10 Things This Season Of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Taught Us About Gay Racism

This article is in no way meant to imply RuPaul, the contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race, or any of the editors, producers, PAs or key grips on the show are racist. That’s something only God and their hairdressers would know for sure. But, given the fact that the gay community is a microcosm of our country, it stands to reason problems like racism and discrimination are raised, dissected, and debated by our fair queendom.

With Drag Race being one of the most popular television shows by and for the LGBTQ community and their allies, there’s a lot we can learn about ourselves if we read between the lines. This season is arguably the best season in Drag Race herstory. It’s also boasts a top 4 who are all people of color. Despite this season’s apparent diversity, it also can show us some of the random bits of racism and bias we sometimes too easily take for granted every day.

RuPaul’s Drag Race is part commentary on reality television, part queer Super Bowl, part drag documentary and all inspiration by our own personal guru RuPaul. Or GuRuPaul, if you’re nasty. As marginalized and bullied people, it’s strange that we marginalize and bully others from time to time. Here’s hoping that by talking about these types of issues we can, “Snap out of it!” Chad Michaels are you there?

Here are 10 things this season revealed about racism within the LGBTQ:

1.) No Fats, No Femmes, No Asians

Kim Chi is an accomplished artist, Instagram celebrity, and Drag Innovator. She’s done things with make-up that could flip your lace-front. But as she aptly pointed out in the “Shady Politics” episode, so many guys on Grindr and other hook up apps say things that are not just exclusionary, but pretty racist. Just because this phrase is an attempt at word play doesn’t mean it’s not discrimination. Sure people have their personal preferences but when you commit hand to keyboard it crosses the line from personal aesthetic preferences to a singular racist message. After all, some people have posted “We Don’t Like Gays” signs outside their businesses. Is there a difference?

2.) “You’re Hot for a Black Guy”

It’s sad to think that Naomi Smalls and Bob the Drag Queen are two of the hottest commodities in the gay world, but are considered hot in spite of something. Saying “You’re hot for a black guy” not only implies most black people are not hot it also implies a racial hierarchy. White supremacy exists in our culture but that doesn’t mean it’s right or we should encourage it. Yes there are a ton of white porn stars, underwear models, and celebrities vying for our attention. But many of them are also straight. That doesn’t make them any better than the attractive people of color. We should challenge our white standard of beauty, if only to give Lance Bass a break from all the attention.

3.) Ms. Derrick Barry, Poster Child for White Privilege?

People at times confuse white privilege for success or inherent advantages. But at its most simple definition, it’s that white people don’t always have to face the same challenges as people of color. Derrick even admitted during “The Grand Finale” he had never been challenged like this before. He’s a good-looking man and woman with not one, but two, attractive partners. He has a successful career that boasts a longtime Vegas run and America’s Got Talent credit. But it also seems like he practically walked into the top 5. Unlike former frontrunners Raja or Bianca Del Rio, it wasn’t necessarily based on an insane amount of talent. It just seems like he wasn’t called out for obvious offenses people of color had been judged for in prior seasons. For a queen in a drag competition to not glue down their brows and sew more than a seam seems insane. He delivered not one but three outfits built around a bathing suit. Former contestants like Joslyn Fox, Alissa Summers, and Venus D-Lite were sent home for outfits that had more work than Derrick’s. This is not an attack on Ms. Barry–who is very talented–but just a bit surprising that she was treated with kid gloves in the gauntlet of drag.

4.) ESL Does Not Mean Stupid

Most Americans do not speak more than one language despite our cosmopolitan culture. Hell, some Americans barely speak English. And yet, when people hear an accent they automatically think someone doesn’t get it. The editors sort of relish those moments when an ESL queen makes a funny turn of phrase or mispronounces a word. Throughout the season there have been moments where Cynthia Lee Fontaine or Kim Chi were caught unawares and given a shady edit. No T No Shade to the editors but they simply come from different cultures. Their pop culture references are different and while in the high stakes Hunger Games of drag they may not be thinking in English. As viewers, we must be sure not to underestimate people just because they have an accent.

5.) The Puerto Rican Problem

Most Americans don’t even know Puerto Rico is a part of the United States. They also don’t know the struggles the natives of this popular tourist spot face. There’s the overwhelming debt, poverty, and strange identity as a not-quite-State of the Union. Puerto Rico has helped drive a fair amount of the viewership of Drag Race given it’s large drag community and the fact that American cable channels like Logo are available on the island. And yet, most Puerto Rican queens face the same struggle each season. They often wash out of acting or comedy challenges because of their accents. It’s just disappointing for them to get on the show yet face an inevitable failure. After all, Latrice Royale was never clocked by the judges for not being able to fit into a size 2 later in the season. Why should these queens be critiqued for an accent they had when they were cast?

6.) Cynthia Lee Fontaine is not Cuckoo.

It’s disappointing that the Puerto Rican queens are often viewed as zany or over the top. They are trying to be as savvy as American queens by bringing their own tag lines, sound bytes and memorable moments to the show. But they have different cultural touch points. The few gay characters in Spanish-speaking television shows and novellas are often over the top. Some Drag icons to Puerto Rican queens are stars like Charytin, La Lupe, Charo or the metaphysical Liberace himself Walter Mercado. By their standard, Cynthia is an understated wallflower. So her run in the “RuCo’s Empire” challenge was not insane but what the maxi challenge required, over-the-top acting. But over-the-top to Cynthia was obviously more than anyone bargained for. Either way, she and her Cucu have found their way into everyone’s hearts and won Miss Congeniality.

7.) Does Hating Bob Make You Racist? Maybe…

Bob, like Bianca Del Rio and Raja, assassinated every challenge on the show. He was a clear frontrunner based on pure talent. An admitted fan boy, he came to the competition to win. Now there’s nothing wrong with rooting for Naomi Smalls or Kim Chi or any of your favorites. But there’s a difference between voting for someone else vs. against Bob. It’s strange to think the people he’s sought to entertain and whose rights he’s fought for would go that extra step to hate him. It’s okay to dislike someone but many strong African American competitors have been hated, and even attacked on social media with racist comments. Let’s never forget what happened to Jasmine Masters and Kennedy Davenport last season. It’s worth taking the extra step to double check that petty dislike isn’t racism with a beat mug.

8.) ShoCanTell It’s a Bad Idea

Is it offensive to have Derrick Berry impersonate Laura Bell Bundy impersonating a borderline-offensive racial stereotype? Ehhh, kinda. Shots where fired when Sierra Mannie wrote her now infamous open letter to white gay men to stop impersonating black women. Her article, while a little inflammatory, did touch on a major issue. While white gay men may identify with black women but they are privileged by not being black or female. Who doesn’t love to tongue pop and say, “Okurrr?” But we should also be mindful that the struggle is in fact real and we have an opportunity to encourage change. Rather than pretending to be ratchet or use race for play we should venerate our African American idols and avoid stereotypes.

9.) Ratchet vs. Black

There is a huge difference between ratchet and black. In the “RuCo Empire” challenge it would be easy to boil down Empire, one of the most popular all-African American ensemble series, as just a series of mouth pops and ghetto colloquialisms. But it is more than that. RuPaul was just being her media mogul stunt-queen self by referencing what is huge in pop culture. But it was a bit tough to piece together with a cast of so many Non-African American queens. Also, when Michelle Visage reduced Bob’s penchant for dance gear to ratchet drag it didn’t do any one any favors.

10.) Race Blind Cosplay

Here’s something this season that really inspired change. Whether it was Bob the Drag Queen as Carol Channing or Thorgy Thor as Michael Jackson they showed that you can celebrate a star even if they are not your race. And you can do so without changing your color cosmetically. Also, a special shout out to Dax ExclamationPoint who donned Emma Frost and Sailor Mars cosplay at RuPaul’s Drag Con.

RuPaul’s Drag Race is too busy being an amazing television series. It doesn’t need to be more PC or lose any of its irreverence. But as fans and victims of oppression, we need think critically, ask questions, and ensure we aren’t jumping to potentially racist conclusions or missing the bigger picture.

We also need to be sure to check racism whenever and wherever we see it.

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Tom Goss and Gregory Douglass Team Up to Cover The 1975 ‘UGH!’

Singer-songwriters Gregory Douglass and Tom Goss sit down for an acoustic take on The 1975’s addiction anthem “UGH!”.

PREVIOUSLY: Tom Goss Gives Dusty Springfield’s ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ a Gay Teen Twist – WATCH

And click here for more Goss.

Enjoy:

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Gay Dallas Conductor’s Homeless Street Choir Performs Miley Cyrus’ ‘The Climb’

Two years ago, gay conductor Jonathan Palant (right) founded the Dallas Street Choir to provide a musical outlet for those experiencing homelessness and severe disadvantage.

Palant, former artistic director for the Turtle Creek Chorale, the world-renowned gay men’s chorus, now teaches at a local college and serves as music minister at a Methodist church.

Since its founding, more than 800 people have attended one of the Street Choir’s rehearsals, and the group has performed at major local venues alongside opera stars and composers, even once being joined on stage by former first lady Laura Bush.

Now, the Street Choir has its first music video, “Homeless, Not Voiceless,” in which members perform Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb.”

From the Street Choir’s website:

The Dallas Street Choir began working on this music video in the fall of 2015. It took three trips to the sound studio, an entire day of filming, and many hours of editing to complete. The goal of this project is to show that while our members suffer from homelessness and severe disadvantage, they still have a voice and something to say. Please do not give up on us, as we have not given up on ourselves. We are homeless, not voiceless.

More on the the Street Choir from The Dallas Morning News:

During a rehearsal this month, Palant spent some time engaging in standard choir instruction: how to breathe, how to hold your mouth for maximum tone and volume, how to find the rhythm. But he also sought out ways to offer special encouragement to people who don’t get a lot of that.

At some point during the hour, he addressed every vocalist by name and with a question.

“Where did you sleep last night?”

“Where are you going for Christmas?”

“What time is bedtime at Union Gospel Mission?”

And he listened to the replies, engaging in short conversations.

At the end of the rehearsal, Palant passed out “earnings.” People who have attended regularly get bus passes, socks, even a blanket.

“Everyone deserves to be loved. Everyone needs to feel important at least once a day,” he said later.

Watch the music video below.

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LGBT Rights and the ‘Battle of the Bathroom’ hits the Cover of ‘TIME’

TIME Magazine’s May 30 issue, which hits newsstands tomorrow, features a cover story by Michael Scherer on “The Battle of the Bathroom”.

Says Scherer:

“In a divided country, the social battle lines have been drawn once again in our most private of public places. State legislatures have been besieged, and school committees have split. Pastors have become politicized in the pulpit, and the gay-rights lobby has abandoned its past hesitancy to embrace the transgender cause. Courtrooms are filling with legal motions that are certain to end up at the Supreme Court. The fight—­political and legal, personal and ­collective—is just getting going….

“Like all great political battles, this one is distinguished by the decision on both sides to commit loudly and completely, to elevate the issue and to force it on the American public…. The 2016 battle over bathrooms is, after all, about far more than public ­facilities—it’s about gender roles, social change, federalism, physical danger, political polarization and, most strikingly, a breakdown in the ability of anyone in this country to speak across our divides, or appeal to common humanity.”

The issue also features interviews with people involved in the bathroom battle, including Judy Chiasson, of the Los Angeles Unified School district, which allowed transgender students to use the bathrooms they identify with since 2005.

Says Chiasson: “I have never had misconduct by a transgender student. A lot of fears people expressed, we have never realized those, we have never seen them. We’ve been doing this for 11 years. It works.”

Also featured are Pastor Irvin “Jack” Cunningham, leader of the 750-active-­member Bible World Church and Russell Moore, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public-policy arm, who, not surprisingly, oppose moves by the Obama administration to allow trans people to use the bathrooms of their choice.

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National Education Association Praises President Obama’s Directive on Transgender Youth

Last week, the National Education Association (NEA) applauded the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education issued guidance for school districts to ensure transgender students are treated with dignity in public and federally-funded schools, including having equal access to restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.

HRC is proud to partner with the NEA for Time to THRIVE, HRC Foundation’s annual conference promoting the safety, inclusion and well-being for LGBTQ youth, and Welcoming Schools, the nation’s most comprehensive program dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools for all students and their families. 

Following the Obama Administration’s guidance, the NEA also issued their own guidance to support transgender students.

“The guidance issued by NEA, coupled with the Obama administration’s, underscores our fundamental belief that a great public school is a right of every student – free from intimidation and harassment, and safe for all students, including those who identify as transgender,” NEA President Lily Eskelsen García said in a statement.

While this guidance is consistent with previous guidelines and enforcement by the Departments, the treatment of transgender students has become national issue following the recent passage of the discriminatory HB2 law in North Carolina. Among its shameful provisions, HB2 prohibits public school students from using restrooms and other school facilities consistent with their gender identity.

For several years, the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice have been interpreting and enforcing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sex stereotyping as unlawful sex discrimination. Additionally the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit recently upheld the Department of Education’s assertion that the nation’s civil rights laws protect transgender students from discrimination, including in the provision of bathrooms.

A survey by the HRC Foundation found that three-quarters of transgender students feel unsafe in school settings. A report by the Williams Institute found that half of transgender adults who were bullied in school had attempted suicide. These startling numbers can only be expected to rise if the North Carolina law, and similar bills proposed in other states, continue to target these young people.

HRC Foundation’s Welcoming Schools program also works extensively with teachers and administrators to support transgender and gender-expansive students, create LGBTQ-inclusive schools, prevent bias-based bullying and gender stereotyping, and embrace family diversity.

In 2015, the HRC Foundation, with the ACLU, Gender Spectrum, NCLR and the NEA, released Schools In Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12, which serves as the premiere best practices guide for schools nationwide.

www.hrc.org/blog/national-education-association-praises-president-obamas-directive-on-transg?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

HRC HIV 360° Fellow Speaks Out on National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

Post submitted by Sasanka Jinadasa. Jinadasa is the Capacity Building and Community Resource Manager at HIPS in Washington, D.C., and an HRC HIV 360° Fellow

As a self-identified queer, Sri Lankan hard femme and an HRC HIV 360° Fellow, I frequently speak out about the impact of HIV and AIDS on the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community. While often over-looked, HIV prevention and treatment efforts need to take into consideration the unique challenges facing the API community, especially since 1 in 5 Asians living with HIV do not know they have it.

For example, as a kid, I never got “the talk.” My parents never sat me down and explained how sex worked and how and where to access condoms and birth control. I didn’t get this talk, much less one that was inclusive of LGBTQ people and the current realities of HIV.

I don’t blame my parents for their reluctance because sex is a taboo topic in many API households, including the Sri Lankan immigrant community I grew up in. I remember a number of my cousins, friends and acquaintances spreading misinformation about HIV simply because they didn’t know any better. This type of environment made it much more difficult for me to talk openly and honestly about my sexuality, sexual health and HIV.

This year, on National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV and AIDS Awareness Day, I’m asking everyone in the API community to learn about the effects of the HIV epidemic on our communities. API people, especially those who identify as LGBTQ, should get tested early and often. I want us to seek out information about HIV, get acquainted with resources in our neighborhoods and take advantage of the many prevention and treatment options available to us. Organizations like HIPS are serving API people year-round and we’re eager to support folks who want to stay healthy and be part of the generation that ends the HIV and AIDS epidemic once and for all.

It’s also important that members of the API community stand in solidarity with other communities disproportionately impacted by HIV & AIDS. The Black community, particularly transgender women and gay and bisexual men, bear the heaviest burden of new HIV transmissions in the United States. As people of color, we should be mindful that conversations about health and HIV will often be bigger than just the API community and will require having that dialogue across cultural differences. But I know we can do it, because I’ve seen it done before.

No more shame. No more stigma. Together, let’s create an AIDS-free generation.

To find out more about the HRC HIV 360° Fellows, click here. Join the conversation about National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV and AIDS Awareness Day by using the hashtags #BeInTheKnow and #APIMay19.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-hiv-360-fellow-speaks-out-on-national-asian-pacific-islander-hiv-aids-a?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Are Closeted Actors 'Selfish'?

Entertainment industry insiders discuss the broader impact of Hollywood’s closet, and whether gay and bisexual actors have an obligation to be out.

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2016/5/19/are-closeted-actors-selfish

Sia Surprises Gay Contestant on ‘Survivor’ Finale with Unexpected Gift: WATCH [SPOILERS]

[SPOILERS]

Survivor is known for its twists and surprises, and last night’s finale was no different. There was a surprise wig-wearing guest at the reunion show who emerged from the audience at one point: Sia, the Australian pop phenomenon who won’t show her face, and didn’t last night.

Towleroad readers might recall Tai Trang, the 51-year-old gay gardener who fled Vietnam with his family during the war, survived 11 days on the open ocean, and ended up in an Indonesian refugee camp, and this year became one of the season’s most intriguing characters, and finalists.

RELATED: Bromance Blooms Between Tai and Caleb on Survivor Koah Rong: WATCH

Tai is also an animal lover who protected one of the show’s chickens for an entire season so it wouldn’t be devoured by his starving fellow castaways.

Sia, a fellow animal lover and massive Survivor fan, was so impressed by Tai’s authenticity and care for animals, that she donated $50,000 to Tai and another $50,000 to his choice of animal charity.

Watch:

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This Britain’s Got Talent Contestant Can Do Amazing Things with His Pole: WATCH

Saul Sarmiento walked out on the Britain’s Got Talent stage this week and had David Walliams at hello, but proved there was much more of his anatomy in store for the judges.

Watch:

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