Victoria Scone doesn’t understand why Drag Race won’t cast drag kings: ‘Absolutely no reason’
Victoria Scone says there’s “absolutely no reason” for Drag Race to continue ignoring drag kings. (Getty/Tristan Fewings)
Former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Victoria Scone has a question for its creator: where are the drag kings?
Drag culture has never had this much mainstream attention. There’s the good: namely the fact that RuPaul’s Drag Race has expanded globally, now giving a platform to queens in countries from Mexico and Canada to Sweden and the Philippines.
Sadly, there’s the bad, too. Particularly in the US, where right-wing politicians and bigots are intent on banning drag in public places, with proposed bans cropping up across the country. Thankfully, the drag ban in Tennessee – the first state to attempt to pass the legislation – was recently ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.
And then there’s the ugly: the fact that, while the international stage for drag talent has expanded massively in the past few years alone, much of that spotlight is reserved for drag queens, particularly those assigned male at birth.
As one of just two Drag Race stars who were assigned female at birth (AFAB), Scone has something to say about the lack of diversity seen on RuPaul’s cultural juggernaut.
Scone, who appeared on Drag Race UK season three in 2021, and made the final four on Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World in 2022, was the first AFAB queen cast on any of the show’s franchises. Clover Bish, who appeared on the most recent series of Drag Race España was the second, with fans angered by the negative, “biased” judging she received.
Before Scone, the most unconventional Drag Race became was allowing queens with beards to grace the stage. As a trailblazer, therefore, Scone is keen to right where the show has gone wrong, whether that’s by calling out other contestants’ misogyny or demanding more diversity.
“Diversity is always going to be a plus in every sense,” she recently told Digital Spy with regards to why it’s time to let drag kings take to the stage. “It brings variety to performance as well as the fact that everyone deserves a seat at the table, regardless of what gender you happen to be assigned at birth.”
Famously, Scone broke new ground during Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World, becoming the first “drag king” to appear, when she dressed up as a king during the competition’s ball episode. She won the challenge.
“I did a drag king look on Canada vs The World so obviously that’s something I’m very passionate about – getting drag kings on Drag Race,” she told Digital Spy.
“I don’t know why it’s taken so long at this point, to be honest. I would really love to see it. There’s absolutely, in my opinion, no reason why they couldn’t be. It would give the show a lovely little shake-up and keep it fresh.”
Scone felt that the show is “blocking out a big chunk of the queer community“, by actively deciding not to give a platform to drag kings.
“We want more hairy legs on Drag Race,” she joked, although the sentiment remains: RuPaul’s Drag Race will never be the beacon of diversity it professes to be until all facets of the drag universe can share the spotlight.
Drag Race isn’t the only show that appears to celebrate drag queens while ignoring drag kings. Earlier this year, UK-based drag star Don One chatted to PinkNews about the lack of drag king representation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
“I think that is indicative of life in general, because society doesn’t give the same visual representation to drag kings as it does to drag queens, which is really sad,” Don said.
“It’s time for Eurovision to have drag kings involved. That’s what I would like to see in the future.”
