CHARISMA, UNIQUENESS, NERVE AND A TRANS MAN
RuPaul’s Drag Race is back for the 13th season and its debut is ever full of twists and turns. One contestant, Gottmik, made herstory as the first ever transgender man to compete on the show.
Gottmik, who goes by she/her in drag and he/him out of drag, revealed her gender very early on in the show. Her fierce looks had her chest exposed, with visible scars from a top surgery that she wore with pride. She also discussed her pronouns with other contestants as they got ready for the day.
In a challenge where contestants have to write their own lyrics to perform, Gottmik’s goes: “Gottmik was born a girl baby. Was told that I can’t do drag, knew I had something to prove and you’re gonna lose.”
Gottmik’s casting and her willingness to openly discuss transsexuality mean a great deal to transgender representation and visibility. On the show, she was praised by judges for her sharp fashion sense and talent. Online, support flooded in from fans and many Drag Race alumni.
RuPaul’s Drag Race made drag mainstream entertainment in many households across the globe and catapulted its queens into pop culture stardom. The entire franchise, including Drag Race Thailand, has seen a degree of involvement from transgender queens, although the majority of contestants have identified as cisgender gay men. But having Gottmik on the show seems to open all sorts of possibilities now and widen the sphere of drag for audiences worldwide.
On a recent interview with Stephen Colbert, RuPaul — who has previously been criticised for excluding transgender queens — said the biggest lesson he’s learned on Drag Race is to keep an open mind and that the new generations are always changing the art of drag.
“I keep moving with what the kids are doing,” said RuPaul.
He also described Gottmik as “fantastic”.