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'Drag Race' Queens Talk Importance of Activism Under Trump
The contestants get political in the Werk Room before hitting the debate stage.
Almost every season of RuPaul's Drag Race, there's a moment where RuPaul makes the queens get somewhat political. Usually, this is some sort of ode to the greatness of America -- who doesn't remember Alexis Mateo's heartwarming message to the troops in season 3 -- but this year, given our climate, things are decidedly more pointed. Tonight's episode will see the contestants on the debate stage vying to become America's First Drag Queen President, but in the Werk Room prior, the contestants discuss life under America's First Reality Star President.
"As a Black gay man in this country, especially being in Missouri, I don't go places in my own city that predominately have straight patrons," Widow Von'Du says in a new clip from the episode. "And as a Black man, it's a big problem that I can not drive my car down my street without being afraid that someone's going to take my life." The comment, no doubt is a direct reference to how the rhetoric coming from the White House has emboldened and given space to white nationalists and white supremacists across the nation, leading to a rise in violence.
"We need to be on the front lines fighting every day," Von'Du continues in a confessional.
Earlier in the season, U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the first sitting politician to act as a judge on the Drag Race main stage. While visiting the queens in Untucked she spoke to this, saying that drag queens are "patriots" who "push society forward." And that has born out across history many times.
"I think people who gave [Trump] the benefit of the doubt in 2016, like wake up," Jackie Cox says in this week's clip. "There is nothing to doubt here."
In addition to the debate for America's First Drag Queen President, tonight's episode will also feature Jeff Goldblum as a judge. Drag Race will air at 8 p.m. followed by the debut of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race at 9:30 pm and a new episode of Untucked at 11 p.m.
RELATED | 'Celebrity Drag Race' Starts This Week -- Here's the Deets
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Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
