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21 February 2022

Drag Race’s Jasmine Kennedie ‘couldn’t be happier’ after coming out as trans in tear-jerking Untucked episode

"I am now at a place in my life where I feel confident enough to finally start living my truth."

By Alastair James

Words: Alastair James; pictures: Instagram/@jasminekennedie and WOW

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Jasmin Kennedie says she couldn’t be happier after coming out as trans on the show and beginning her transition.

The season 14 queen came out as trans in an emotional moment during Untucked last week, revealing that she had been “so scared” to say anything about her gender identity for so long and that she had held back “because I didn’t want to hurt my dad.”

The revelation came during a discussion between some of the queens over how they identify and whether anyone had considered transitioning after getting into drag. 

“Everything I’ve wanted is finally happening”

Sharing an update following the show on Saturday (19 February) Jasmin, who goes by Kyle Koritkowski out of drag, explains: “Growing up I always felt different. I never really fit the mold of what society has panned out for me to be. For the last 7 years of my life I put all of my focus on my career.

She continues: “Never did I take a chance to step back and ask myself, what does Kyle want to be or what does Kyle want to do. It was always what does Jasmine need to succeed.

“I though [sic] drag was enough for me, I could take off the makeup anytime and no one would know me out of drag. But at a certain point in my drag career I was realizing that I was doing drag to fill the void in my own life.”

 
 
 
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A post shared by Jasmine Kennedie (@jasminekennedie)

Jasmin goes on to say that watching the entertainer Mimi Marks perform made her feel something she couldn’t describe, which she says was “the feeling of me wanting that for myself.”

“To be a beautiful and confident trans woman. Ever since that day I realized that’s what I wanted that for my life. I am now at a place in my life where I feel confident enough to finally start living my truth and stop worry about what others think.

“I started my HRT(hormone replacement therapy) a couple months after coming back from drag race and I couldn’t be more happier. Everything I’ve wanted is finally happening and I am so thankful for the people who made it possible.”

Jasmine thanked fellow season 14 contestant Kerri Colby, who is trans, for helping her open up and talk about being trans openly as well as her boyfriend for supporting her. 

On the show, Jasmin broke down in tears as she revealed to her sisters that she is trans and that she’d been afraid of saying it out loud for fear of hurting her father as well as how her boyfriend would react. 

Kerri Colby tells her on the show: “The woman that you are is housed within you. The fact that you have the strength to bring that forward is the affirmation that you are needing to push yourself into who you’re going to be. When you know what you need, go and get that. You owe it to yourself to be happy. And to live your life as the human being that you want to be. That puts the T in the LGBTQ. It is a family.”

Jasmin was also applauded by fans for speaking so openly about her identity on the show. One person commented on the above clip saying: “This is so beautiful!! I’ve been struggling with my gender identity for years now and seeing queens like Bosco, Jasmine, Kerri and Kornbread help me to know that I am loved for whatever I am.”

Attitude’s new-look March/April issue is out now.

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