Trans* Success

RuPaul Andre Charles, best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta and New York City club scenes during the 1980s. RuPaul has on occasion performed as a man in a number of roles. RuPaul is noted among famous drag queens for his indifference towards the gender-specific pronouns used to address him—both “he” and “she” have been deemed acceptable. “You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don’t care! Just as long as you call me.” RuPaul was born in San Diego, California. RuPaul struggled as a musician and filmmaker in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1980s. He participated in underground cinema, helping create the low-budget film Star Booty, and an album by the same name. In Atlanta, RuPaul often performed at the Celebrity Club as a bar dancer or with his band, Wee Wee Pole. RuPaul’s first prominent national exposure came with a featured role dancing in the video for “Love Shack” by the B-52s.

In the early 1990s, RuPaul worked the Georgia club scene and was known by his full birth name. Initially participating in genderfuck-style performances, RuPaul performed solo and in collaboration with other bands at several New York nightclubs, most notably the Pyramid Club. He appeared for many years at the annual Wigstock drag festival and appeared in the documentary Wigstock: The Movie. In the ’90s, RuPaul was known in the UK for his appearances on the Channel 4 series Manhattan Cable. In 1993, RuPaul recorded dance/house albums which included Supermodel of the World. The music video was an unexpected success on MTV channels, as grunge-rock (Nirvana) and gangsta rap were popular at the time. RuPaul caused a controversy at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards when he presented an award with actor Milton Berle, who performed an altogether different type of drag early in his career. It was around this time that RuPaul co-hosted the BRIT Awards in London, also with Elton John. RuPaul was signed to a modeling contract for MAC Cosmetics, making him the first drag queen supermodel.

Various billboards featured him in full drag, often with the text “I am the MAC girl.” He also released his autobiography, Lettin’ It All Hang Out. He promoted that book in part with a 1995 guest appearance on ABC’s All My Children, in a storyline that put him on the set of Erica Kane’s talk show “The Cutting Edge”. The next year he landed a talk show of his own on VH1, called The RuPaul Show, interviewing celebrity guests and musical acts. Because of his strong fan base within the gay community, RuPaul has performed at gay pride events and numerous gay clubs. During this time RuPaul helped launch the return of WKTU radio in New York City and would serve as host of the morning show until 1998. In mid 2008, RuPaul began producing RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality television game show.

What other people think of me is not my business. What I do is what I do. How people see me doesn’t change what I decide to do. I don’t choose projects so people don’t see me as one thing or another. I choose projects that excite me. I think the problem is that people refuse to understand what drag is outside of their own belief system.
—RuPaul