Drag Race royalty Brooke Lynn Hytes weighs in on show’s first straight, cis man: ‘More power to him’
Brooke Lynn Hytes has weighed in on Maddy Morphosis. (WOW/BBC)
Canada’s Drag Race judge Brooke Lynn Hytes has a message for fans upset by the casting of the franchise’s first straight, cisgender man.
The Drag Race US season 14 cast was recently unveiled, with the inclusion of Maddy Morphosis, the show’s first ever cis-gender straight male queen, prompting fierce debate.
The latest to weigh in is Brooke Lynn Hytes, who spoke to PinkNews to mark the launch of Canada’s Drag Race season two on BBC iPlayer.
“It’s cool!,” she said. “I don’t care, is how I feel. I don’t care, drag is for everyone and if a straight guy wants to come into our world and do drag, I mean why not?
“We can’t say we’re inclusive and then get mad when a straight person wants to do it. So I say more power to him. I also love all the memes about it, they’re hysterical. I hope he has a sense of humour and has been enjoying them as well. I wish him all the best, I think drag is for everyone so just let everyone do it.”
Brooke isn’t the first of the show’s alumni to support Maddy’s inclusion.
Gottmik, from the show’s 13th season, compared the criticism fielded at Maddy at the backlash she received when she was announced as the franchise’s first competing trans man.
“When I first got announced on the show, I was flooded with people who did not think I should be on the show or I shouldn’t be doing drag,” Gottmik said. “I feel like she’s going through the exact same thing.”
Gottmik described drag as an “art form” that is for everyone. They argued that “it’s not about your identity”, and that everybody’s drag is “valid”.
Less willing to join the debate was legendary drag queen Lady Bunny.
After she was quizzed on Maddy’s casting during an NBC interview, she wrote on Twitter: “I don’t care who or what type is cast on Drag Race. What I do think is odd is how a Drag Race casting is elevated to be the pinnacle of a gay rights battle.”
“Many of those clamouring for ‘gay safe spaces’ and protecting the LGBTQ community from a straight drag queen on a reality show seems to forget that a bill languishes in the Senate which affects our actual safe spaces – jobs and home free from discrimination.”
