There’s been a lot of chatter about how the next four years may affect queer and especially trans people.
Will trans people lose the rights they’ve worked so hard to acquire? Will the Supreme Court reverse its landmark ruling on same-sex marriage? Will The Situation become appointed head of the FCC and immediately cancel RuPaul’s Drag Race? Well, don’t worry. Queer people will be OK. (And if you weren’t worrying, then I’d like the name of your anti-anxiety medication.)
If you don’t believe me and still desire proof that queer people will be OK, then look no further than the aforementioned RuPaul’s Drag Race. Over several seasons and even more international spinoffs, this drag queen reality competition has proved over and over that queer performers have more charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent than all of the U.S. presidents combined. No matter what haters try to throw at queer people, they will rebound with strength, humor, and grace. Allow me to present my evidence.
Not BenDeLaChrist! In the unforgettable sixth episode of All Stars Season 3, BenDeLaCreme – an incredibly versatile and intelligent queer performer – removes herself from the competition to allow her sisters to shine. DeLa knows in her heart of hearts that she will continue to win every challenge and thus wants to give someone else a chance. (She also probably has a scheduling conflict or something.) Anyway, imagine if a political candidate were to put their ego aside and step back from the competition early on, allowing their coworker to step forward at the right moment and win. Just … imagine. (Sigh.) Anyway, with a mindset like Ben’s, queer people will continue to prop each other up and allow their best representatives to build our collective future. Yes, we will be fine, thank you.
One of the most popular challenges on Drag Race is the Snatch Game, in which competitors display their best celebrity impersonations while simultaneously hurling quips at RuPaul. When done right, it’s an incredible sight to behold; and when contestants fire on all cylinders, they become a testament to the depths of queer talent out there. Also, drag queens can bring celebrities back from the dead sometimes! See: Jinkx Monsoon’s impersonation of Judy Garland in All Stars Season 7 Episode 2. I’m still convinced that Jinkx’s impersonation is actual documentary footage of Judy Garland returning from the dead and possessing the body of a middle-aged drag queen.
Every eliminated drag queen on Drag Race is allowed an exit line. It’s usually something sassy or clever, accompanied by a flick of the hair. However, occasionally queens deliver exit lines that are so unhinged that they earn that queen a second chance on the show. Well, actually that’s only happened once. In the first elimination episode of Season 10, Miss Vangie forgot to come up with an actual exit line when she was eliminated, and instead walked backwards while waving her arms and saying her own name several times in a seductive manner. She was promptly invited back on for Season 11. Imagine if, in real life, a politician were to not only accept their own defeat with humility, but do it with such pizzazz that no one would have to stage a coup; the public would just hand them a second chance! Sigh, again.
One great thing about being in a minority group is that we have strong community values. In fact, we have to if we ever want to thrive in society. For this reason, real-life queer villains like Drag Race contestants Sharon Needles and Sherry Pie – whose sins won’t be listed here – never succeed within our community. When our community learned that these two terrible men had inflicted emotional abuse on others, we no longer gave them the time of day, let alone prop up their careers. Just writing that previous sentence makes me feel proud of being queer. No matter how bad things get for us, we’ll always support only the best members of our species. Yeah, we queer people will be OK, thank you VERY much!
