Following her elimination from RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 5, a video has resurfaced of Puerto Rican contestant Alexis Mateo calling out the franchise's years-long mistreatment of Latinx queens, citing Nina Flowers, Yara Sofia, and Jessica Wild as examples. Alexis Mateo first competed on RuPaul's Drag Race season 3, where she got to the finale but was not given the chance to lip sync for the crown. Then, Alexis came back to the franchise for All Stars 1, where she was paired up when Yara Sofia to form Team Yarlexis. Despite the fact that Alexis and Yara were performing at a high level on All Stars, the queens were sent home two episodes before the finale.

In 2020, Alexis Mateo was given a third shot at Drag Race as she joined the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 5. This time, the Puerto Rican queen had a chance to compete for the crown without having to rely on a teammate, as it had been the case on All Stars 1. Alexis was indeed a fierce competitor throughout All Stars 5, and her Walter Mercado impersonation for the Snatch Game had propelled the queen to new heights. Unfortunately, during that same episode, contestant India Ferrah alleged that Alexis had been plotting to eliminate Shea Coulee a few episodes back, which placed a target on Alexis Mateo that ultimately got her eliminated on the following episode. Since her elimination, a video has resurfaced of Alexis speaking out on her perception of how Latinx contestants have been treated on the show.

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In a clip shared by @LaGrupaOficial, Alexis Mateo appears filming herself and speaking in Spanish about the mistreatment of Latinx queens on RuPaul's Drag Race. The Puerto Rican queen starts off by saying that Drag Race season 1 runner-up Nina Flowers - who is also from Puerto Rico - should have taken the crown over BeBe Zahara Benet. Then, Alexis alludes to other queens of Latin descent who have been celebrated on the show despite not actually speaking Spanish or representing Latin culture. The queen says, "I don't care who your great-grandfather is. (...) For me, if you don't speak Spanish, you're not a Latino. Period, end of discussion. These roots are very important." Despite the fact that Alexis doesn't name any person in particular, a queen like Bianca Del Rio immediately comes to mind, considering that she won Drag Race season 6 but made very few mentions of her Latinx heritage on the show.

While it is unclear when the video was actually shared by Alexis Mateo, the queen also appears to call out the Latinx fans of Drag Race, saying, "For those of you who are at home celebrating Miz Cracker, (...) stop being sell-outs. What we need is Latino support." Given that Miz Cracker competed with Vanessa Vanjie Mateo - Alexis' drag daughter - on Drag Race season 10, it is possible that the statement was reflective of that time. Nonetheless, Alexis and Cracker competed together on All Stars 5, which could be the reason why this video is now being shared. Later in the clip, Alexis also reflects on Latinx contestants like Jessica Wild (Drag Race season 2) and Yara Sofia (season 3), claiming that they were mistreated by the show and unfairly eliminated. The Puerto Rican queen says, "All these girls who have had spectacular careers... All sent home, just like that. They sent me home without even having the opportunity to lip sync [for the crown] in the Top 3 [of season 3]." The clip then ends with Alexis saying that the show would be nothing without what she calls "the Latin flavor." The full clip (in Spanish) can be watched below.

It is not the first time that RuPaul's Drag Race and its fans are accused of mistreating non-white queens who, by regular standards, have had great track records on the show. In the video, Alexis Mateo seems to be issuing a call-to-action for Latinx fans of Drag Race to rally behind the queens who represent them on the show - particularly those who perform at a high level in the competition despite the fact that English isn't their first language.

Given that Alexis Mateo is arguably the most famous and highest-performing RuPaul's Drag Race contestant to have represented Puerto Rico in the franchise, her thoughts on the mistreatment of Latinx queens on the show certainly carries a lot of weight and will likely reverberate within the fandom.

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Source: @LaGrupaOficial