You know her from Ru Paul’s Drag Race season 7 and not one, but two seasons of All Stars. Now, Drag Superstar Ginger Minj is touring the country in Golden Gals Live! Alongside Minj’s sisters Gidget Galore, Mr Ms Adrien and Divine Grace, the queens are traveling the United States for a hilarious, completely original show and first-of-its-kind experience, inspired by the iconic 80s series.
It’s not lost on Minj that this is a scary time to be a drag queen in the United States. “It’s a deflection, that’s all that it is, we have become the new scapegoat for all of these things and it’s really disheartening of course for us,” they said about the rapid spread of anti-LGBTQ legislation, specifically against drag queens and the trans community. “I’m also really sad for the people who are buying into it because they’re being sold a lie, they are being told something that’s not true.”
Minj talks about how frustrating it is to have the people who voted these anti-LGBTQ politicians into power say, “I don’t agree with this. I love drag and I love you and I know it’s not dangerous.” Minj goes on to say that “It’s kind of like one of those subscription box services, you pay for the box, and you get everything that comes in it. You don’t pick and choose the items that you want, that line up with how you feel. You open that box, and you have to be responsible for everything that’s in it.”
Ginger talked about what it was like to grow up in rural Florida. “It was very lonely for me. I didn’t have anybody who looked like me or was weird or different in the way that I was, so I did feel very ostracized by the entire community.” It was Drag Family Game Night, that ended up being Minj’s way of finding a place in their community. “It was a place for everybody… It showed everybody, especially the kids, that you’re not weird and you’re not different and even if you are, there’s those of us out there who ARE like you!”
It’s a big year for Ginger Minj. On top of this upcoming tour, they also have a book titled Southern Fried Sass coming out in November 2023. “The most important part of my book is telling the story of how I grew up, how I felt alone and how nobody was on my side for a very long time and how my entire life goal now is to be that person who is on the side of the weird kid.”
On being a strong ally to drag queens, Ginger says that “There’s more to being an ally, than showing up screaming and giving us a couple bucks… You also have to be on our side when it comes to everything else if you’re going to celebrate in our spaces you have to help to keep those safe. So, don’t just say you’re an ally on paper, really get behind it and support us.” They explain that “We can speak for ourselves all day long but that only goes so far with people who don’t want to listen to us in the first place. You have to take a little bit of that straight privilege that you have, and you have to go out and talk to your congress people, you have to talk to the politicians, you have to rally around them to get them to understand who we are, why we are, why we do what we do.”
You can see Ginger Minj and her fellow Golden Gals in a city near you! More dates and cities are being added soon! For more information, visit GoldenGalsLive.com.
- Log in to post comments