You Better Work!

Every good reality show has a great exit line.
What’s yours? Shante…you stay; sashay…away.

Ouch. Being read by RuPaul must be a fate worse
than death for a drag queen. Why do you think the
contestants put themselves through such a fierce competition? Well, there’s obviously a big cash prize
and sponsorships from M.A.C. and Absolut. But really,
it’s about the fame. We all want it. And millions of
people will see them on Logo or download them off YouTube or
wherever. Our society is still so fixated on gender
roles and crossing those lines. On one hand
we’re obsessed with masculinity, but we love them
drag queens!

Are you a fan of any other reality shows? Is Judge Judy a reality show? That and
The Golden Girls are really all I watch. I just
love Judy. In a world of so much bullshit, you get an hour
of straight talk. Someone who bases their decision on
the law, not on fashion or emotion. She’s for
real.

You recently released an amazing photo-illustration
of yourself as both Michelle and Barack Obama. Are you
excited about the Obama presidency? C’mon, you know how I feel about that! We
have a saying on the show: “If you’re
watching this, it means a Democrat is in the White
House.” His election signaled a real shift in
our culture after all this coldness and fear. But
we’re in such a bad place right now. I really hope he
gets a chance to turn things around.

Do you think you’ll be invited to stay in the
Lincoln bedroom? That’d be great! [Laughs] Keep
your fingers crossed!