like A Phoenix' Austria's 'Conchita Wurst' brought a victorious performance, burning bright in our hearts as the winner of 2014! Ukraine bedazzled me with 'Verka Serduchka's' camp performance number, 'Dancing Lasha Tumbai' had me loving Eurovision even more! It was bonkers in the best way! Liking their style, 'Cleo & Donatan' from Poland had me looking twice at those suggestively placed Slavic maidens as they churned milk into butter! Their exaggerated style with their national dress and commitment to their art-form was the Drag I loved! Sure, my kind of Euros!
Hailing from Cyprus, 'Eleni Foureira' brought the 'Fuego' with her fabulous Eurovision entry. As Drag, she embodied her Greek sounding stage name and elaborate costume, being originally from Albanian parents. It was a whole performance of another kind! Bringing it back to Birmingham, England during 1998's edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, Israel's 'Dana International' took more than just the winning spot! As the first Transgender performer in the shows history, 'Dana' went on with her winning anthem 'DIVA' with the energy the show embodies. Returning in 2019 during Tel Aviv's chance to host the contest, 'Dana International' took the stage once again for the world to love! Infamously known for their lack of 'LGBT' human rights laws, Azerbaijan have brought several entrants who would give one of RuPaul's girls a run for their appearance fee! 2020 and 2021 served us 'Mata Hari' Realness! 'Efendi' that was! All Drag Matters, because it isn't just about turning looks on the runway! ¡En serio! ¡Sí, sí!
Fancy A Slice? I Do!
Joseph Harrison
