Drag Race star Jasmine Kennedie was subjected to anti-trans hate while coming home from work.
On 14 April, the beloved drag talent opened up about the incident in a lengthy video posted to her Instagram account.
“Hi all, my name is Jasmine Kennedie. I am a 25-year-old trans woman, and last night, on the way home in the Oculus on the PATH train, I was verbally harassed and followed on the New Jersey transit back home and I will be sharing my story as well as video evidence and giving yall the rundown as to what happened,” she explained.
“I first want to say that I am safe. I am a-ok, and I want to thank the people around me who were supporting me and making sure that I was safe and that I got home safe. Let me tell you something y’all, it is very, very dangerous right now to be a trans woman in Trump’s America.”
Jasmine added that in all her years living in New York City, she has never been subjected to the hate she recently received.
“To give a little background, last night, I was working in the West Village doing a show at Playhouse, and the one time I decided to take public transit home is the one time I get verbally accosted, called slurs, get followed, and really I had to stand up for myself, and I was actually very proud of myself because in this world, in this climate, they want us to be afraid.
“They want us to be scared. They don’t want us to be able to stand up for ourselves. And this person was very shocked to see that I, as a trans woman, was willing to stand up for myself and my rights.”
Jasmine went on to give further insight into the incident, revealing that she was on the phone with her boyfriend waiting for the I-10 train before a man decided to sit “very, very close to her.”
As a way to put space between her and the individual, the Drag Race star said she got up to move, resulting in the former spewing anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric.
“This man decides to call me the f slur, [and say] ‘F**k you. This is Trump’s America.’ He then went to say ‘Trump’s your daddy. Trump’s your f**king daddy.’ And I was very uncomfortable, but at the same time, I was not going to back down,” she continued.
“So I told this man very straight to his face, I said, ‘Yes, I am a tranny. Do you have a problem with that? Yes, I am a trans woman. Do you have a problem with that? And then he had the nerve to say, ‘You have a dick’ and I said, ‘Yes, and it’s probably bigger than yours.’
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“Because at the end of the day, trans women know that they were fucking born biologically men. That’s f**king the whole f**king bit of it all. We aren’t denying that, but our gender is different from our sex at birth. People have such a hard time grasping that gender and sex are two different things.”
In addition to attacking her trans identity, Jasmine claimed the individual told her she should be deported.
“I’m a US citizen. Are we just deporting anybody who doesn’t go with the ideology of Trump? Now, this is what we’re becoming? This is what the Trump’s America wants is to deport people who aren’t in their ideology. I’m sorry, this is the land of the free, pursuit of happiness; everyone has that right, for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she continued.
While Jasmine admitted to feeling “vulnerable” at the time, she encouraged other trans people to never stand down or give bigots their power, adding that once she pulled out her phone to record the man, he started to “grovel.”
Towards the end of her video, the talented performer thanked the bystanders who stood by her during the ordeal before showcasing the clips of the aforementioned harassment.
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“It was very comforting to know that the people in this world see me for who I am, and are willing to defend me while assholes and bigots like that can run around rampant and they think that there’s no repercussions,” she said.
“So, at the end of the day, you can never make me feel insignificant because I know my power, and I did not let them take it from me.”
Since uploading her video, Jasmine has received heaps of support from fans.
One person wrote: “Very proud of you for standing your ground! I love you, and it’s not okay that this is happening. Sending you a huge hug and mucho amor.”
Another fan commented: “I’m so glad you’re okay and it didn’t escalate any further!! People shouldn’t feel comfortable to be that hateful. Keep your head up, gorgeous.”
Jasmine’s Drag Race peers also showcased their support, with Daya Betty writing: “Sister! I’m so sorry you had to deal with this. So scary, and I’m so glad you made it home safe. If I EVER see that man, it’s on sight ‼️love ya Jazzy!”
June Jambalaya echoed similar sentiments, commenting: “So happy you’re safe, and I’m sorry that you had to deal with this nonsense.”
Back in 2022, Jasmine provided viewers with one of the most tender moments in Drag Race herstory when she came out as trans to her sisters in Untucked; making season 14 the first in RuPaul’s ever-growing franchise to host five openly transgender contestants.
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