Transgender “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Gottmik is speaking out against the spread of legislation being pushed throughout the U.S. that bans drag performances as well as health care for trans people.
“I actually can’t believe that we are turning back time like this,” she told me at Versace’s pre-Oscars fashion show on Thursday in West Hollywood. “But the queer community isn’t going anywhere. So no matter what you’re gonna try, we are here. And we’re going to be loud and proud. I think this is just a wake up call for all of us to be louder and prouder than we ever have been before.”
Gottmik says she’s hopeful the queer community will prevail but that doesn’t mean she’s not worried. “The last round of bills has scared me a little bit and affected my mental health a little bit, to be honest,” she said. “But I just had to pick myself up and realize that we aren’t going anywhere. I’m so proud. Even in the car on the way to the Versace show today I was thinking about how cool it is that I’m a trans man able to dress in drag and go to the Versace show in Los Angeles. It’s just unbelievable.”
Gottmik praised RuPaul for recently releasing a video speaking out about the issues: “I loved how she said a vote is worth way more than a post. It’s so true. It’s so important. I feel like we get so locked up in our phones and our screen time that we forget that, girl, you actually have to go out there and do the work and show up for when it counts.”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a bill that goes into effect on July 1 that bans gender-affirming health care for minors. He also signed a bill limiting drag show performances in Tennessee. At least 11 state legislatures are threatening similar laws.
