Hello, Drag Race fans and stans! After taking a Season 15 sabbatical from recapping, I’m super excited to be back on assignment again. The world of drag has changed significantly since I covered Season 7 of All Stars. Now more than ever, it’s vital to stand up for and celebrate the drag and trans communities.
While the last year has brought many struggles, I am very proud of our local LGBTQ+ community for standing up for what is right. In November, Palm Springs Pride Week’s theme will be “Drag Now, Drag Forever”. PS Pride has declared PS a drag sanctuary city and that drag is not a crime. Last month, a Drag4Drag Rally was held in downtown PS hosted by local treasure and storyteller Bella da Ball. In December, the legendary gay rights activist and drag queen José Sarria (aka Empress José 1, the Widow Norton) was posthumously inducted into the Walk of Stars. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be!
RuPaul’s Drag Race sits squarely in the center of the storm. What began as a low-budget show on Logo TV in 2009 has morphed into a global juggernaut. Thousands will converge in LA for Drag Con next week. For many, Drag Race is their introduction to drag and transgender lives. Of course, Drag Race only represents a slice of drag culture and is not without its share of criticism and controversy. But it remains a cultural touchstone and I’m here to cover it!
Before I introduce the queens of All Stars season 8, let me first recognize the winner of the recently completed season 15, the legendary Sasha Colby. She was the fourth consecutive trans winner of a US Drag Race season, following Willow Pill, Jinkx Monsoon and Kylie Sonique Love. This is all the more notable because Ru was opposed to casting openly transgendered contestants as recently as 2018. The first to enter as a trans woman was Peppermint in season 9. Congrats Sasha!
Ok ok, enough herstory! Thirteen queens are returning from earlier seasons of Drag Race to compete for a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame. The average placement for the cast in their seasons was 8th; the earliest season represented is season 2 (Jessica Wild). There are two Miss Congeniality winners (LaLa Ri and Heidi N Closet) and Canada’s own Jimbo. I’m excited to look back at iconic moments from the earlier seasons and to see how the queens have developed since then. Only on Drag Race can your worst moment become your best. And yes, I’m talking to you, LaLa Ri, winner of the Golden Boot award for worst look of her season!
There’s a fun twist this season that answers the burning question: what do the eliminated queens do with all the looks they brought for the runway? This time around, viewers will vote on unused runway looks from the eliminated queens, with the fan favorite winning $50,000 and the title “Queen of the Fame Games.” This is the first time viewers get to vote on anyone winning anything! Democracy at its finest!
We’ll meet the queens in depth next week with the double episode premiere of All Stars on Friday, May 12. Look for my recaps on Fridays. Feel free to send me comments on Instagram @dantenoto. I’d love to hear from you. There’s a link in the bio to my archive of previous recaps. As always, I hope you get out and enjoy the local drag scene! And if you’re so inclined, please consider a donation to the ACLU Drag Defense Fund at https://action.aclu.org/give/support-drag-defense-fund. Join the fight against restrictive anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and in support of our First Amendment rights. See you next week!!
