"Don't be a drag, just be a queen. We break new ground again with big heels in it's latest offering in the popular Female Force Series focusing on RuPaul. RuPaul is easily the most famous drag queen and self-described "Supermodel of the World."
This whimsical look at the life and times of the host of the popular Logo series "RuPaul's Drag Race" is as unique as the woMan himself. It is a must have for any collector's closet-- or shelf rather."
According to Wikipedia, RuPaul Andre Charles (born in 1960) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model, known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race. RuPaul has received several awards, including Primetime Emmy Award, GLAAD Media Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, Billboard Music Award, and a Tony Award, and has been dubbed the "Queen of Drag".
RuPaul stirred multiple controversies regarding his comments and actions towards the transgender community. According to Vox, he has a complicated relationship with transgender people, in part due to differing philosophies: through drag he seeks to mock gender and identity stereotypes, while in his view the trans community takes identity seriously. However, RuPaul's Drag Race featured a number of trans women, some of whom made their identity public while competing on the show, including Sonique, Carmen Carrera, Jiggly Caliente, Monica Beverly Hillz, Kenya Michaels, and Gia Gunn.
In later shows we could see trans contestants who had already disclosed their trans identity prior to their season beginning. In 2017, Peppermint became the first contestant to compete throughout her season as an openly trans woman.
In 2014, trans activists and former contestants Carmen Carrera and Monica Beverly Hillz criticized the show's use of words such as tranny and shemale, including the main challenge announcement phrase up to season 6, "You've got she-mail", which they described as transphobic. That year's season also included a "Female or She-male" segment that required contestants to guess whether various photographs featured cisgender "biological women" or "psychological women" (drag queens), causing further criticism. RuPaul and the producers issued a statement promising "to help spread love, acceptance and understanding" and Logo TV removed the controversial phrases. In 2018, RuPaul gave an interview to The Guardian in which he stated that a post-transition trans woman would "probably not" be accepted onto the show, noting that at the time of competition and Peppermint had not yet had breast implants.
After facing criticism on social media and from former contestants for his remarks, RuPaul compared trans drag queens who had transitioned to athletes who had taken performance-enhancing drugs. He subsequently expressed regret for the hurt caused by his remarks, and that the only screening criteria for contestants were "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent." Since he made these statements, multiple transgender contestants have competed on the show.
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