Drag Race icon Bimini apologises for wearing Union Jack on Australian tour
Bimini. (Getty/Jo Hale)
Bimini. (Getty/Jo Hale)
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK‘s Bimini has apologised after wearing a dress with the Union Jack while on tour in Australia.
The Drag Race UK queen has recently been on tour down under for United Kingdolls Reunited alongside Tayce, A’Whora and Lawrence Chaney.
After comments began to appear online about the use of the Union Jack, associated by many with the colonialism that led to the deaths of millions around the world, Bimini has taken to social media to share their thoughts.
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On Wednesday (28 January) the “God Save the Queen” singer shared a video message in collaboration with their drag sisters. The post’s caption reads: “On behalf of myself and the United Kingdolls, we apologise for wearing the flag. Our intention was never to harm or upset anyone and I hope this video clarifies our intent whilst acknowledging we have learnt from it.
“Wearing the Union Jack here felt… complicated. Australia / Naarm / Melbourne / Sydney has always been First Nations land. Colonisation didn’t ‘settle’ it, it reshaped everything. Learning that history isn’t to put the blame on anyone, it’s just about being more aware and doing better where you can. Always was, always will be.”
In the video Bimini explained they understood why the flag is painful for many, recognising “that part matters 100%”. They went on to share that “our intention was never to be colonising a******** stomping around, pretending that history has never happened,” adding: “Absolute f****** literally not. That is so far from who we are.”
In Australia alone, hundreds of thousands of people are thought to have died as a result of British colonialism, either by conflict, starvation, and/or disease. It’s thought that there were between 750,000 and over a million First Peoples of Australia when the British first arrived in 1788, but that was reduced down to around 90,000 by 1901.
The First Peoples-led Yoorrook Justice Commission reported last year that British colonisation in Australia amounted to “genocide” against the populations in the state of Victoria.
Bimini continued: “The energy was never empire,” adding it was more “Vivian Westwood. It was Spice Girls, it was queer camp, exaggerated Britishness, turned into drag.” The drag icon said that it was also about “reclaiming” the Union Jack which they say has been “hijacked by the worst people”, naming “the red face, angry, obsessed with borders, terrified of pronouns, those flag f******.”
Resolving not to give up such symbols, Bimini, with the characteristic defiance of a punk idol, said their goal is to “p*** off the far right mentality”. They then said: “That said, the intention doesn’t cancel impact, and I apologise for anybody that we offended or hurt.”
Bringing their thoughtful and considered statement to a close, Bimini offered themselves as an example for learning from mistakes. “Learning isn’t one thing. It’s ongoing. I’m always open to listening, to reflecting, and doing better where better is needed,” they said.
They ended by reaffirming that wearing the Union Jack was “pop rebellion” and not “colonial nostalgia”. They added: “It was Spice Girls’ energy, not British Empire energy.”
Reactions have been positive, with people commenting how Bimini demonstrated how to take on board and respond to criticism.
While more recently the Union Jack has been appropriated by the far-right as a symbol of nationalism, the flag has a history of being used as a means of rebellion from the punk era of the 1970s to the days of Britpop on the nineties.
It’s also a piece of iconography that Bimini has used in their drag before, most notably at the BRIT Awards in 2023. The Drag Race UK queen walked the red carpet wearing a dress bearing the design of the Union Jack but in the colours of the trans flag.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
