I Can’t Wait to See AOC on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’
There is power in having prominent politicians appear on an unapologetically queer show
“I’m Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and I pledge allegiance to the drag,” the New York congresswoman says in the preview for the 12th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. While a choir of right-wing personalities collectively lost their minds over the announcement, most people understood the weight of her appearance: To see a political powerbroker as a guest on an unapologetically queer show such as Drag Race is nothing short of a triumph.
Since it premiered in 2009 on Logo TV, which is aimed at an LGBTQ+ audience, Drag Race has grown from a niche reality competition to one of the highest-rated series on a mainstream network. It has taken home 13 Emmys, its creator RuPaul Charles, the “Supermodel of the World,” recently hosted Saturday Night Live, and RuPaul’s Drag Con, launched in 2015, has become a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Iconic Drag Race moments are memed and quoted extensively on the internet; even my mother, who’s never been to a drag show, understands the stakes of lip-syncing for your life.
A self-proclaimed superfan of the show and staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, AOC will appear on an episode clad in a blindingly sparkly multi-colored sequined dress, her hair…
