Earlier this month, Tyra Sanchez, a drag queen and competitor on season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race posted some controversial tweets. Her string of hateful tweets began when she tweeted someone telling them to "kill [themselves]. While people responded very negatively to her tweet and tried to tell her that the rate of suicide in the LGBTQ+ community is very high, and seeing as so many of these people look up to her this may not be a good idea, Sanchez didn't seem to care. She went on to say that ‘[She has] no sympathy for people that commit suicide. They’re cowards. They give up & give in." Many queens who have competed in RuPaul's Drag Race, and queens who haven't been on the show but still have a large following have responded to the situation. One queen who hasn't been on the show (yet), Bible Girl 666, decided to take action and talk to her fans about the situation as well as address the fact that the people who crowned Tyra, the problematic queen, haven't spoken up. She mentions RuPaul, Logo TV (The network on which RPDR is shown), and World of Wonder (The producers/creators of the show), to ask why none of them have released an official statement about the situation or provided a plan for action, such as to dethrone Tyra from her position as winner of season 2. She also contacted an artist who created a mural of Tyra on a wall in New York City to tell him about the situation, and to ask him to remove or cover the mural. It is unclear whether that has been done. Besides the fact that many people are outraged at Tyra Sanchez and her offensive tweets and cruel attitude towards the situation, the fact is that saying these things is not okay. So many LGBTQ+ youths (and others of all ages) attempt suicide due to rejection, hate, shaming, etc. that a person with such a massive influence over this community should absolutely not be telling people to "kill themselves" due to the horrible reality many of these kids are facing.
Gay Star News wrote an article detailing this situation, this is a news source that talks about events in the gay community and has a large following. The article was written for fans of the show, and fans of Tyra, to let people know of the negativity surrounding this queen, and showcase the current drama. The point is, if you're famous (even if you're not) don't tell people to commit suicide, even if its meant to be a joke. You never know what's going on in someone else's life. Since RuPaul's Drag Race is a very popular show, and the winner of each season is put on a pedestal and seen as the spokeswoman for the drag community, this person should not be spreading hate, even if she was crowned five years ago.
How did I know this was you Julia? I agree, hate is never acceptable, and suicide should be taken more seriously.
ReplyDelete- Isabella Montague, 5the period
It's sad to see that some people are just that ignorant. I hope she realizes the effect of her actions, and that apologizes. Because this is just wrong.
ReplyDeleteAs a drag queen, one would think he would know how it is to stand in the face of adversity and not know how to continue. Thinks he's a big man because he puts in makeup and a dress and tells children to commit suicide. THERE'S your coward. Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteHaving watched her on the show, and never really liking her in the first place to begin with, I think what she did was irresponsible and although it may not seem like a big deal to some, it's all up to the readers perspective. As someone who's in the public eye, she definitely should've been a little more careful of what she said and how it could've affected others. Maybe next time Tyra should just keep her opinions to herself. -Emily Eppig 8th period
ReplyDelete