The Bravery Of Drag Queens

Before I get into the heart of what I'm writing, I have to say one thing: drag queens are incredibly brave.

Drag queens in particular are oftentimes members of the LGBTQ+ community - there are bioqueens, among others, who have explored the art that is being a drag queen, and are oftentimes males who might be confronted with extreme prejudice or even violence. Like most instances of discrimination and prejudice, this is incredibly painful to confront and witness, let alone go through. Like many members of the LGBTQ+ community, drag queens have had a history with their loved ones which may have meant cutting ties with family and friends, struggles with alcohol and drugs, and struggles with their mental health. To continue to live their truth and perform on stage night after night in spite of all the challenges they might encounter and go through is a testament of the courage they've had to muster to get through their lives.

With that said, let's take a look at Jujubee and Shea Coulée, two of the top four in #DragRaceAllStars5.

#Jujubee and #SheaCoulee are perhaps two of my all-time favorite drag queens. Jujubee is a fierce queen with a sharp wit and a tremendous sense of humor that has particularly flashed throughout the run of All Stars 5. I've loved her since I first saw her in Season 2 of #DragRace, and every single lip sync kept me glued to the screen. Her rendition of "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles is still one of my absolute favorite lip syncs ever - possibly because the song is by a Canadian, but Jujubee just slays every lip sync I've ever seen from her.

Seeing her in #AllStars5 has presented me with a completely different Jujubee, and I love it. Like no other time previously, Jujubee seems to really and truly be comfortable in her own skin for the first time. She's hitting every challenge with her fellow queens with an open heart in a way that I have not seen her do previously, and when she spoke with RuPaul on the July 10, 2020 episode of All Stars 5, saying, "I'm not completely found, but I'm not as lost as I used to be," I realized just how much she had grown into herself since Season 2.

As someone whose father was an alcoholic, her open acknowledgment of her decision to stop using drugs and alcohol and her acknowledgment of just how profound that change has been in her life really hit my heart. I wish mightily, even though it had been seven years since my dad passed due to alcohol-related issues, that my father had demonstrated the courage Jujubee did. However, the clarity that sobriety has brought to Jujubee and the passion and the joy is palpable, and I love that she's embraced who she's become since choosing to be sober and change key parts of her life.

Then, there was #SheaCoulée.

I loved Shea Coulée since Season 9. I couldn't believe just how multifaceted a performer she was; this was someone who was funny, who could dance like crazy, and who embraced every moment she could to slay the runway in her own way. She had a clear passion for every moment she had in Season 9, and she was an absolute jewel to watch during that season. When she and #SashaVelour squared off against each other during the finale, and Sasha lifted her wig and shook out the rose petals, I hated to admit that I knew Shea Coulée was out of the running for the crown.

To see her come back for All Stars 5 with the confidence that she was known for and slay almost every challenge has been a delight. When she revealed to #RuPaul during her #WerkRoom chat that just prior to Season 9 her father had passed away and her sister had passed shortly after the show, I couldn't believe the amount of pain she went through and yet, still completely slayed her season. I remember how I felt after my own father passed, and I didn't have to deal with a competition with $100,000 USD on the line. To just work the way she did while still trying to process her grief is unbelievable, and when she came on to All Stars 5 and discussed her efforts to process her Season 9 loss and how people teased her about it with a runway that left so many completely stunned with how amazing it was, I couldn't believe how she took something that felt negative and made it such a positive.

It takes huge strength and bravery to get through life nowadays, especially with what people are living with in the 21st century. When you're a member of a marginalized community, that can be even more intense. We can all learn something from courageous drag queens like the ones on any of the Drag Race shows, and just because I focused in particular on Jujubee and Shea Coulée this time does not mean any of the other queens are any less brave. We all have something to learn from these remarkable individuals.

That's the tea, friends.