Category: “Political or entertainment?”
Since its humble beginnings on Logo TV in 2009, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” went from a small engine to become one of the highest-rated shows on television, garnering awards and high-profile fans along the way. More importantly, during these divisive times, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has provided a safe and happy place for the queer and transgender community.
Yes, there are edgy shenanigans, back-and-forths and lip-sync struggles, and yes, the show is hosted by the mother of all drag queens, RuPaul. But as states across the country seek to pass anti-LGBTQ laws and restrict drag performances, the show has become a space of identity and community. Because RuPaul has always portrayed drag as a political act, the show is very much rooted in politics without being a political show.
Michelle Visage, head judge, producer and host of the upcoming Drag Race Down Under, says the show has never been political, but “for us, drag is political. It is a statement. It’s FU for the community.”
Behind the scenes, with more anti-LGBTQ legislation being passed around the country, World of Wonder, the production company behind the franchise, partnered with the ACLU to create the Drag Defense Fund. The fund allows people to donate and support the ACLU’s fight for LGBTQ rights. It doesn’t stop there; at the end of each episode, the queens remind viewers to register to vote. Guest judges include retired House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. vice president Kamala Harris latest look At the All-Stars finale, she silenced anyone who encouraged viewers to register to vote. He announced his candidacy for president the week his episode aired. The timing was perfect.
Music is always featured in several issues of the series, but in Season 16, it took on political overtones when the queens were tasked with singing “Strength,” written by guest judge Leland; the words emphasized the power of voting and empowerment.
Choreographer Jamal Sims put Leland’s music and words into action: “The message was to energize people to go out and vote, and how do you do that through dance and song and music?”
With the show’s hectic schedule, Sims had limited camera time to teach the queens the choreography. “I give each queen 15 minutes to do a solo performance and then a group performance,” she explains. Time is not on his side with the rapid output of production, but it is a skill he has fine-tuned. “I can make quick decisions and get information very quickly. I know how to work fast.”
It catered to every skill level when it came to raising queens and their performance. “Some dance, some have no dance background, some choreograph, some can’t,” she says. As Sims unleashed the moving pieces, his ultimate goal was to ensure that the song both captured the power and elevated the dance. “I want to make sure the message of the music is conveyed through movement,” he says.
Underneath the wigs, glamorous looks, lip syncing and maximum challenges, every season is unique thanks to a new batch of queens. With that, Visage says, “You get new stories and people that someone can relate to. You get new people that someone can relate to and see represented on television.
This season was no different.
Season 16 added a powerhouse of queens, including the franchise recent winner Nymphia Wind. Kulak went down in the history books as the first East Asian queen. His triumph gave him a global platform to “represent children in Taiwan or just Asians everywhere,” Wind said. “Growing up, I was never represented in Western media.”
And the magic all begins in the casting. Goloka Bolte and her team sift through countless audition tapes — yes, they watch every single one — to find new queens.
“We’re looking for talented queens who continue to surprise us with their new take on drag,” Bolte said. While fresh styles are everything, “we make sure to put together a cast that creates different feels and represents different elements from the world of drag.”
This variety helps. Discussions of homophobia, body shaming, HIV, conversion therapy, rejection, mental health, abuse and gender identity not only help children learn and understand the struggles, but the show also helps parents have meaningful conversations.
Visage, who has been on the show since Season 3, has learned valuable lessons from the show and the queens. Visage, who is the parent of an unusual child, admits that the show has given him a better understanding of many things. “My mind has opened up, but I owe it to the show, to the queens, but also to my kids, to open up and continue conversations about things,” she says. “My parents and I had zero conversations about anything, let alone anything sexual.”
Producer Gianna Costa has been on the show for 12 seasons and has seen the country
change and not for the best. But the show brings people together across the country, especially in community-targeted cities, where crowds gather to watch episodes when the show airs. “It’s nice to have a show that people can watch, hear other people’s stories that resonate with them, but also take them away from the negativity they’ve been hearing all day,” Costa said.
Drag is not just an art form, but a powerful tool for self-expression. Week after week, the queens bring it home. Their stories are relatable and always hopeful. “Drag Race” has permeated the world and mainstream culture in more ways than listed. As it continues to make Emmy history with its wins and historic nominations, the show remains one of the most important shows on television.
“Drag Race” does what few people can. “It’s a place for everyone to feel like they belong,” says Visage.