Drag Race and All Stars alum Valentina has publicly come out as trans in a recent birthday post. While Valentina had “felt pressure to come forward” in the past, now she’s now coming out on her own terms.
On Wednesday, Valentina posted a photoshoot series to Instagram to celebrate her 34th birthday. In the caption, she came out as a trans woman and shared her name, Valentina Xunaxi.
Related
Don’t ever feel like you have to choose between being queer and being religious
“Hello everyone, it’s me Valentina Xunaxi. Today is my bday. I turn 34,” she wrote, including a Spanish translation beneath the post. “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.
Culture, unfiltered
Our newsletter will bring you the pulse of queer culture, from the tastemakers to the groundbreakers.
“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.”
Fellow Drag Race stars Kylie Sonique Love, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Shea Couleé, Jaida Essence Hall, Fontana, CoCo Montrese, and many more all hopped in the comments to wish Valentina a happy birthday and welcome her to the family.
Valentina competed in Season 9 of Drag Race, where she memorably finished 7th place after requesting to keep her mask on during the lip sync challenge. The following year, she competed in All Stars Season 4, finishing 7th again. She would later go on to host the first season of Drag Race México.
In 2019, Valentina came out as nonbinary in a conversation with Out, saying “I feel like I’m my own gender.” Last year, she opened up about the suicidal thoughts she’d had early on in her gender journey.
“I think the biggest challenge of my life has been being born male,” she said in the web series Portrait of a Queen.
“I had this conversation with my brother where I was thinking that I identified with Ariel from The Little Mermaid, but my brother cracked me by telling me that I was more like Pinocchio; trying to prove to my father that I was a real boy.”
“It’s been so challenging my whole life,” she continued. “I’m really ashamed about having suicidal thoughts before, I’m really ashamed of it because I don’t ever want to go back to that low point in my life, where I don’t see the value of how life is beautiful.”
Now Valentina is thriving and celebrating her birthday as an out and proud transgender woman.
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
