Ru Paul’s Drag Race star Joe Black raffling off iconic dress for Sussex HIV charity

100 per cent of proceeds go towards the Sussex Beacon, helping people living with HIV


Joe Black, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, is raffling off his iconic H&M dress, with all proceeds going towards Sussex Beacon. A Brighton native, Joe had an iconic run on Drag Race, being eliminated first and then returning, only to be eliminated once more.

Loyal Drag Race UK fans will recognise this dress as the one worn by Joe in the RuRuvision Song Contest, in the fifth episode. In this episode, host RuPaul had a meltdown over the simplicity of the outfit, solidifying it as one of the most iconic outfits worn in Drag Race history and sparking countless memes and online discussion.

Joe has donated such an infamous H&M garment to be raffled off in favour of the Sussex Beacon, a charity based in Brighton, providing specialist care for those living with HIV. They offer a communal space and work closely with trained support – this covers not only health issues but social issues too, like housing, finances, immigration, and employment.

Entry to the raffle is £2.50, with all donations going directly to the Sussex Beacon, and will shut at 18.00 on the 1st June 2021 (unless all 1,000,000 tickets sell beforehand). Already, within a day of being announced, there have been 800 entries. The competition is open internationally, and the winner will receive the infamous dress, framed.

In Joe’s own words: “I am so happy that the most dramatic and infamous fashion choice on television this year can be turned into something that can genuinely impact and help people. So it is my absolute pleasure to be handing this over to the Sussex Beacon and hopefully together we can help raise a lot of money for a charity doing such fantastic work. Fashion changes lives but only if a television host is really, really angry about it.”

You can enter the raffle here and BBC Three series RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is streaming now on BBC iPlayer.

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