Sunday, December 18, 2022

RuPaul's Drag Race Stars Who Came Out As Trans - TheThings

RuPaul's Drag Race would be nothing without the iconic trans contestant who've competed on the reality show over the last 15 years.

Since the original American version of Drag Race debuted in 2009, the RuPaul led reality series has been a platform for some incredible trans performers. Some have come out since their appearance on the show, others showed their trans pride whilst competing on the show and some even reveal their status whilst on the show.

Season 14 has made "herstory" with a record-breaking five openly trans contestants: Bosco, Jasmine Kennedie, Kerrie Colby, Kornbread and Willow Pill.

Here are some of the most iconic trans performers who have appeared on Drag Race.

THETHINGS VIDEO OF THE DAY 8/8 Kylie Sonique Love

Kylie Sonique Love was the first openly trans contestant to ever compete on RuPaul's Drag Race. Originally known as Sonique, she came 9th in the second seasons and came out as a trans woman during the show's reunion episode. "I've always been a girl. I started doing drag and there was just something about it that wasn't enough," she revealed on the reunion episode, "I went to a doctor and he put me on testosterone blockers and then moved me to hormones and my levels are even. I've never been happier in my whole life."

Kylie went on to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 6, which she won.

7/8 Peppermint

Peppermint was the first contestant to come out as trans before competing on the show. She was the runner-up on season 9 of the show. Explaining The Advocate, Peppermint said: "I had already started my medical transition, and so it was really like, 'Yeah, I'm trans, and what?""

She added, "I mean, I have been in tears. I have been there, but I happened to have done it at a different time and place. I was in my apartment. I was alone. So by the time I got to Drag Race, anyone who really knew me and actually knew me personally already knew. There was nothing to cry about at that point."

Peppermint later went on to act as a mentor on the first season of Call Me Mother

6/8 Carmen Carrera

Carmen Carerra is one of the most well-known faces to come out of the Drag Race franchise. Although she has taken a step back from drag, she is a prominent advocate for trans rights and model.

Carmen has also called out RuPaul directly for anti-trans slurs used on Drag Race in the past, in particular, the series' "She-Mail" segment. Posting on Facebook in 2014, Carrera wrote, "Shemale is an incredibly offensive term, and this whole business about if you can tell whether a woman is biological or not is getting kind of old."

"There's a trans girl on drag race because we all fought for a trans girl on Drag Race," Carrera recently wrote on Twitter, "Some of us were fighting when it wasn't even "cool" yet … but that's not the point."

5/8 Jiggly Caliente

Jiggy Caliente was a beloved contestant who came 8th in season 4 and 12th in All Stars season 6.

Jiggly publicly came out as trans in 2016 and now goes by the name Bianca Castro out of drag. Jiggly is also an actress who plays Veronica Ferocity in Pose and is a regular judge on Drag Race Philippines.

Related: These RuPaul's Drag Race Winners Are Worth An Absolute Fortune

Speaking on Hey Kween, Jiggly said, "It was just a turning point this year where I told myself, let me just say it, so the rumours and the questions can end. I felt like a weight was off my shoulders."

She is outspoken about trans rights, "I feel like if you are not cis, hetero [or] white in this world, there's really no protection for you as far as in human rights. We're fighting for the bare minimum," Jiggly recently told PinkNews.

4/8 Monica Beverly Hillz

Monica came in 12th place on Drag Race season 5. She made a big impact in her limited time by coming out as trans during the second season.

Monica broke down on stage and said, "I feel I'm not here. I've just been holding a secret in and trying so hard. I'm not just a drag queen – I'm a transgender woman."

Related: These Queens From RuPaul's Drag Race Started Their Own Podcasts

Speaking about the experience with The Huffington Post, Monica explained: "I was really shocked by the support I had on set. At first, I felt so alone, but after I came out I felt so much support."

Although she made a name for herself as a drag performer, she now works more as a model.

3/8 Gia Gunn

Gia Gunn came in 10th on season 6 and then 8th on All Stars season 4. She publicly came out as a trans woman Instagram in 2017.

She wrote, "I thought I would dedicate today in the spirit of being visible to share my transition with all of you. I have been on hormone replacement therapy now for almost about a year. I identify as female, and I indeed am transgender." She has recently taken to Twitter to document her journey through FFS (facial feminization surgery).

Related: 10 Drag Race Fan Favorites Who Left Way Too Early

She added, "Thank you all so much to each and every single one of you who have continuously supported me on my journey," she added. "I can only hope the best for each and every single one of my trans brothers and sisters."

2/8 Gottmik

Gottmik is the first trans man to ever compete on Drag Race and came in third place on season 13. Since her appearance on the show, the makeup artist has had one of the most illustrious careers of any contestant.

Gotttmik revealed that, "I've known my whole life that something felt different. Society told me I was just a tom-boy, but it wasn't until I was 18 when I finally got the right group of friends around me that allowed me to be myself."

Gottmik also opened up at his transition, "Transitioning is hard. Thankfully I have the most amazing friends I could have ever asked for that make every step seem a bit easier. I've never been happier in my entire life and I'm so proud of where I am today."

In September 2022, Gottmik appeared in the music video for Sam Smith and Kim Petras' song Unholy.

1/8 Gigi Goode

Fan-favorite Gigi Goode was a runner-up on season 12 and she came out as trans and non-binary in 2021.

Goode, who is currently living in Los Angeles, explained that the lockdown that was caused by the pandemic "was so crucial for me to have that time to myself. It gave me a lot of time to think and reflect." After reflecting, the successful performer realized that while she still identifies as genderfluid, she is "leaning more towards the nonbinary part of that."

Gigi then added, "I had a lot of realizations... one of those realizations came from watching the show Veneno. Not only the story but the characters and the actresses in that show completely opened my mind up to who I am and I guess who I'm supposed to be. To me, that is a trans-nonbinary person."

Goode was open on her social media about her facial feminization surgery. Since competing on Drag Race, Goode has appeared on the runway at a Rihanna Savage x Fenty show and has also modelled for fashion brands like Moschino, as well as appearing in several music videos.

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Saturday, December 17, 2022

Women's soccer coach suspended on eve of World Cup - Mexico News Daily

The coach of the Mexican under-20 women's soccer team has broken her silence after being placed on leave on the eve of the World Cup, amid allegations of sexual harassment against her and her backroom staff.

Maribel Domínguez, 43, was placed on leave on Wednesday and the national soccer federation (FMF) announced the following day that her staff had also been placed on leave after it received undisclosed complaints.

The sports newspaper Cancha quoted anonymous players who alleged Domínguez requested kisses and would invite players to her room and on dates. Domínguez allegedly persisted despite refusals. The newspaper Proceso reported that a member of the coaching staff was previously dismissed by the FMF after a separate complaint.

However, Domínguez rejected the accusations. "What I will not allow, under any circumstances is non-material damage to my person and my family, which have been caused by alleged accusations that impact my values, integrity, honesty and transparency that have characterized me throughout my career as a footballer and coach," she said in a statement.

Domínguez added that she would "proceed legally … if the opinions and distorted, malicious and unsubstantiated assertions are maintained, since this trial has been held on social media."

FMF President Yon de Luisa said the federation wouldn't be commenting further during the investigation. Ana Galindo has been put in temporary charge of the team, just weeks before the U-20 Women's World Cup starts in Costa Rica on August 10.

Domínguez played in Mexico, Spain and the U.S. in her career and represented the national team 116 times, more than any other female player. She scored 82 goals for the team — more than any Mexican player in the men's or women's game at the national level — and earned the nickname "Marigol" for her propensity to find the back of the net.

Domínguez coached the under-15 girls' national team before taking over as under-20 women's coach in January last year.

With reports from Proceso, SDP Noticias and Récord

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Wednesday, December 14, 2022

COVID roundup: face masks now optional, says Campeche governor - Mexico News Daily

Wearing a face mask in public places is now optional in the opinion of Campeche Governor Layda Sansores, but a rule requiring people to mask up in the Gulf coast state remains in effect.

The use of face masks in public places was made mandatory in Campeche in April 2020, but Sansores, who took office in September, believes it's time to do away with the rule.

"… For me … the face mask is now optional, you put it on if you want to and if you don't want to you don't," the governor said during her weekly social media program Martes del Jaguar.

An unmasked Sansores told members of her audience they were free to remove their masks if they wished. Masks are not needed because Campeche is "COVID-free" and green on the federal government stoplight map, she said before conceding that the state is still recording two or three deaths a day.

"I would also remove the social distancing [requirement], I'm going to ask if that's possible. Of course we won't hold [large] events, but they already had the Formula One," Sansores said.

During her 80-minute program, the governor also said that wearing a face mask for more than eight hours a day causes people to "absorb their own microbes."

Campeche currently has 85 active coronavirus cases, according to federal Health Ministry data published Tuesday. The state has recorded just over 24,000 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic, the second lowest total in the country behind Chiapas, and 2,030 COVID-19 deaths.

In other COVID-19 news:

• The Network for Children's Rights in Mexico (REDIM) rebuked the federal government for challenging the court order instructing it to offer vaccines to all youths aged 12 to 17. It urged President López Obrador to comply with the order.

"We demand that the president, as the highest representative of SIPINNA [the National System for the Protection of Girls, Boys and Adolescents] give his instructions so that the right to protection [against COVID] is guaranteed," REDIM said.

• The Health Ministry reported 3,663 new cases and 299 additional COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday. Mexico's accumulated tallies are currently 3.83 million and 290,110, respectively. Estimated active cases number 20,383.

Daily case numbers over the past week have averaged 2,780 in Mexico, according to the Reuters COVID-19 tracker, a figure equivalent to just 15% of the daily average peak recorded in mid-August.

With reports from Reforma 

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Friday, December 9, 2022

Activists To Demonstrate For Cannabis Clemency in D.C. - High Times

Hip hop icons Redman and M1 of Dead Prez will join cannabis activists in Washington, D.C. on Monday to protest the Biden administration's failure to release people imprisoned on federal marijuana convictions. The rally, which is being billed as an act of civil disobedience, will bring together cannabis policy reform groups including Students for Sensible Drug Policy, D.C. Marijuana Justice, the Last Prisoner Project and Maryland Marijuana Justice as members protest in front of the White House on October 24.

Steve DeAngelo, a cannabis policy reform leader and co-founder of the Last Prisoner Project, said that he has helped organize Monday's demonstration to bring attention to the plight of those imprisoned on nonviolent marijuana charges, often for decades. Activists hope the protest will spur the White House to take action on cannabis clemency before the November general election.

"As the nation heads into the midterms, I am calling for one simple thing— that President Biden keep the promise he made during the last election cycle, to release those people still serving prison sentences for cannabis convictions," DeAngelo wrote in an email to High Times. "As the White House itself has admitted, the recently announced pardons will not free one single person."

On October 6, President Joseph Biden announced that he had issued an executive order pardoning all people who have been convicted on federal charges of simple marijuana possession. An analysis of Biden's executive order conducted by the New York Times estimated that the pardons will apply to about 6,500 people convicted of federal weed possession charges between 1992 and 2021 and thousands more with similar convictions in Washington, D.C. But the action provides no relief for cannabis prisoners currently behind bars, most on marijuana distribution and related charges. 

"At a minimum, if President Biden really wants the support of cannabis voters, as a show of good faith, he should immediately release at least 100 of the 2800 federal prisoners currently serving time on non-violent cannabis charges," DeAngelo said. "If President Biden refuses to act, I will gather at the White House on October 24 along with hip hop legends M1 and Redman, and hundreds of other cannabis activists, to hold the President's feet to the fire."

M1 said, "I decided to participate in this action because of the inaction of this government to step on the right side of his/herstory. My cannabis community deserves freedom and justice. And with my cultural activist comrades, we will keep our finger on the pulse of the People. Free 'em ALL!"

Biden's announcement earlier this month also included a call for governors to take similar action on cannabis clemency at the state level. The president also directed Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to review cannabis' status as a Schedule 1 drug. Despite the historic nature of Biden's pardons, activists argue that the president did not go far enough.

"I'm outraged that the President would make an executive action on cannabis but release zero of our incarcerated friends and family," Kat Ebert, board chair of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said in a statement from the group. "He's forcing us to raise our voices to be heard in order for the wider public to understand cannabis prisoners are still not free. On October 24th we plan to make it clear to the Democratic leadership that we won't accept mostly symbolic actions. We demand clemency for all cannabis prisoners."

DeAngelo is the co-founder of the Last Prisoner Project, a group working to free those imprisoned on cannabis charges. In addition to the activist groups involved, formerly incarcerated individuals and local cannabis freedom fighters will also take part in the protest.

"If President Biden truly wants to repair the harms of our nation's unjust policy of prohibition, this initial progress must be followed up with bolder action—action that would actually lead to freedom for cannabis prisoners," said Sarah Gersten, LPP executive director and general counsel.

Monday's demonstration is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time at the gates of the White House, with Redman and M1 slated to appear to join the call for cannabis clemency. The crowd will gather at the Andrew Jackson statue in Lafayette Square before engaging in expected civil disobedience nearby, with the goal of drawing attention to the lack of people released from federal prison as a result of Biden's executive order.

"DCMJ is joining protests to free all cannabis prisoners because we've simply waited too long," said Adam Eidinger, co-founder of D.C. Marijuana Justice, a group that has spearheaded cannabis policy reform efforts in the nation's capital. "We are excited that students are leading this effort to make tangible gains on freeing cannabis prisoners whose continued confinement is immoral and unjustified."

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