Drag Race UK viewers praise Ginny Lemon and Bimini Bon Boulash for talking about being non-binary

Competitors opened up about their identities as non-binary people

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK fans have praised Ginny Lemon and Bimini Bon Boulash for their emotional discussion about identifying as non-binary.

BBC Three’s competition series returned on Thursday (28 January), with the remaining queens taking part in a sewing challenge.

Having told RuPaul that they didn’t always feel comfortable dressing in a feminine way, Ginny was joined by Bimini to talk about their non-binary identities.

Admitting that the subject could be “emotional” when not everybody understands it, Bimini explained: “Non-binary isn’t a new thing, it’s just a new term. It’s just basically someone who doesn’t feel like they are either masculine or feminine, they kind of float between the two.”

Ginny then confided in Bimini that, having had a “very difficult” upbringing, they’d never had the support in exploring their identity without feeling like a “freak”.

“Myself and my siblings survived. We’d never lived, we survived,” they said. “Every day of my life, I’ve grown up thinking I was ugly and stupid, so I never really had a possibility to explore anything else. Since removing myself from the family unit, I’ve been able to find me and accept me for who I am.”

Bimini replied that dealing with identity as a non-binary person was “a struggle every day”, adding: “We’re like square pegs in a circle and how we want to self-identify isn’t up to anyone else… to have a debate about it.”

Read more: Drag Race UK is still chaotic enough to parody its polished American cousin – review

The scene was widely praised by fans of the show, who said it was refreshing that a prominent TV show had provided a platform for non-binary people to talk about their experiences.

“The conversation between Ginny and Bimini on #DragRaceUK this week was so powerful,” writer Shaun Kitchener tweeted. “Just imagine how much better things would be if tv had more of that, and less of the unhelpful gender ~debates we get on daytime tv and in the mainstream press!!!”

“Honestly Ginny and Bimini were a delight this episode,” another viewer wrote. “It was so refreshing not having to see someone forced to adopt the educator role but instead just witness two people openly and frankly discuss their experiences. Wonderful.”

Theatre-maker Travis Alabanza tweeted: “Ye that convo between @biminibabes and @GinnyLemon69 on national tv like that. Very beautiful. Imagined the younger me, watching in my council house, and what I’d feel.”

One fan wrote: “The conversation Ginny and Bimini are having about being non binary hits deep. It’s such an important topic that the BBC is now replaying for the public to see. Hopefully this is a step forward to improving the future for people who feel like they don’t fit in.”

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK returns next Thursday at 7pm on BBC iPlayer.