Drag superstar RuPaul has struck a nerve with people after a viral video reminded them of comments he made to the late comedian Joan Rivers in 2013 about the nature of political shifts.
At the time, much of the Western world seemed to be entering a new, enduring liberal era. Barack Obama’s presidency was seen as a turning point that would shape a more inclusive future.
But RuPaul wasn’t convinced and questioned whether the mainstream embrace of inclusion and diversity would truly last:
“Throughout our culture, there are little windows and pockets of time when people are open. After 9/11, there was a hostility and fear that was just in the air."
"After that died down, and Obama got into office—it’s not because of Obama—but Obama is a result of this openness that happened. I think the success of our show is a part of that openness.”
It's worth noting that RuPaul's discussion with Rivers came as Drag Race was growing into a cultural force within the LGBTQ+ community, rising at the same time and contributing to a dramatic shift in LGBTQ+ acceptance throughout the 2010s.
RuPaul recognized that Drag Race wasn’t just reflecting this cultural moment—it was actively shaping it:
“Obviously, in the late ‘70s there was an openness with dancing, and people were moving below the waist. Obviously, in the ‘60s. There have been little pockets. Actually, when I first hit the big time in ’93, there was a small window."
"Those windows open, they close. They open, they close. I think we’re experiencing that right now, and I think that’s why our show is successful. But it will close again. It’s not always that way."
When Rivers—who was an ally to the LGBTQ+ community during her lifetime—asked RuPaul if he thinks the "window" in question will close again, he acknowledged that the pendulum would swing rightward eventually, referencing the conservatism of the Reagan era:
“Absolutely. That’s the history of mankind. During the ‘80s, I couldn’t believe, even gay people became very conservative.”
You can hear his remarks in the video below.
Many concurred.
RuPaul's comments resurfaced at the same time that New York Magazine published a now-viral piece titled "The Cruel Kids' Table" that assesses this rightward shift.
The MAGA faithful's celebration of President Donald Trump's election victory, according to one conservative influencer who spoke to writer Brock Coylar, is "Republican Coachella, and Donald Trump is our Beyoncé.”
At one point, Coylar observes:
"It’s easy to see the festivities as an obnoxious victory lap of the MAGA coalition, and of course they are. Conservatism — as a cultural force, not just a political condition — is back in a real way for the first time since the 1980s."
Somewhere out there, RuPaul is nodding his head.
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