Breaking the Cis Ceiling?

Drag Race Casts Its First Straight Man. The Internet Explodes.

C’mon Season 14, let’s get … hetero?

It’s strange but true: Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race will feature the show’s first straight cisgender contestant, Maddy Morphosis, a queen from Fayetteville, Arkansas. In her “Meet The Queens” segment, she addressed the straight elephant in the room.

“I am the very first cisgender straight drag queen on RuPaul’s Drag Race,” she said. “I broke that glass ceiling. It’s finally time for a straight white man to have their piece of the pie, right? While I am straight, I don’t consider myself a straight drag queen. I am just a drag queen who happens to be straight. My sexuality doesn’t define the drag that I do.”

Maddy’s casting opens up a bigger conversation about who gets a seat at the table when it comes to drag. Though by and large people agree that drag is for everyone, seeing a cishet man get a spot on drag’s largest platform before, say, a drag king or an AFAB queen (on the U.S. version — hey Victoria Scone!) definitely didn’t sit right with everybody.

Some pointed out that queer spaces often make room for non-queer people, but not the other way around:

Others pointed out that Maddy’s spot could’ve gone to a queer artist in need of the boost:

And then there’s the fact that a plethora of queer people haven’t been treated well by cishet men, and seeing one in a previously safe space is an upsetting move:

Some Drag Race alums voiced their opinions as well, including Victoria Scone, fresh off her run as the first cisgender woman to compete on any Drag Race franchise. 

“Yes, Drag is for everyone. But not me seeing this exact quote though: ‘Any cis man being cast I can allow but I still draw the line at a cis women doing drag,’” she wrote. “Behave yourself.”

Bob the Drag Queen also told us all to calm down, instead drawing attention to the season’s two trans women of color, Kerri Colby and Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté (who you should all be following, btw!).

Maddy herself posted about the situation on Instagram, writing, “I think one of the best things to come out of my casting is that it’s kicking up a lot more talk about representation in the drag scene. And I hope that it helps lead to more marginalized groups being showcased and represented.”

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Maddy Morphosis (@maddymorphosis)

Really, though, this debate isn’t about Maddy: it’s about the producers who made this casting decision who need to open the door to more kinds of drag performers.

But also, let’s be real: a straight man on Drag Race? The jokes write themselves.

Some posited which lip sync numbers a straight queen would slay:

Some thought about how the show might change to accomodate *gasp* a straight person.

And sometimes, jokes aren’t necessary. This situation is comedy gold all by itself, no commentary required.

Maddy’s casting isn’t all good or all bad, but one thing’s for sure: It’s got us all talking.

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