The Emmy FYC event for season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race was an absolute kiki, but that doesn’t mean important discussions weren’t being had!
On the red carpet of the event, which took place at the Skybar of the Mondrian hotel in West Hollywood this past Friday, Gold Envelope got to talk to several of the season’s top 6 queens — including Suzie Toot, Sam Star, Lana Ja’Rae, runner up Jewels Sparkles, and winner Onya Nurve — and we asked the girlies about their thoughts on authenticity this particular Pride season, especially considering the political climate we are living in and the many on-going attacks on the LGBTQ+ at large.
“You just have to keep pushing through,” Onya Nurve told Gold Envelope. “It’s important to love people and hang around people who believe and do the same things and have the same morals and values as you. Regardless of where we are in a as a country, ain’t nobody gonna stop me from being my most authentic self. And as a drag queen, I hope to keep spreading that mindset and that joy, because it’s contagious.”
“We’ve been calling out and talking about, for years, the companies that are performative, that throw rainbows on there because they’ll make more money, and we knew that they would drop out as soon as it wasn’t the norm, as soon as it wasn’t the thing, and they have,” Suzie Toot told Gold Envelope when asked to share her thoughts. “It’s more important than ever that we as real, actual queer people and queer allies are saying, ‘No, this wasn’t a phase, this wasn’t a fad. This never was and ever will be.’ Gay people are here, queer people are here, trans people are here, and they always will be.”
Watch Gold Envelope‘s full interviews with the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 in the video below.
RuPaul’s Drag Race is streaming on Paramount+ and YouTube!
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