Drag Race trolling

‘Pangina had to hire body guards’: Blu and Mo tell us if Drag Race trolling will ever end

Every season queens call out abuse they get – but does anything ever change?

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Every season, without fail, queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race get sent hateful comments. It’s a bleak consistent at this point that the queens themselves are braced for even when they shouldn’t have to be. Countless cast members from across the global franchise have said that they’ve had messages directly sending hate to them, some even going as far as to wish death on the queens and tell them to kill themselves. It’s a bleak vicious cycle, and one that seemingly has had no change to it year after year, franchise after franchise. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Versus the World has been arguably one of the most controversial and unpredictable seasons of all time – the queens are eliminating each other fast and loose, with fan favourites dropping like flies. This has resulted in anger from the fandom, with queens like Pangina Heals and Blu Hydrangea receiving particular abuse from a dark corner of the “fandom” for their lipstick choices. I spoke with Blu Hydrangea and Mo Heart as we go into the final about what can seriously be done to put a stop to Drag Race trolling – if anything.

‘It stems from people’s obsession with the show’

Speaking to The Tab about the Drag Race trolling she received after she controversially chose to eliminate frontrunner Pangina Heals, Blu said the following on the toxicity of some corners of the Drag Race fandom, and why it is still so prevalent. “I think it’s because people are just obsessed with the show. It’s like football – where people get so involved, but for gay people! You really get attached to these characters because the producers are selling you a story and if you relate to them then it feels like part of you is getting represented on the screen.

“When it comes to toxic fans, I think they’re maybe just young and they don’t realise that you are going to read it. In reality, you see your DMs. Even if they go into your requests, you definitely do see them. I actually think I didn’t get it that bad. Pangina got it worse, and that shows even more toxicity because that’s a race problem. They’re attacking Pangina for her race and for eliminating someone who’s white. I got hate because I sent Pangina home, but there’s been queens on Drag Race way before me that are queens of colour who just get hate for simply being there.

‘We live in a digital age where anyone can say anything’

I feel honestly like every single season of Drag Race we end up having this discussion on trolling, and queens speak out on it. This season, the official Drag Race UK Twitter has been sharing videos of the queens announcing how it’s all love and not that serious – an appeal to fans further to not take it too far with messages and abuse. But does anything ever change? Why does this keep happening, and can any steps even be taken for it to not happen in the first place? I put this over to Mo and Blu.

“I think the fact that we live in a digital age means anyone, anywhere, can say anything.” Mo Heart said. “I don’t think it’s just the fandom for Drag Race and I think if we were in other spaces we would see the same thing. I remember Twitter was going crazy when there were five Black people in Big Brother and they had an alliance. I don’t think there’s a difference, but I think I know how we can stop going around in circles.

“When we started getting death threats, the BBC said they wanted to know so they could send the police after them to make sure it wouldn’t continue. That’s when people realise there are consequences for their words. There aren’t any consequences right now, so people will continue to say what they want. When I sent Valentina home I got told “You deserve to die” and I was called the N word. For sending a girl home. There has to be rules, but this is the internet. There are rules, but people learn to get around them.

“It sucks to get a death threat, but look at it like this. You’re not down the street from me, you’re probably in another country. Pangina had to hire body guards – that’s real. There needs to be consequences.”

Blu echoed Mo’s statements. “Drag Race is so fun, why do people have to ruin it? I used to wait a full year for the next season and I was just obsessed with it, obsessed with the people on it. I definitely wasn’t sending people death threats. It’s just sad to see. Get a life! It’s a TV show!”

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Versus The World airs every Tuesday at 9pm on BBC Three on TV and BBC iPlayer. For all the latest Drag Race memes and Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.

Featured image courtesy of BBC. Special thanks to Imogen Reid and Jasmine Aloma at the BBC.

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