RuPaul has stopped short of saying that he will allow women to audition for RuPaul's Drag Race, hinting only that he's learned to "never say never".
The Emmy-winning TV host and drag personality disappointed many Drag Race fans last year, when he revealed that he “probably [would] not” let a post-transition woman compete on the reality show, making reductive comments about past finalist Peppermint.
Speaking about the trans queen, who came second on the show, RuPaul pointed out that she “didn’t get breast implants” so hadn’t “really transitioned”.
“In the 10 years we’ve been casting Drag Race, the only thing we’ve ever screened for is charisma uniqueness nerve and talent. And that will never change,” he said.
Now, speaking to the The Sunday Times ahead of Drag Race UK, RuPaul said there “seems to be an obsession with trying to create this ‘us against them’ storyline,” adding “we share a history” and that “the two worlds intersect but maintain their unique qualities”.
“In my experiences in Atlanta and Lower East Side in the 1980s and 1990s, we performed together,” he reflected. “We shared the same safe spaces, like bars and clubs. We laughed, smoked, drank and took care of each other.
“One of our contestants, Monica Beverley Hillz, said it best when she said, ‘Drag is what I do, trans is who I am.'”
When questioned over whether women can do drag, he said: “Women are in drag. You’re born naked and the rest is drag.”
When pushed on whether he would consider allowing women to compete on the program, RuPaul was reportedly left ‘mumbling’ and ‘tongue-tied’.
RuPaul later emailed the interviewer, saying: “I’ve learnt to never say never."
