RuPaul has long been touted— and rightfully so —as one of the LGBT community’s biggest and most noble public figures. But this past week, RuPaul came under fire from many in the transgender community over what some considered to be transphobic phrases used during a segment of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Now, RuPaul has opened up about the controversy and shared her thoughts on the matter to the world.
The drama all began during last week’s episode of “Drag Race” when RuPaul laid out a mini-challenge called female or she-male in which the contestants were asked to determine whether the woman in a cropped photo was a biological female or a drag queen.
Several transgender activists were offended by the segment, saying that “she-male” is considered to be a violent word against transgenders.
Late last week, RuPaul responded to the controversy with a statement from both him and the producers of the show.
“We delight in celebrating every color in the LGBT rainbow. When it comes to the movement of our trans sisters and trans brothers, we are newly sensitized and more committed than ever to help spread love, acceptance and understanding,” said RuPaul Charles, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe and Mandy Salangsang.
Logo also released a statement about the controversy.
“We have heard the concerns around this segment. We are committed to sharing a diverse range of trans stories across all of our screens and look forward to featuring positive and groundbreaking stories of trans people in the future.”
Read what GLAAD had to say about the matter after the cut. – nicholas robinson
