RuPaul: Drag Race host apologises for controversial remarks about transgender contestants
The host speaks out after facing backlash for his comments
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RuPaul has apologised for his divisive comments about transgender drag queens.
The Drag Race host faced backlash over the weekend when he answered a question about whether or not contestants who were transitioning were welcome on the show.
The question was prompted by a discussion of transgender contestant Peppermint - a drag artist who identified as a woman while appearing on the show but did not get breast implants until afterwards.
When asked if a trans woman who was actively transitioning should be allowed to compete on the show, RuPaul said, "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," RuPaul added.
The host then went on to explain that the contestants that have been on Drag Race haven't actually transitioned.
"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," he concluded.
But many people reacted with dismay to RuPaul's comments online.
One user said that they were "disappointed with RuPaul but not surprised" and added that "drag is not worth doing unless it liberates all."
Another commenter pointed out that, "RuPaul’s comments on trans contestants competing on Drag Race further reveals how gay men can be viciously exclusive and transphobic in a community that we share."
After a deluge adverse reactions, RuPaul apologised for his original statement, writing on Twitter, "Each morning I pray to set aside everything I THINK I know, so I may have an open mind and a new experience."
He added, “I understand and regret the hurt I have caused. The trans community are heroes of our shared LGBTQ movement. You are my teachers.”
The 57-year-old LGBTQ advocate posted a second tweet saying that Drag Race has only looked for "charisma uniqueness nerve and talent," which would "never change."
Hopefully RuPaul and the show holds to those standards in the show's forthcoming seasons.
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