Drag Race’s Peppermint calls for people to help end anti-trans violence

Words: Brian Leonard

Drag Race‘s Peppermint is calling for people to make space for trans people this Pride in the wake of anti-trans violence around the world.

In conversation for Attitude’s My Pride Series, sponsored by United Airlines, Peppermint shared her concern for the “underinvestigated” and “alarming rate” at which Black trans women and trans women of colour are being murdered in the US and globally.

Peppermint says, “We have an epidemic in the States and around the world of Black trans women and trans women of colour being murdered at an alarming rate and many of those murders, although underinvestigated, are at the hands of our romantic partners.”

“I think it’s really important that the people who are in love with or care about trans individuals should be able to hold our hands without persecution, without being teased from within the community and outside the community. Believe it or not, it happens on all ends,” she continues. 

From facing discrimination in sport to not being protected against conversion therapy, transgender people have also experienced disproportionate levels of violence in recent years, as reported by Human Rights Campaign.

Making a plea to the queer community for Pride, Peppermint asked for space to be made for trans folks in the community, “not only for the individuals but for the people that they love and for the people who love them.”

Then, addressing people outside of the LGBTQ+ community, Peppermint requested that people think twice about the assumptions they make about someone’s sexuality.

“Please just try to have less assumptions about the people we encounter as you already have connected with someone who’s queer, but you just don’t know it,” she added. 

Elsewhere, the queen goes on to discuss her relationship with Pride, her first official Pride in her hometown of Wilmington, Delaware and then compares that to Pride in New York.

She ultimately concludes: “Pride is something for everyone, whether you identify as queer or not. I think that’s the point.”

In addition to Peppermint, TV presenter extraordinaire Gok Wan, ‘Biblical’ singer Calum Scott, Cabaret actor Fra Fee, and RuPaul’s Drag Race icons Trixie, and Katya will also be sharing their memories and lessons of Pride.

My Pride, sponsored by United Airlines, is part of Attitude Pride at Home, which runs from 9-19 June on attitude.co.uk, youtube.com/attitudemag, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@attitudemag).

Attitude Pride at Home is to benefit the Attitude Magazine Foundation for LGBT causes. 

To donate £3 please text ATHOME3 to 70480 or click here.