RuPaul’s Drag Race star comes out as transgender after feeling ‘pressure to come forward’
'I welcome all the love, support and protection from my dear fans'
RuPaul’s Drag Race star, Valentina, who appeared in season nine, All Stars four and was a former Drag Race Mexico co-host, has come out as transgender in an emotional post.
The Drag Race queen announced the huge news on her birthday, explaining that she felt pressure to come out as transgender.
She wrote: “Hello everyone, it’s me Valentina Xunaxi. Today is my bday. I turn 34. For some time now I’ve been in transition, I’ve been doing it privately but today I wanted to open and share with you all.
“Along the way I’ve felt pressure to come forward so I’ve decided and wanted to take today to declare myself as a transgender woman. I welcome all the love, support and protection from my dear fans. Thank you so much.”
Valentina initially competed in season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and in one memorable moment took place in a lip-sync whilst wearing a mask covering her mouth.
When RuPaul asked her to remove her mask, she replied: “I’d like to keep it on, please.”
Whilst the fan-favourite was eliminated early into the competition, she ended up winning the Miss Congeniality contest and later returned to take part in All Stars four where she placed sixth.
After her success on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Valentina landed a role in Fox’s live TV production of Rent, where she played the character of Angel .
She told Entertainment Weekly at the time: “It’s the way life works! I think publicists and people pay a lot of money to make things line up [and] for people’s careers to have an end and a new beginning in this crazy way. Life is so weird and it feels like part of my destiny.”
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