The Drag Race host made the comments during an interview with The Guardian.
RuPaul’s Drag Race has boasted several trans contestants in the show’s HERstory, including Gia Gunn, Carmen Carrera, Jiggly Caliente, Monica Beverley Hillz and first openly trans queen, Peppermint. However, RuPaul has now revealed that he “probably” wouldn’t let a post-transition woman compete on the show.
In an interview with The Guardian, Ru said: “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. So for men to do it, it’s really punk rock, because it’s a real rejection of masculinity.”
He also addressed Peppermint’s appearance, saying: “Mmmm. It’s an interesting area. Peppermint didn’t get breast implants until after she left our show; she was identifying as a woman, but she hadn’t really transitioned.”
When asked if he would let a fully transition queen compete, he said it wasn’t likely.
“Probably not. 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.”
RuPaul also added: “Well, I don’t like to call drag ‘wearing women’s clothes’. If you look around this room, she’s wearing a shirt with jeans, that one’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt, right? So women don’t really dress like us.
“We are wearing clothes that are hyperfeminine, that represent our culture’s synthetic idea of femininity.”
RuPaul’s current season of Drag Race – All Stars 3 – airs Thursdays on VH1 in the United States and Comedy Central in the UK.
The season features fan favourites from Drag Race competing for a second chance (and in some cases, third) at becoming America’s Next Drag Superstar.
Watch the queens serve their finest golden eleganza in the All Stars 3 trailer below.
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