RuPaul 's Drag Race is one of many American reality competition television shows that debuted in 2009. The show focuses on drag queens and their ability to showcase their “charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent” through a variety of challenges: acting, costume construction, modelling, fashion forwardness and more are assessed by a panel of judges, including host and titular drag superstar, RuPaul. Drag queens have always been central to the lgbtq rights movement, tied to the Stonewall riots and existing as hypervisible queer folk, so queens occupy a political space that questions gender, performance, identity, and art. As a consequence of this, sometimes these projected voices drown out and actively harm other members of the various communities,
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This apologetic sentiment was not shared by RuPaul, who responded to the controversy with “I love the word tr****...(Drag artists) do not stand on ceremony, and we do not take words seriously. We do take feelings seriously and intentions seriously, and the intention is not to be hateful at all. But if you are trigger-happy and you 're looking for a reason to reinforce your own victimhood, your own perception of yourself as a victim, you 'll look for anything that will reinforce that” (http://www.advocate.com/television/2016/3/23/rupaul-language-police-are-dumb-af). In an appearance on The Real, RuPaul voiced his way of differentiating drag performers and trans folk. “Well, drag is really making fun of identity. We are shape-shifters. We’re like, 'OK, today, I’m this. Now, I’m a cowboy. Now, I’m this. ' That’s what drag is about. Transgender [people] take identity very, very seriously, in that their identity is who they are. But you know, I come from the school of you know, I’ll do whatever I want to do at any time and change and whatever” (http://www.advocate.com/media/2016/3/01/watch-rupaul-defines-drag-vs-transgender). These two statements outline a very problematic concept of voice and representation, especially in terms of intent. First RuPaul outlines that intent of a word is what matter, and their use of slurs is …show more content…
Very few disabled bodies have been present in the show, with notable exceptions being narcoleptic contestant Jinx Monsoon of season five, and Piyah Martell, a transwoman with caudel regression syndrome who was a special guest for a mini challenge in season four. Both times, two very popular frameworks for disability were evoked; Jinx was framed in a combination of freakshow and charity case, and Piyah was positioned as an inspiration in the Supercrip model. Both were framed as being successful in spite of their very different disabilities, rather than because of, or acknowledging that their disabilities are a part of them, not a hurdle that must be
This apologetic sentiment was not shared by RuPaul, who responded to the controversy with “I love the word tr****...(Drag artists) do not stand on ceremony, and we do not take words seriously. We do take feelings seriously and intentions seriously, and the intention is not to be hateful at all. But if you are trigger-happy and you 're looking for a reason to reinforce your own victimhood, your own perception of yourself as a victim, you 'll look for anything that will reinforce that” (http://www.advocate.com/television/2016/3/23/rupaul-language-police-are-dumb-af). In an appearance on The Real, RuPaul voiced his way of differentiating drag performers and trans folk. “Well, drag is really making fun of identity. We are shape-shifters. We’re like, 'OK, today, I’m this. Now, I’m a cowboy. Now, I’m this. ' That’s what drag is about. Transgender [people] take identity very, very seriously, in that their identity is who they are. But you know, I come from the school of you know, I’ll do whatever I want to do at any time and change and whatever” (http://www.advocate.com/media/2016/3/01/watch-rupaul-defines-drag-vs-transgender). These two statements outline a very problematic concept of voice and representation, especially in terms of intent. First RuPaul outlines that intent of a word is what matter, and their use of slurs is …show more content…
Very few disabled bodies have been present in the show, with notable exceptions being narcoleptic contestant Jinx Monsoon of season five, and Piyah Martell, a transwoman with caudel regression syndrome who was a special guest for a mini challenge in season four. Both times, two very popular frameworks for disability were evoked; Jinx was framed in a combination of freakshow and charity case, and Piyah was positioned as an inspiration in the Supercrip model. Both were framed as being successful in spite of their very different disabilities, rather than because of, or acknowledging that their disabilities are a part of them, not a hurdle that must be