After being eliminated from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14, fan-favorite Kerri Colby discussed how the show’s transgender representation hopefully sparks change in the real world. Drag Race season 14 has made headlines for the diverse cast competing, with the show’s first-ever straight drag queen and four transgender queens fighting for the crown. The Emmy-winning series has evolved in recent years and now seeks to be an accurate representation of the expansive spectrum of sexuality and gender expression. Eliminated in the eighth episode of the season, Kerri went home after a 60s girl-group-inspired challenge.
Transgender representation on Drag Race has increased in recent seasons, with Kylie Sonique Love taking home the crown in All-Stars 6 and Gottmik cast as the first openly trans man in season 13. Season 14 hosts a stunning lineup of transgender queens, with Kerri and Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté entering the race together as trans sisters and later joined by contestants Bosco and Jasmine Kennedie. Bosco entered the competition identifying as non-binary but later confirmed that she started hormonal therapy to begin the transitioning process. In an episode of Untucked, Jasmine came out as transgender, citing Kerri as a substantial source of inspiration for feeling able to do so.
In an interview with Billboard, Kerri opened up about her Drag Race experience, discussing everything from becoming the season’s unintentional “narrator” in her confessionals to her feelings about the show’s representation this season. Referring to the four transgender queens as the “Trans-tastic Four," Kerri revealed that she was “flabbergasted” to learn she had made such a positive impact on Jasmine in summoning the courage to be her true self. She said, “I always try to make sure that I’m leaving a good footprint when I’m interacting with people. But you never really know what your day-to-day interactions with people do for them on the inside, unless they tell you. So, just to have that full-circle moment where I got to take a bird’s eye view into someone’s mind and hear that appreciation, it was shocking and very emotional.”
Kerri explained that she hopes the increase in representation on television can hopefully change the minds of those in the real world who do not support the LGBTQIA+ community. Originally from Dallas, when asked about Governor Greg Abbott’s stance toward transgender children, Kerri explained she’s heartbroken over the legislation. Abbott has recently claimed that those who fail to report instances of minors receiving gender-affirming medical care could face “criminal penalties” in Texas. Kerri explains that she finds it "insane" that someone could enforce these policies, and reveals that, “This is, more than ever, the time that we need to have representation of trans people shown in a public way to gather support and let people know they’re not alone.”
Sexuality and gender expression is a topic that has been much more discussed than ever in recent years, on Drag Race and in the real world. While these topics may have at one point been separate from politics, those days are gone. Television has always been a reflection of modern society, so representation matters when discussing how to move the needle toward progressive thought and acceptance. Politicians like Abbott might seek to eliminate transgender presence in society, but it will be impossible to deny the representation of these individuals on media platforms such as RuPaul’s Drag Race. Hopefully, with time, that representation will only grow and the needle will shift even further in the right direction.
RuPaul's Drag Race airs Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on VH1.
Source: Billboard