Revered LGBT icon RuPaul has been in hot water with the transgender community over the past week ever since he and his hit show, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” came under fire for what many considered to be a transphobic comments during a recent episode.
RuPaul and his producers quickly responded to the comments, saying they wanted to spread love and acceptance for the trans community.
Now, the show’s most famous transgender contestant, Carmen Carrera, has spoken out on the matter and set the record straight on how she feels about the show.
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 transgender people.
On March 31, Carrera used Facebook to address fans asking about her thoughts on the controversy.
“Although I am certain ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ didn’t mean to be offensive, let this be a learning experience. I think the show has opened up and educated the minds of many people who were ignorant to the world of drag and has made equality and respect a possibility for those involved, not only as equal beings but as phenomenal artists.
“There has always been a huge presence of trans artists in the drag scene. ‘Shemale’ is an incredibly offensive term, and this whole business about if you can tell whether a woman is biological or not is getting kind of old. We live in a new world where understanding and acceptance are on the rise.
” ‘Drag Race’ should be a little smarter about the terms they use and comprehend the fight for respect trans people are facing every minute of today. They should use their platform to educate their viewers truthfully on all facets of drag performance art. #SheHasSpoken,” Carrera wrote.
And Carrera wasn’t the only transgender contestant to speak out on the matter. Read what Monica Beverly Hillz told the Huffington Post about the controversy after the cut. –nicholas robinson
